(BIVN) – A new program at Hawaiʻi Community College is giving students an opportunity to get hands on with marine science. 

Recently, students participating in the first year of the college’s Marine Option Program (MOP) helped to count and study 80 endangered green sea turtles along Hawai‘i Island’s coastlines. 

“Even though we’re the youngest program in the entire system, Hawai‘i CC’s Marine Option Program is one of the most unique in that we offer research in sea turtles,” said MOP program coordinator Jen Sims in a news release, which was shared by HCC along with photos and video of the students working on the Kaʻū coast. 

Students safely hand-capture green sea turtles, conduct health evaluations, measure and weigh them. (photo courtesy University of Hawaiʻi – Hawaiʻi Community College)

“I took a zoology class at Hawaiʻi CC and in my lab portion we got to go to Punalu‘u. We did turtle tagging, which was very inspiring to me because since I was a child I’ve wanted to do marine science,” said Hawai‘i CC graduate Eliea Mitchell-Butler. “And to be able to do it and get involved with the local community was very touching because [the 40-year data set at Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach] is the largest and longest-going database worldwide on green sea turtles.” 

According to the HCC news release: 

Students worked hands-on in the Hilo Sea Turtle Health and Population Assessment Program through a special research permit with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Under faculty supervision, they hand-captured turtles, assessed their health, measured and weighed them, and applied tags for tracking. Research was conducted at Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach and Haʻena Beach on Hawai‘i Island.

MOP offers students early exposure to marine science through internships, personal research projects (photo courtesy University of Hawaiʻi – Hawaiʻi Community College)

“I never thought I would be part of real conservation science this soon in my undergraduate education,” said recent Hawaiʻi CC graduate Christian Reynolds. “I joined MOP at Hawai‘i Community College because it offered me the same opportunities that I would have otherwise had at a four-year university but at a much lower price.” 

For more information about the Marine Option Program at Hawai‘i CC, email Sims at jlsims@hawaii.edu or visit the website.