Two high school learners from the Western Cape will spend their June school holidays on an extraordinary voyage along the South African coastline, on board the SA Agulhas II, joining a range of experts conducting research.
Cape Town - Akhona Zondo, a Grade 12 learner at Simon’s Town High School, and Aimee Stollie, a Grade 12 learner at Môrester Akademie in Vanrhynsdorp, were selected to participate in the SEAmester programme and will spend 10 days on board the research vessel.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the matriculants will join oceanographic, fisheries, biogeochemical and biological experts on the SA Agulhas II from June 18-28.
The WCED said grade 11 and 12 learners with a passion for marine sciences were invited to apply.
Built in 2012 to replace its ageing predecessor, the SA Agulhas II is a South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship owned by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and was designed from the onset to carry out scientific research and supply South African research stations in the Antarctic.
The SEAmester programme is usually offered to postgraduate students, however, with the introduction of Marine Sciences offered in Grades 10 to 12 from 2020, the SEAmester team, led by professor Isabelle Ansorge from the University of Cape Town, made available two spaces for high school learners.
Zondo said: “I feel very privileged to receive such an amazing opportunity, I don’t want these days to end. Having exposure to various aspects in the field, being on board a ship and having access to different lecturers in different fields instils me with hope that by the end of the SEAmester programme, I’ll definitely find my feet.”
In her application, Stollie said: “I would share this knowledge with others and help spread information by informing people about the environment. As someone who is interested in engineering and marine biology this is a dream come true.”
The FET curriculum planner for Marine Sciences, Dr Mariëtte Wheeler joined the learners on board the vessel.
Wheeler said the SEAmester programme allowed participants to learn on board the research vessel, with the current voyage the seventh of its kind.
The goal of the programme is to “transform the next generation of marine scientists in South Africa”.
Lectures and practical activities will be on Marine Biology and Oceanography.
At night, evening sessions will also include astronomy.
“The young ladies will be learning about various marine sciences-related concepts through lectures by experts in their respective fields and will also hands-on do research along with the other students and scientists. They will for 10 days live on board the ship, experiencing what the daily life on board a top-class research vessel entails. They will also have great opportunities to network with the scientists and students. Through seeing and experiencing what they have been learning about in the Marine Sciences curriculum, they will likely become even more interested in sciences,” Wheeler said.