Blog

Name: Alex Tewfik, Ph.D.
Position: Lecturer in Tropical Marine Ecology
Program: Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos

With only three weeks remaining in the semester, the class of spring 2012 continues to reap the rewards of being surrounded by some of the most marine life rich waters in the Caribbean. Such rewards include regular and close encounters, as part of Directed Research and recreational dives, with lemon sharks, eagle rays, and several species of marine turtle.

One Directed Research group was recently treated to a rare sighting of a Great Hammerhead shark while making observations of eagle rays in Shark Alley. Other Directed Research projects center their efforts on critical habitats (seagrass, mangrove) that provide the foundation for the pristine marine ecosystems that surround South Caicos as well as supporting critical livelihoods to the residents of Cockburn Harbor through various fisheries resources (queen conch, spiny lobster).

As the semester winds down students will be working hard to complete their data collection and final paper write-up while also gearing up for our final session of community engagement – SEA DAY! Here students will showcase their newly acquired knowledge of tropical marine ecology, resource management and environmental policy during an afternoon of games and education for the benefit of local children and their parents.