Achievement

The MESAS IGERT internship contributes to a trainee’s broader understanding of the challenges of marine resource sustainability. It has proven to be a challenging and pivotal experience for many trainees. Lauren Divine, whose research focuses on benthic food webs and energy flow on the Beaufort Shelf, interned with the Aleut Community of St. Paul. Among other activities, she worked with this community to create and coordinate a culturally based science camp called Camp Amix. The Northern fur seal, a culturally significant species, served as the focal point for camp and activities centered on teaching scientific skills (such as estimation and counting), traditional arts and crafts, subsistence harvest, and seal meat preparation. Divine had a unique opportunity to learn about the challenges the St. Paul Island Tribal Government faces in managing the island’s marine ecosystems and life within a Native Alaskan community.