Summer in the Sun: My Experiences as an ANGARI Intern

By Delaney Foster – Summer 2023

I started my Summer 2023 internship with ANGARI Foundation in late May, and it was the first time I had been back to Florida for more than a few weeks since I started at Boston University about two years ago. Working with ANGARI has been amazing! I have had the opportunity to develop my skills and learn from my coworkers. That is why I want to focus this blog on a variety of projects I worked on this summer.

Social media content creation was one of the first projects I started working on. One of my major summer projects was a series of educational #ANGARIDeepDive posts for September. The #ANGARIDeepDive campaign focuses on a different species each month to help educate and promote global conservation efforts of the marine environment and marine life. While I am experienced with content creation, being able to see the entire process from idea to completion at an established non-profit was one of my favorite parts of this internship! It helped me understand how the creation process can be made more effective while incorporating feedback from as many people as possible. I hope to incorporate some of the lessons learned during the summer into my social media practices. In addition to the Deep Dive monthly series, I created posts highlighting past Deep Dive subjects and a National Wildlife Day post celebrating great hammerhead sharks.

I also worked on outreach materials throughout the summer and, in particular, those in support of ANGARI’s Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks (COE: Sharks) program in collaboration with scientists from Florida International University’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education. One of my favorite projects was creating bingo cards to be used during COE: Sharks expedition onboard R/V ANGARI! This project aimed to develop a way for students on expeditions to be engaged and learn more about their surroundings throughout the day. We were able to get the first round of feedback from teachers on Expedition 68, and plan to start using them during the 2023-2024 school year. Along with interactive outreach materials, I created supporting educational resources, such as a guide on how to use Merge Cubes to do things like viewing 3D models of the great hammerhead shark, Nemesis, and giant manta ray, Skye, and a “Tools of the Trade” infographic that covers tools for shark research.

Everything I mentioned above has been vital to my experiences at ANGARI. I have learned how to manage different projects and have developed numerous skills. That being said, the highlight of the summer was the COE: Sharks expeditions for educators aboard R/V ANGARI that I participated in. I had never been on a shark research expedition before and loved the opportunity! During the expeditions, I primarily assisted with photography and helped facilitate safe and successful teacher participation and engagement.

Expedition 66 in June was my first time out with ANGARI. It was part of a weeklong teacher workshop with the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute Environmental Education Fellowship providing teachers opportunities to gain environmental science knowledge and experiences. I took part on the R/V ANGARI expedition day out of Miami where the teachers were able to experience the COE: Sharks program firsthand. The day began with briefings and what to expect. Throughout the day, I helped support the expedition operations and the teachers as they learned about the importance of shark research and conservation, while getting hands-on experience with the field methods the scientists utilize. We may not have caught any sharks that day. However, teachers were able to take part in all steps of shark research, including simulating a shark workup and tagging on a model shark.

The next time I had the chance to assist was in July on R/V ANGARI Expedition 68 out of West Palm Beach. This was another COE: Sharks expedition for educators. The day began with safety briefings and included instructing teachers on the field methods and activities associated with shark research, including drumlines, shark workups, and baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS) surveys. BRUVS are baited underwater video camera rigs that help scientists get a less invasive view of the local marine ecosystem. We had the opportunity to deploy a BRUVS close to shore in the Lake Worth Lagoon and saw various fish species. We also spotted a nurse shark! The most exciting part of the day was when a tiger shark was caught on a drumline. She had a total length of 316 cm (10.4 ft) from nose to end of tail, and was tagged with a NOAA tag.

I cannot understate how rewarding this internship was. Being able to support these one-of-a-kind experiences for teachers, and working to create outreach resources and opportunities to help facilitate greater involvement from teachers, was a key reason I wanted to be involved with ANGARI. Through these opportunities and experiences, I have learned more about the industry and developed skills, as well as how important supporting the local community is to my future career. I don’t have the words to thank ANGARI for this opportunity, and can’t wait to see how they continue to better the world with their work.