Aboard the 104-foot Research Vessel Savannah, senior undergraduate student Madison Neely sifts through a table full of marine life collected during a trawl in the Wassaw Sound just minutes earlier. She separates the specimens by species, counts them, and takes notes on a clipboard to assess the biodiversity of the body of water.

Neely is one of seven senior undergraduate students participating in the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) fall 2024 Semester at Skidaway domestic field study program.

The program immerses senior ocean science majors from UGA Franklin College’s Department of Marine Sciences in a semester-long, hands-on learning experience on the Georgia coast. It serves as a capstone for students before graduation.

Students engage in field trips to scientifically and culturally significant locations, explore the coastal area aboard SkIO’s fleet of small vessels and participate in an overnight research expedition on the R/V Savannah. They also take up to 18 credit hours of in- person courses taught by SkIO faculty, all while living in housing facilities on the SkIO campus, located on Skidaway Island in Savannah, Ga.

“The primary goal of the Semester at Skidaway program is to provide experiential learning for our ocean science majors,” said Clark Alexander, director of SkIO. “We offer them hands-on experience in the field using advanced scientific techniques and help them hone their research and presentation skills, giving them a competitive edge in their future careers.”

“We learn best by doing,” added Clifton Buck, SkIO faculty member and director of the Semester at Skidaway program. “The university and the faculty in our department recognize experiential learning is one of the most effective ways that students can master new skills and build knowledge. This principle was always front and center as we began planning the residential program that became Semester at Skidaway.”

Throughout the program, students visit the Port of Savannah, Wormsloe State Historic Site, Wassaw Island, the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant Aquarium. 

“The memories we have made are going to stick with me long after this semester,” said Neely. “As I approach graduation in December, I can’t stop thinking about what an incredible semester this is to wrap up my time at the University of Georgia.”

The students take six or seven courses, each ranging from one to four credit hours, covering a variety of marine science topics. Through these courses, they learn how to conduct interdisciplinary fieldwork, analyze ocean data, explore the South Atlantic Bight, study global biogeochemical cycles and more.

One course, Oceanographic Field Expedition, taught by SkIO faculty member Jay Brandes, prepares students to plan, execute and document results from a research cruise. The high point of the course, and the entire Semester at Skidaway program, is the aforementioned two-day trip aboard the R/V Savannah, where students collect samples to answer curiosity-driven, individual research questions. 

Students develop their research questions and analyze their samples applying techniques learned in the Oceanographic Field and Lab Methods course taught by SkIO faculty member Natalie Cohen. They use their results for their final research presentations.

“We want students to leave this experience with the ability to apply classroom concepts in the field and the lab,” said Buck. “Our location and facilities provide unique opportunities for UGA students. There is really no comparable experience to planning and conducting an oceanographic cruise on the R/V Savannah.”

Alexander was especially impressed with the students' final presentations, which covered topics such as microplastic pollution, zooplankton abundance, seabed sediment character and marine hypoxia. 

“What really stood out to me about this group is how seriously they took their presentations,” said Alexander. “They were poised and polished in their delivery.”

The full list of students who participated in the 2024 Semester at Skidaway program includes Chloe Baldwin, Kayleigh Everhart, Sam Gebhardt, Brigitte Lueder, Madison Neely, Jackson Vassy and Lia Wagner. 

“If you're curious about marine science as a career, there’s no better way to experience it than here,” said Buck. “At Skidaway, you’ll work side-by-side with experts in the field. Many faculty have projects that will get you out in the field collecting samples, generating data and drawing conclusions. Interested students shouldn’t just take my word for it—talk to our alumni about their experiences.”

“I feel much more confident, not only in my abilities as a student but also as a scientist,” added Everhart. “The skills I've learned, both in the classroom and out of it, will stay with me no matter where my path leads.”