SEPTEMBER 2019 Edition
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IN THIS ISSUE
Steinhoff BZS Scholarship awardees for 2019
Roar and Pour: Uncork your WILD side!
We have our new Junior Volunteers!
Tornadoes on Trunk Island
WILD Encounters
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STEINHOFF BZS SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES FOR 2019
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The Bermuda Zoological Society is proud to award their 2019 Steinhoff/BZS scholarship and the Pye Scholarship to three recipients.
This year Amber Reid and Freyja Kermode were awarded the Steinhoff BZS Scholarships and Xander Cook was awarded the Pye Scholarhsip.
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Amber Reid is studying Environmental Science with a minor in Business Analytics at Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts. She is finishing up her last year of university, and post-graduation she plans to continue short-term employment with her university in the Residential Life Department, and then hopefully as an International Coordinator for several months, while maximizing her full-time job search in her field in the US. “I am absolutely honoured to receive this scholarship once again,” said Amber. “I think that the support of Bermudian students who are in the environmental science/studies discipline is support of the future. To be a part of that movement is incredible, and it means so much to me, especially as a Bermudian woman in STEM on a nontraditional educational path.”
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Freyja Kermode is working to earn a combined Bachelors and Masters in marine biology at the University of Southampton in England. Her plan is to come back to Bermuda and teach the next generation about ocean conservation through outreach programs to schools across the island. “I am honored and thrilled to receive one of the scholarships this year,” said Ms. Kermode. “I am excited to take the next step with my university career and get one step closer to obtaining my degree.”
Mr. Robert Steinhoff, a former BZS president, established the Steinhoff BZS scholarship in 2009 to provide educational opportunities for Bermudian students pursuing degrees in the environmental sciences at accredited institutions.
"My family and I created this scholarship to encourage and nurture Bermudian students to become environmental stewards for the future of the Island," said Mr. Steinhoff. "There is obviously a great need for it, and we hope to help budding conservationists like Amber and Freyja to achieve their career paths."
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Xander Cook graduated from Warwick Academy in 2016 studying for a BSc in Archaeology at Cardiff University with a Year of Study Abroad. For the 2019/20 academic year of study abroad I am continuing with Archaeology at University of Oslo, Norway. His focus will be on medieval archaeology including the Vikings, which directly relates to his ultimate goal of a more focused Master’s degree in Marine Archaeology, along with Terrestrial Archaeology. His future plans are to return to Bermuda as a marine archaeologist to work on the many amazing shipwrecks around the island, especially the ones yet to be discovered! “I am honored and extremely grateful to have been chosen to receive the Pye Scholarship,” said Xander. “While Archaeology is not traditionally considered one of the environmental sciences, I am very appreciative that the scholarship committee on this occasion widened their scope and provide assistance.”
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The Pye Scholarship is normally awarded in the form of financial support for a summer internship at BAMZ for either a Canadian or Bermudian student. This year it was decided to award the monies to assist Xander with his overseas expenses and fees, in conjunction with the Steinhoff Scholarship. The Pye Scholarship is granted in memory of John and Karen Pye.
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To learn more about this WILD event, click on the poster above.
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WE HAVE OUR NEW JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS!
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During the month of September, Dr. Alex Amat and a panel of BAMZ staff interviewed a number of students for the coveted 18 Junior Volunteer positions for the 2019-20 year.
We are now happy to introduce our 2019-20 BZS Junior Volunteers!
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TORNADOES ON TRUNK ISLAND
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As you’ve probably seen from our social media, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo sustained some minor foliage damage from hurricane Humberto. The day after the hurricane, staff and volunteers worked diligently for almost 11 hours of restoration and cleanup of the facility, removing 7 full truckloads of vegetation. As a result of their hard work, the visitors were allowed back on site that afternoon.
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One area we did not report on was the status of Trunk Island, the BZS “Living Classroom”. Trunk Island Officer, Trevor Rawson, reported the following:
“Overall Trunk Island faired well during the storm, giving the appearance of autumn’s arrival with bare trees and others covered in brown leaves. Two tornadoes are suspected to have whipped their way through the Island, bending and splintering large introduced trees at right angles such as fiddlewood and allspice. A wedge was carved into the tree line marking the destructive path of the cyclone. Miraculously every native tree that was planted avoided damage and remained well rooted in the soil, despite the violent winds.
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The damage suffered on the Trunk was mainly due to the tornadoes. Twenty-five feet of roof was ripped off the Main House and deposited on the lawn and into our neighbors’ boat. One of the bee hives was picked up, separated into three sections, and dropped on its side ten feet away from its usual position, but the bees continued to use the hive. Two of the original endemic Bermuda Palmetto trees were uprooted and remain horizontal across the path in the Palmetto forest.”
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Although Trunk Island sustained the aforementioned damage, Mr. Rawson and his team were able to clear the fallen trees and blocked paths quickly.
We can now report that the island is capable of receiving volunteers for corporate days of giving and that the Weekend Warrior programme will start soon.
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WHAT'S GOING ON AT BAMZ & BZS
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To register for any of the below WILD Encounters, please click the photo.
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