{"id":412567,"date":"2024-08-21T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=412567"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"NMC-s-Aquaculture-Summer-Youth-Academy-exposes-Rota-students-to-world-of-marine-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/NMC-s-Aquaculture-Summer-Youth-Academy-exposes-Rota-students-to-world-of-marine-science\/","title":{"rendered":"NMC\u2019s Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy exposes Rota students to world of marine science"},"content":{"rendered":"

A total of 18 high school students successfully completed Rota\u2019s inaugural annual Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy at the NMC Rota Center hosted by Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services Aquaculture and Natural Resources program from July 29 to Aug. 2, 2024.<\/p>\n

Led by acting program leader of A&NR Jerry Barcinas and A&NR research assistant Kimo Lizama, students ages 15 to 18 were able to gain hands-on experiences about aquaculture, recirculating aquaculture systems, food security, hydro\/aquaponics, vertical mangrove crab farming, mariculture, and aquaculture cooking demonstrations.<\/p>\n

During the field trip and various tours that covered different areas of aquaculture, students learned the importance of aquaculture, soilless plant cultivation techniques, and water quality testing.<\/p>\n

One particular highlight of the week-long Summer Youth Academy was the introduction of Vertical Mangrove Farming. Students learned about the benefits of this innovative technique, which offers a sustainable and space-saving method for raising mangrove crabs efficiently. As vertical crab farming is new to the Northern Mariana Islands, students were excited to try the crabs from the first-ever vertical mangrove crab farming installation in the CNMI.<\/p>\n

Participant Kassidy May Garces showed her passion for aquaculture and said, \u201cI love science and most especially Aquaculture in general. Our NMC Aquaculture team leader kept us busy everyday in learning aquaculture and applying the practices hands-on. I learned a lot about Hydro\/Aquaponics, vertical mangrove crab farming, mariculture, water quality testing, and the amount of food we can produce in aquaculture. I\u2019m looking forward to next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another student, Victor H. Atalig, shared his newfound interest in Aquaculture, stating, \u201cThis is the best academy I have ever joined. I will most definitely join next year for sure. I had a lot of fun and learning experience with the rest of my Team Aqua. Looking forward to seeing Mr. Barcinas conduct next year\u2019s academy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Aqua Team\u2019 students have learned so much in such a short time, and I see a bright future for them as they become engaged stewards of our ocean and marine life, contributing to secure food security for Rota and the CNMI,\u201d Barcinas said. \u201cMany have shown a strong interest in pursuing majors in the fields we explored during the academy, and they are all looking forward to next year\u2019s event, which I am sure will draw even more participants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barcinas further stated, \u201cA big thank you to the parents and guardians for encouraging their participation in this first event. Your support is invaluable in fostering the next generation of leaders in aquaculture and natural resources. Thank you to all our collaborators and volunteers who helped make this event a success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to see the affinity that our youth in Luta have for science, nature, and Aquaculture. The A&NR program is doing a great job offering these experiential learning opportunities to our youth,\u201d CREES interim dean Patty Coleman said.<\/p>\n

Rota\u2019s inaugural Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy was conducted by the NMC-CREES A&NR Program in collaboration with the NMC Saipan Team, NMC Rota director Diana Hocog, Charlene Ogo of the CNMI Small Business Development Center, Rota Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality Coastal Resources Management, Department of Public Safety, Rota Mayor\u2019s Office-Hospitality Team and Rota Department of Fire & Emergency Medical Services.<\/p>\n

The Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy provided a comprehensive educational experience that combined theoretical knowledge with practical applications, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and healthy eating.<\/p>\n

For more information about the aquaculture summer youth camp or NMC CREES Aquaculture & Natural Resources Program, contact Barcinas at jerry.barcinas@marianas.edu<\/a> or (670) 234-9207, ext. 9207. (PR)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Students gather for a group photo alongside A&NR Program acting leader Jerry Barcinas, research assistant Kimo Lizama, and BECQ-DCRM representative William Pendergrass after completing Rota\u2019s inaugural Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy.<\/p>\n

-NMC
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<\/p>\n

Mangrove crabs cooked by the Rota Mayor\u2019s Office Hospitality Team for students to try on their final day of the Aquaculture Summer Youth Academy.<\/p>\n

-NMC
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A total of 18 high school students successfully completed Rota\u2019s inaugural annual Aquaculture Summer Youth…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412567\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}