This week students around the country head back to the classroom. The graduate students at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute are no less immune to the headache of back to school shopping, but instead of erasers and rulers, their carts are full of lab coats, liquid nitrogen and seine nets. This Wednesday, 28 graduate students will begin their fall classes. Coursework at the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas is a unique blend of classroom study, laboratory work, and hands on research using boats to reach sample sites. This requires its own special set of equipment to complete their assignments. Sometimes its liquid nitrogen canisters to flash freeze a fish heart (to look at stress hormones) and sometimes it’s a lab coat to protect their clothes from accidental spills of dye or fish guts. While our students require some unusual items in their shopping cart, they’re still students excited to learn and get back into the classroom. Good luck to all students embarking on a new semester!
