![\"Melody](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Gonsalves2-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cI thought the sharks would feel rougher,\u201d said Ricky Rodriguez, a junior at the Met. His favorite parts of this week were holding the sharks and learning about them. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting, it\u2019s not just watching, we\u2019re going out and doing stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Wetherbee\u2019s main focus in conducting the camp was all about exposure, both to the University and the sciences. Earlier in the week the students toured the campus, checked out 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s laboratory facilities, and even heard from Donald H. DeHayes, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, John Kirby, dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. On its last day, the group headed back to shore early to talk about the college application process with 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s admission staff.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what this camp is about, getting them excited about something they\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d Wetherbee said. \u201cTypically, these students would never experience any of this before graduating from high school. Many are unaware of the choices available to them in higher education, and this camp\u2019s goal is to give them a taste.\u201d<\/p>\n During a typical day on the boat, Wetherbee and the students set baited lines to lure in sharks and other marine animals, and dragged trawl nets to capture fish and bring them on board. Students helped by baiting the lines and pulling them in at the end of the day.<\/p>\n As the boat crew brings in the trawl net, they\u2019re met with oohs and ahhs over how many different fish are hauled onto the boat. Some call out their observations–a shark! Is that a flounder? Look at all the squid!–while everyone crowds around the observation deck. Some students wearing lifejackets step onto the back platform, eagerly awaiting the net to drop.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first pulled up the net, I didn\u2019t know there were that many creatures in Rhode Island waters,\u201d said Melody Gonsalves, a senior at The Met. She knew she wanted to go into marine sciences, but always considered schools in other locations that seemed to have a wider variety of species to study, but she learned that \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of biodiversity here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>