“A Renewed Sense of Wonder”: Shanghai High Schoolers Experience The MBL

International collaboration has always been a strength of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). Though based in the small village of Woods Hole, the MBL draws elite scientists—from leading scholars to exceptional students—from all over the world.

The youngest branch of the MBL community recently received a fresh influx of talent thanks to that global reach. Two high schools from China—Shanghai Star-River Bilingual School and WLSA Shanghai Academy—took part in the MBL’s High School Science Discovery Program in January.

The high school program is a residential experience that immerses students in MBL life and science. Several different courses are available to visiting schools, covering a range of the research areas that MBL scientists investigate.

From January 13 to 17, students from Shanghai Star-River Bilingual School delved into the anatomy and development of marine organisms with MBL Director Nipam Patel and MBL veterinarian and director of Marine Resources Lisa Abbo.

Along with lectures on topics ranging from biodiversity and developmental biology to microscopy and veterinary anesthesiology, students gained valuable hands-on experience in the lab. These practical experiences included extracting hemolymph from horseshoe crabs, dissecting and staining zebrafish cells and tissues, and dissecting cuttlefish.

“Special care and focus were required to trace the esophagus passing through the [cuttlefish] brain and remove it without causing damage,” one student wrote in their course reflection. “The entire process was fascinating, and we were so immersed in our work that we were unwilling to take off our lab coats when it was time to do so.”

Students also used virtual reality goggles to get a fresh glimpse into zebrafish development.

“Through the goggles, we could explore the 3D structures of the zebrafish embryos in an entirely new way, as if we were traveling through their cellular landscapes,” a student wrote. “The combination of cutting-edge technology and biology was awe-inspiring and gave me a renewed sense of wonder for the microscopic world.”

Students also learned about the biology of butterfly wings from Patel and got a look behind the scenes with tours of the Marine Resources Center, National Xenopus Resource, and Zebrafish and Automated Aquatic Facilities. A tour of the MBL-WHOI Library gave students the opportunity to hold Thomas Hunt Morgan’s Nobel Prize and leaf through the MBL’s Rare Books Collection, adding to the fun.

“The most intriguing book of all was a sixth edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, which included the signature of Darwin himself,” one student wrote.

It was Shanghai Star-River’s second year coming to the MBL. The school tries to add varied research experiences into its curriculum, Director of College Counseling Aris Zhang said. They can work on molecular biology in their home country, he explained, “but the marine life, those experiences—they can only come here.”

“The students certainly learned some new things and I also learned a few new things during their presentations on the last day,” Abbo said. “There was a lot of enthusiasm from the students and teachers, which made teaching the course fun and energizing.”

Students from WLSA Shanghai Academy displayed a similar excitement. From January 20 to 24, they took The Unseen Majority: Identifying & Visualizing Microbial & Viral Populations under course director and MBL Associate Scientist Emil Ruff.

“I was very impressed with the students’ participation despite the long flight and jet lag they must have had,” Ruff said. “They were asking great questions, listened carefully to the instructors and showed a lot of skill and patience in the lab.”

The course was designed to cover the basics of the scientific method and show students how research is performed, Ruff explained. Students learned about different ecosystems and their microbiomes and then followed the scientific method for themselves: first making observations and crafting a hypothesis, then experimenting, analyzing data, and communicating results.

Lab work included a variety of molecular biology techniques, including cell staining, DNA extraction and quantification, and nanopore DNA sequencing.

“Overall, I hope that the students got an appreciation for the incredible importance and beauty of the microcosmos and realized that research is fun, and that they can become part of it,” Ruff said.

It was WLSA Shanghai’s first time visiting the MBL. Like Shanghai Star-River, the students toured the Marine Resources Center and Rare Books Collection, heard a lecture from Patel, and soaked in the experience of studying at one of the world’s preeminent biological research institutions.

The MBL’s high school program enables students to see world-class research up close, and in doing so, plays a valuable preparatory role in their education. Some of these students will go on to major in biology or chemistry, WLSA Shanghai teacher Han Li said, adding the program is “like a preliminary test.”

“It was a pleasure to work with these bright students as they were not only curious and eager, but also funny and in a good mood,” Ruff said. “I am very grateful for this experience and how the course went and look forward to the next high school class from China.”

Are you a high school teacher or administrator interested in bringing your science-interested students to the MBL? Learn more about our High School Science Discovery Program and email Jean Enright at jeanright@mbl.edu for more information.