CollaborativeDiscovery
Thanks to the visionary work of the late Dan Dalke, Lovett’s former Upper School science department head and founder of our marine biology program, Lovett students have enjoyed exclusive research opportunities at the Georgia Aquarium for almost 10 years. “Even before the Aquarium broke ground, Dan was working with their education department to carve out a place for Lovett,” said marine biology teacher Dr. Jennifer Reynolds. Lovett students have worked at the Aquarium ever since on various projects, including studying the behavior of sharks and manta rays, working in coral tanks, and training animals. Next year, however, Lovett’s relationship with the Aquarium will be an official partnership. While students will continue to benefit as they have in the past through internships and independent research studies at the Aquarium, the Aquarium science staff will also benefit from collaborative research projects in Lovett’s new marine biology facility, including raising jellyfish and breeding clownfish. All marine biology classes will also
participate in behind-the-scenes tours at the Aquarium, as well as a Lovett Night for our community. The internship opportunities in this new phase of the partnership will become more interactive, rather than observational, experiences. Interested marine biology students will go through a rigorous application process and four will be selected each year to participate in the internship. They will work in pairs on
Suzanna Mayer ’14 and Will Poplin working in Lovett’s marine biology lab.
Partnerships across Disciplines and Divisions While the partnerships with the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Georgia Aquarium have enlivened the botany and marine biology programs in the Upper School, Lovett is fortunate to have partnerships with other well-known organizations and institutions in Atlanta and around the world, including the Global Online Academy, the French Consulate in Atlanta, Agape Community Center, and Habitat for Humanity. Other partnerships that have developed in recent years include the High Museum of Art, which allows for unique access to the many resources of the High and further integrates visual arts into Lovett’s curricula, and Sam Flax, which provides opportunities for both students and teachers to explore traditional academic subjects through visual arts. 8
Lovett
research projects in different exhibits at the Aquarium, including Tropical Diver, Cold Water Quest, and River Scout. Students may also extend their research and work into independent studies or senior projects. “My senior project internship at the Georgia Aquarium was the single most impactful part of my time at Lovett,” said George Spencer ’11. George was unable to fit marine biology into his senior year schedule,
so he decided to drop his classes for a month to study coral spawning in tanks at the Aquarium. “The knowledge and experiences I gained have helped me in countless subsequent jobs, classes, and real-life situations.” Lovett and the Aquarium have also explored ideas for a summer school course. This past March, Dr. Reynolds’s marine biology students and two Georgia Aquarium biologists traveled to the Florida Keys to test those possibilities. The group