Bridgewater State College
NECWA has a collaborative research and internship program with Bridgewater State College. This internship program is under the direction of Dr. John C. Jahoda, a Professor in the Biology Department at Bridgewater State College.
Dr. Jahoda has been studying marine mammals off the coast of Massachusetts since the mid 1970’s. During this time Dr. Jahoda has enjoyed collaborations with many investigators and agencies involved with marine mammal research and conservation including the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.
Dr. Jahoda’s research interests center around the ecology and behavior of marine mammals, including the behavior of humpback whales. Dr. Jahoda has also carried out research on river dolphins and black caiman in the Amazon rainforest.
One of his current studies focuses on the ecology of the Northern Forest ecosystem in northern New England,
including observations of rare and endangered species of animals and plants. Dr. Jahoda is also investigating the ecology of vernal pools and the dynamic interactions within these ephemeral ecosystems.
Research under Dr. Jahoda’s supervision and guidance has provided many insights into the lives of marine wildlife that come to our New England waters to feed each season. His efforts have also provided educational opportunities for many Bridgewater State College undergraduates as well as local teachers through their participation in internship programs and research programs such as Project SWIMS.
Project SWIMS was a National Science Foundation funded project that involved 5 to 8 grade teachers
in marine mammal research and involved the International Wildlife Coalition. Dr. Jahoda established a marine mammal internship program at Bridgewater State College in the mid 1970s. The current BSC / NECWA internship program is the descendent of this earlier program.
During this time, Captain John Boats has provided the primary research platform for this long term and important study of marine mammals. NECWA has broadened this research to include other species of marine wildlife including basking sharks and ocean sunfish. This collaboration between NECWA, Bridgewater State College and Captain John Boats provides important long-term, research opportunities on the marine wildlife of Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay, including the waters of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
To see how you can help support these types of research and educational activities, please visit our donation page. Your support will help NECWA continue its collaboration with Bridgewater State College to provide Biology undergraduates with real-life experiences in the field of marine sciences.
