Marine Biology Course in Nerano

For the last seven years, the Marine Protected Area Punta Campanella has organized Marine Biology Courses. This Course is done together with “Parthenope” Napoli University and it gives 3 ECTS for the students. An intensive week full of knowledge about Mediterranean marine life provides people from all over Italy to have a close contact with this protected environment. The Course is held by the renowned biologists: Professor Giovanni Fulvio Russo and Professor Roberto Sandulli from the University and Dr. Guido Villani from the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry of CNR Pozzuoli. The schedule of the Course comprises lectures, sampling through diving and laboratory studies.

The subjects were so diverse as ecology of the marine plant Posidonia oceanica, the seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea and the sea urchins Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus; visual census of the ichthyofauna, underwater photography, oceanography and ecology of meiobenthos.

This year, two volunteers of Project M.A.R.E. had the chance to participate in this amazing Course! Filipe and Olga moved for one week to Nerano and there they dedicated themselves to improve their knowledge in these fields of Marine Biology so they could apply it on their EVS work. Besides of the learning experience they also had the chance to know new people and make new friends.

The Course was taught in Italian however the language barrier was overcame. Filipe and Olga were able to attend all the lectures, communicate with all the presents and do the practical and theoretical work. This means that the language issues are being solved. From day to day the foreigners feel more and more as locals!

Filipe and Olga are really thankful for being given this opportunity and they recommend all of you to attend the course of the next years! The passion of all the involved in this Marine Biology Course was contagious!