Creating a tutorial to build a remotely operated vehicle. Collecting fish measurements from spear fishers. Testing drag forces on an underwater robot.
These might not sound like typical high school science projects, but this is not a typical high school.
Students at the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science, a public college-preparatory school on the campus of Monterey High School, participate in math- or science-related internships during their junior or senior year.
"The internships range from working with scientists at Moss Landing Marine Laboratory to a local orthodontist to accountants," said Therese Mayone, administrative coordinator at the school known as MAOS. "It varies from student to student. The students are very motivated."
The 242 students at MAOS take intensive classes in math and science, with a special focus on marine science. Ninety-nine percent of its graduates go on to four-year colleges, said Mayone.
The academy was created in 1994 after a Monterey High School teacher had the idea to form a separate program on campus and got seed money, a $35,000 grant from the state Department of Education.
Now, the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District pays for teachers' salaries and classroom space, and the rest of the school's money comes from grants, donations by parents and fundraisers. Although it is a public school, parents are asked to donate $650 per year if they can, Mayone said.
Admissions are competitive, Mayone said. Last year, about 120 applications for freshman admissions were received and the program accepted only 60 students.
Applicants are required to write admission essays and provide recommendations from middle school math and English teachers. Students from all parts of the county come to the academy.
MAOS students take several field trips during their four years — including trips to the University of California-Berkeley, Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey and Elkhorn Slough, and viticulture tours — where students learn the chemistry behind winemaking.
Students take a complete range of courses, but there is an oceanic tinge to most of their activities and classes.
"It's fantastic that we have a school in the area that focuses on the ocean," said Jim Bellingham, chief technologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and supervisor of one of the program's recent interns. "This is an incredible area for students who have this interest. There are so many strong organizations here. It's great to see students going out and taking advantage of that."
The MAOS internships, which are 90 hours long and focus on marine science, leave a lasting impression for some.
Alison Haupt, who graduated from MAOS in 1999, is in her third year of a doctoral program in biology at Stanford. She studies sea snails and sea cucumber larvae at Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey.
Her years at MAOS nurtured a growing interest in marine science, Haupt said. She got her certification in scuba diving after her junior year and never looked back. One of her teachers at MAOS recommended a marine biology class at Carmel High School her senior year. She went on dive trips and learned about the animals living in Monterey Bay.
Haupt interned at the State Department of Fish and Game while at MAOS, tracking the sizes of different fish caught by recreational fishermen. She said the experience gave her a chance to interact with young scientists, and to see what it would be like to pursue an advanced degree in marine science.
Haupt said she felt better prepared for her freshman science classes at the University of California-Santa Barbara than many of her college classmates.
"MAOS definitely prepares you for college," Haupt said. "When I started taking biology in college, most of it was not new to me."
Brian Hoover said his internship has given him a leg up entering college, because he has a better idea of his career path.
"I'd always kind of thought that I wanted to be an engineer, but I wasn't really sure," he said. "Seeing what a professional engineer actually does every day at work was a great experience."
See www.maosmontereyhigh.org to learn more about the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science.
Correction: Hopkins Marine Station is in Pacific Grove. Its location was incorrectly reported on page B3 on Saturday.