Students from across the province will get the opportunity to fight fires, build their own cardboard boats and construct their own underwater robot this week as the Marine Institute’s Camp GLOW, Marine Pursuits, and Underwater Robotics summer camps get underway.

The Offshore Safety and Survival Centre (OSSC) of the Marine Institute will be ablaze and the fate of the facility lies in the hands of 12 teenage girls. These girls will be there to attend Camp GLOW, (Group Learning for Outgoing Women).

This week-long fire camp, designed just for girls, will see participants take part in a series of activities modeled after those that firefighters go through during training. They will have a chance to use real firefighting equipment under the supervision of active female firefighter’s. Exercises, classes and activities include introduction to the firefighter's personal protective equipment, use of tools and ladders, search and rescue, and live fire training.

 “They’ll get the chance to see how heavy the equipment is and realize that they need that physical and mental stamina to actually do that type of work,” said Krista Parsons, safety and survival instructor, Marine Institute.

The intent of Camp GLOW is to empower and build confidence in young women through teamwork, problem solving and physical exercise. A number of female firefighters will also speak to the group, giving them an idea of what it is like to work as a firefighter and, in particular, a male dominated field.

The camp is offered in partnership with the Marine Institute and the Women in Resource Development Committee (WRDC) and is being held from July 16-20 at the OSSC in Foxtrap and from Aug. 13-17 at the Safety and Emergency Response Training (SERT) Centre in Stephenville.

Meanwhile, Grade nine and 10 students will participate in Marine Pursuits, a summer camp that explores marine careers through hands-on learning. Participants in previous years camps have sailed on Marine Institute training vessels, seen the world’s largest flume tank, designed their own cardboard boats, surveyed the marine life of a beach, witnessed helicopter emergency evacuation manoeuvres, dissected a fish, made their own caviar, and navigated a ship in a full mission bridge simulator.

As a follow up to the Marine Pursuits camp, the Marine Institute also offers Marine Pursuits 2, a camp available to students who have already completed an original Marine Pursuit camp. It is being offered at the Marine Institute from July 23-27 and is available to high school students.

Meanwhile, for the budding scientists, robotics technicians and engineers, the Marine Institute offers an Underwater Robotics camp which allows participants to design and build their own underwater robot and test it in nearby lakes and costal waters. This is a one-week (five-day) camp and runs from July 23-27.

“Most high school students do not realize the wide range of marine careers available to then or how rewarding they can be,” say Renee Bonia, camp co-ordinator. “These camps have opened up those possibilities for them and some of our participants are now attending the Marine Institute to prepare for their marine careers.”

For more information on these camps, check out www.mi.mun.ca/summer_camps

For more information, please contact Stephanie Barrett, public relations and communications officer, Fisheries and Marine Institute, at 778-0677, or Stephanie.Barrett@mi.mun.ca; or Kimberley Thornhill, educational marketing co-ordinator, Fisheries and Marine Institute, at 778-0544, or Kim.Thornhill@mi.mun.ca.