Group photo of Edison students in front of Mote Marine Laboratory sign in Florida

Edison Intermediate School 7th and 8th graders visited the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida as part of a three-day STEM field trip in February, organized by Edison math teacher Ryan Belline and a team of educators. The students waded into the Gulf of Mexico to collect shrimp, crabs, and other small sea animals to study and classify by their type.  

As part of the parent-financed field trip, the group also traveled to Everglades National Park and enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the science, technology, and engineering used to power the rides at Universal Studios.  

 Following the trip, students shared educational takeaways, expressing appreciation for “the different animals in the Florida ecosystem,” “how the rides [at Universal] really work and how much everything costs,” and that “sharks have been around longer than trees!”