Sea Turtle Conservation Event at QMU

Recently, our Year 10 students attended a Sea Turtle Conservation Event at Queen Mary University, London. This event was hosted by research students from the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences under the guidance of Prof. Christophe Eizaguirre. Students were able to learn about the behaviour and conservation of sea turtles from speakers.

They interacted online with scientists working at Cape Verde and asked questions about dangers to turtle nests and artificial hatchery created by the NGO for sea turtle conservation. There was also a presentation on working with a conservation NGO and on the different job opportunities available. Students were provided information about A Level subjects and undergraduate degree courses linked to careers in the field of Conservation.

Here are some views from our Year 10 students, Khaliya Karim & Ruhi Mehta:

On 22nd November, some of Queen Mary’s University (QMU) students hosted a Sea Turtle Conservation Event, where we were introduced to the NGO (non-governmental organisation) called Project Biodiversity run in Sal, Cape Verde. A group of Year 10 students, got to learn about the life of sea turtles, through documentaries and a personal Q&A with a leader of the project, Kirsten Fairweather. The group discovered that turtles were heavily endangered, due to the environment they were surrounded in. Project Biodiversity ensures that the turtles of Sal are protected through research and physical care.

QMU students investigated the turtle’s behaviour and created a program to show what life would be like in the eyes of a turtle. Hatch End’s students were privileged to be given the opportunity to use this program in a virtual reality headset. As students, we loved the VR headset experience and truly could connect with the idea of pollution and hunting harming the animals.