Courtesy of brad bishop Coral reef fish

Science students from Los Altos, Mountain View and St. Francis high schools are scheduled to return to Fiji June 22-July 6 for the second annual BioCamp.

The students study coral reefs, rainforests, southern-hemisphere astronomy and waterfalls from their campsite, which is only accessible by boat. The site includes hot showers, restrooms and an open-air kitchen. Tents, mattresses, BBQs, eating utensils, emergency kits and Fijian cell phones further provide the comforts of home.

Nicole Maston, a senior at St. Francis, and Brian Bishop, a senior at Mountain View high, came up with the idea for BioCamp. Both are avid scuba-certified divers who take advanced science courses at their respective schools.

“It has been awesome to see the BioCamp mature,” Maston said. “We have had so much cooperation from the schools, our teachers, fellow students and families.”

“It is like executing a business plan, to follow through on each and every task to ensure a successful trip,” said Teri Faught, a high school biology teacher from MVHS who went on the trip last year and plans to return this year. “We figured that this science-centric event would be great in preparing students for college. We know there are a lot of other summer camp programs focused on the arts, languages and history, so why not hold ours in one of the best marine ‘labs’ in the world?”

One of the goals of BioCamp’s scientific studies is to “Keep Fiji Fiji.” The term arose amid efforts to better understand global warming and pollution and their effects on remote paradises such as Fiji’s Rainbow Reef, not far from where the not-for-profit BioCamp is situated.

For more information about the Fiji BioCamp, contact Nicole Maston at scubagirl3000@aol.com or 279-3049 or visit www.FijiFiji.com.