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Joshua Learn
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More than a thousand miles from the nearest ocean, a high school in Des Moines is home to a surprising number of sea creatures. Another surprise? Each of its more than 100 saltwater tanks is cared for by a student.
Central Campus, a public magnet school in Iowa, boasts a 10,000-square-foot saltwater laboratory where students learn how to care for marine life and think like scientists.
“The program is designed to provide any student in the Des Moines area free access to learning about being a marine scientist,” said Gregory Jeff Barord, who has been the marine biology instructor at Central Campus for the last 13 of its more than 40-year history.
A 1000-gallon aquarium holds several species of fish, including the sunburst butterflyfish (Chaetodon flavescens) and the emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) at Central Campus’ marine laboratory. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Each year, around 150 students take part in either the marine biology or aquarium science programs, which take your typical class pet to the next level. “A huge part of the program is maintaining the laboratory,” Barord said. The laboratory is made up of around 140 saltwater tanks, the largest of which is 2,400 gallons. The students are responsible for feeding, maintaining and cleaning the tanks. They come in on weekends, holidays and no-school days to help keep the aquarium running. The students are automatically enrolled at a local community college, so they receive college credit for completing the class’s advanced coursework.
Each student also has a research project, which often includes themes like animal behavior. A couple of students are interested in investigating why their new cuttlefish, which they got as a donation from Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, displays different color patterns. A few others are trying to track ovulation and pregnancy in stingrays, a program now in its third year.
Barord’s background is in conservation and research, and he currently serves as the director of science and outreach for Save the Nautilus, a nonprofit that works to conserve all nautilus species. “I wanted to give students the opportunity at the high school level to conduct research, publish papers and present at conferences,” Barord said.
Barord has been with the program for 13 years. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Central Campus meets TWS
This year, Barord is bringing 100 of his marine biology students to the final day of TWS’ Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. He wants to teach them that it’s OK to go outside their comfort zone and hopes each student finds at least one presentation they’re excited about. “I want them to feel like they belong in a place like that,” Barord said.
About 75% of the students are interested in pursuing sciences as a career. The other 25% want to take a fun elective. “Twenty years from now, hopefully they’ll be making the decisions and have a better idea why [conservation] is important,” he said.
Many of Barord’s students are eager to attend the conference, like Ngoc Nha Uyen Le. “I think it would be a good opportunity to learn new things and explore possible careers in biology,” she said. Working in the lab has changed the way Le thinks about the natural world. “It has taught me that living things are connected to each other and that even small changes in the environment can affect animals and their habitats,” she said. Le wants to know what the biggest challenge is in protecting wildlife today and what ordinary people can do to help.
Over the last two years, Barord has taken 37 students to Fiji for field research, supported by grants and school fundraising. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Amaya Veldkamp is also excited to attend the conference. “I want to attend The Wildlife Society’s conference to learn new things from knowledgeable people,” she said. “And then tell my grandma what I learned, because we both love learning about our world.” Veldkamp’s perspective on the natural world has also changed through taking Barord’s class. She’s realized how sensitive some fish are to “even the littlest of human activity.”
Attendees to the 2026 TWS conference can also schedule a tour of the aquarium, which is located at 1800 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309. The school is a six-minute drive, a 20-minute ride on public transit or about a 30-minute walk from the convention center.
Interested visitors can email Barord at gr************@*******ls.org to set up an appointment between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The post High school scientists to visit TWS conference appeared first on The Wildlife Society.
Central Campus, a public magnet school in Iowa, boasts a 10,000-square-foot saltwater laboratory where students learn how to care for marine life and think like scientists.
“The program is designed to provide any student in the Des Moines area free access to learning about being a marine scientist,” said Gregory Jeff Barord, who has been the marine biology instructor at Central Campus for the last 13 of its more than 40-year history.
A 1000-gallon aquarium holds several species of fish, including the sunburst butterflyfish (Chaetodon flavescens) and the emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) at Central Campus’ marine laboratory. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Each year, around 150 students take part in either the marine biology or aquarium science programs, which take your typical class pet to the next level. “A huge part of the program is maintaining the laboratory,” Barord said. The laboratory is made up of around 140 saltwater tanks, the largest of which is 2,400 gallons. The students are responsible for feeding, maintaining and cleaning the tanks. They come in on weekends, holidays and no-school days to help keep the aquarium running. The students are automatically enrolled at a local community college, so they receive college credit for completing the class’s advanced coursework.
Each student also has a research project, which often includes themes like animal behavior. A couple of students are interested in investigating why their new cuttlefish, which they got as a donation from Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, displays different color patterns. A few others are trying to track ovulation and pregnancy in stingrays, a program now in its third year.
Barord’s background is in conservation and research, and he currently serves as the director of science and outreach for Save the Nautilus, a nonprofit that works to conserve all nautilus species. “I wanted to give students the opportunity at the high school level to conduct research, publish papers and present at conferences,” Barord said.
Barord has been with the program for 13 years. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Central Campus meets TWS
This year, Barord is bringing 100 of his marine biology students to the final day of TWS’ Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. He wants to teach them that it’s OK to go outside their comfort zone and hopes each student finds at least one presentation they’re excited about. “I want them to feel like they belong in a place like that,” Barord said.
About 75% of the students are interested in pursuing sciences as a career. The other 25% want to take a fun elective. “Twenty years from now, hopefully they’ll be making the decisions and have a better idea why [conservation] is important,” he said.
Many of Barord’s students are eager to attend the conference, like Ngoc Nha Uyen Le. “I think it would be a good opportunity to learn new things and explore possible careers in biology,” she said. Working in the lab has changed the way Le thinks about the natural world. “It has taught me that living things are connected to each other and that even small changes in the environment can affect animals and their habitats,” she said. Le wants to know what the biggest challenge is in protecting wildlife today and what ordinary people can do to help.
Over the last two years, Barord has taken 37 students to Fiji for field research, supported by grants and school fundraising. Courtesy of Gregory Jeff Barord
Amaya Veldkamp is also excited to attend the conference. “I want to attend The Wildlife Society’s conference to learn new things from knowledgeable people,” she said. “And then tell my grandma what I learned, because we both love learning about our world.” Veldkamp’s perspective on the natural world has also changed through taking Barord’s class. She’s realized how sensitive some fish are to “even the littlest of human activity.”
Attendees to the 2026 TWS conference can also schedule a tour of the aquarium, which is located at 1800 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309. The school is a six-minute drive, a 20-minute ride on public transit or about a 30-minute walk from the convention center.
Interested visitors can email Barord at gr************@*******ls.org to set up an appointment between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The post High school scientists to visit TWS conference appeared first on The Wildlife Society.
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