Marine Biology, a course taught in The Master’s University’s School of Science, Mathematics, Technology & Health, is a hands-on experience that combines classroom teaching with whale watching, tide pool searches, and snorkeling.

Dr. Matthew Ingle, associate professor of biological science, has now taught the course four times.

Marine Biology is part of TMU’s biology program and can be taken to fulfill requirements in most of the department’s emphases. Ingle jumped at the opportunity to teach students the intricacies of how the ocean can offer glimpses into the Creator’s beauty.

“(In the classroom), we anchor our minds in what the Bible reveals about marine life long before we ever get to see it,” Ingle said. The idea behind this approach is to give students a good working knowledge for identification, and to allow students to better appreciate what they see in the latter part of the course, allowing students to witness the Creator’s hand in a very real way.

“I think the most unique part is that we cement in our minds a biblical understanding of the organisms that God has placed in the waters,” Ingle says, referencing Genesis 1:22.

Ingle admits, of course, that some things are buried so deep in the oceans that they seem disconnected from us. Most students will only be able to watch YouTube videos on these subjects, but in studying them, Ingle believes they can begin to grasp the might and glory of the Creator.

“I want students to have an appreciation for why the oceans matter. Why do things that almost never affect humans deserve to be studied? That’s our responsibility,” Ingle says.

For more information on TMU’s biological science program, click here.

Camden Specht graduated this May from TMU’s Creative Writing & Publishing program.