Have you ever held an alligator or looked at items magnified 15,000 times with an electron microscope?  After this morning, my 5^th-grade students excitedly answered, "Yes!"

The class spent the morning touring several interactive exhibits at MarineQuest, the annual open house of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The School Daze event held this Thursday and Friday is a fun, free hands-on field trip for students in grades four through eight. 

Students and chaperones enjoyed the direct interaction with many of the scientists in their laboratories.  We spent the morning learning about the mystery eye, alligators, freshwater fisheries management, scallop and oyster research, sea turtles, right whales, sharks, and electron microscopy.

This Saturday the MarineQuest event is open to the public and will introduce the public to Florida's environment and current fish and wildlife research.

Also, for the second year in a row, occurring adjacent to MarineQuest at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the Science in the Sun Festival is celebrating the wonders of hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Both events are free and sure to be fun for you and your family!

Be sure to visit the Canterbury Marine Studies table at these community events!

Date: Saturday - October 27, 2012

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: Bayboro Waterfront of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.