If you have been holding off on going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium until the sea otter exhibit re-opens…Now is the time! On Saturday, March 23rd the exhibit was once again opened for the public. I was there – and the crowd went wild! Actually, there might not have been a crowd…I was too happy to notice! (more…)
The vertebrate ecology lab’s recreation of the inside of a whale. (photo by The Moss Lander).
Tis the season for MLML Open House
By Michelle Marraffini
Invertebrate Zoology and Molecular Ecology Lab
The spring semester is buzzing with activity from classes, field trips, and preparing for Open House.
Have you ever walked inside the belly of a whale? Want to know how long turtles live or what seastars eat? This year’s Open House will answer these and so many more of your ocean questions. Be there Saturday April 20th and Sunday April 21st from 9am to 5pm. As a FREE EVENT we offer a marine adventure puppet show, education presentations by students and faculty, live touch tanks, a sea lion show, raffle and prizes, and so much more. There is so much to see you will need to come back both days!
Entry Way to MLML. Dive into Open House! April 20th and 21st
Photo by: Scott Gabara
by Angela Szesciorka, Vertebrate Ecology Lab
On April 21 and 22, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories held its 44th annual Open House. We had 2,385 visitors and raised $9,869.58. To put that into context, the first Open House in the summer of 1968 had 40 visitors! The lab has certainly grown since then and so has the surrounding community’s interest and support for marine science.
A future marine scientist having her photo taken as a scientific scuba diver. (photo by Will Fennie)
Michelle Marraffini
Invertebrate Zoology and Molecular Ecology
Have you ever wondered about the secret life of deep sea fishes? Or what the inside of a whale looks like? Have you touched one of the largest sea slugs in the world? Well, visitors to this year’s Open House at MLML got a chance to do all of this and more! Over the course of this two day event students, faculty, and staff opened their labs and their minds to over 2300 visitors of all ages from around the Monterey Bay area. If you missed it come on a tour with me and walk through the labs. At the first stop we see a large mahi mahi fish and skeletons of local and far away fish.
Mahi Mahi on display at Open House
Fish skeleton to be viewed but not touched in the Ichthyology Lab
Head to the Geological Oceanography Lab to get dirty with science!
The Geological Oceanography lab rocks, literally. The rhodolith pictured here is made from calcium carbonate much similar to the bone in our bodies. This alga makes beautiful sand beaches we all enjoy. To learn more about beach formation and the different organisms and rocks that make up the sand beneath your toes, stop by the Geology lab at Moss Landing’s Open House.
The MLML Dive Program will be present sharing information about the program here.
Be sure to check out the SCUBA diver hanging somewhere in the MLML halls at Open House this weekend. The MLML dive program will have a booth to discuss the program and classes offered here. We will have SCUBA gear on display, and can share many stories of diving in the beautiful waters of Monterey Bay!
Learn about algae and why we rely on it!
During Open House, you can come on down to the Phycology Lab (from phykos, meaning seaweed) and check out different red, green and brown algae. Learn about agar and carrageenan, which are polysaccarides or carbohydrates that come from algae. They are in shampoo, diet shakes, soy milk, toothpaste and even ice cream! We will most likely have some ice cream for people to see the carrageenan in the ingredients and do a taste test!
photo: E. Loury
The Benthic Lab at MLML has journeyed to some pretty exotic places, including under the ice of Antarctica. Come see the gear, specimens and videos from their Antarctic explorations, and learn more about their trusty robot SCINI!
photo: E. Loury
Visitors to the 2010 Open House pay their respects to a large Mahi-mahi laid out in state. We will have some other interesting fish on ice for you to take a close look at this year. Can you imagine making a painted print of a fish this size? Some MLML students actually gave it a try! You can make your own fishy artwork at our fish-printing station, be sure to stop by!
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