Coast Day will be held rain or shine from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, at UD's Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. Admission is free, and parking is $2.
UD professors, graduate students, other College of Marine and Earth Studies representatives, and visitors from organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will engage kids with activities and exhibits including the Amazing Invertebrate Showcase and a demonstration on the sounds of coastal fish.
Families can kick off their day with an event called Ask the Oceanographer at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Cannon Laboratory Lobby. Doug Miller, associate professor of oceanography, will be on hand to field all types of questions from curious Coast Day kids and parents.
At 12 p.m., the Great Crab Race will be held in the tent behind Cannon Laboratory by Charles E. Epifanio, professor of marine biology and biochemistry, and his students. Find out who has the best bait to lure the wily crustacean to the finish line. Visitors can bring their own or use the bait provided by researchers at the event. Additional races will be held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Epifanio and students in his research team will offer hands-on demonstrations on feeding blue crabs, providing information on how the crabs live and what they eat at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in Room 121 of Cannon Laboratory.
Additional events include a demonstration on fly-fishing given by the Salt Water Fly Anglers of Delaware behind Smith Lab from 12-2 p.m. Coast Day visitors also can stop by the Education Tent to meet Professor Green, DuPont Clear into the Future's multimedia robotic educator. Professor Green will teach children how to protect the planet on which they live.
Continuous events include a treasure hunt, in which children pick up maps at Cannon Laboratory and answer questions about marine-related issues and receive a prize, and an overview of boating safety, in which children sign a safe boating pledge and receive a personal floatation device (available on a first-come, first-served basis). Also, the Delaware Geological Survey will provide children an opportunity to create their own artwork using paints made from Delaware rocks and minerals.
The Amazing Invertebrate Showcase, led by Miller and his students, will be held in 125A Cannon Laboratory. Children will learn how organisms such as snails, worms and crabs are being used in the research of marine-related issues.
NOAA will offer a tent filled with activities. Children can check out a weather balloon, build a model of a shark, make a fish print and try their hand at marine mammal origami. They can even try on a “gumby” survival suit.
The Delaware Sea Grant College Program with support from the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute will offer a touch tank and marine mammal exhibit. Also, the UD Geology club will offer fossil painting and “prospecting” for rocks and minerals.
Coast Day, which is sponsored by the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, attracts more than 10,000 visitors annually to celebrate Delaware's coastal resources and experience marine research.
Admission to Coast Day is free; parking is $2. For more information, contact the UD Marine Public Education Office at (302) 831-8083, or visit the Coast Day web site at [www.ocean.udel.edu/coastday].
Free bus shuttle service to and from Coast Day 2007 is being offered to University of Delaware students, employees and members of their immediate families on Sunday, Oct. 7. For more information, visit [www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/sep/buses092007.html].
Article by Elizabeth Boyle
