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Visitors' Center Visitors enjoy the exhibits, aquaria, and life-size models in VIMS Visitors' Center during Marine Science Day.

Scallop Eyes From L: Madeline Allburn, Isabella Weiner, and Clare Allburn learn what it's like to see the world through the eyes of a scallop during Marine Science Day at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Underwater Robot Chris Petrone (far L) watches as visitors drive a mini-robotic submarine during Marine Science Day. Petrone is a Marine Education Specialist with the Sea Grant program at VIMS.

Touch Tank Visitors examine a spider crab taken from the Visitors' Center touch tank.

Fish Tagging Jon Lucy (L) explains fish tagging to two young visitors. Lucy is a Marine Recreation Specialist with the VA Sea Grant program at VIMS.

Bottom Dwellers VIMS graduate student Treda Smith talks about weird and wonderful bottom dwellers during Marine Science Day

Fish Printing Young visitors practice their fish and scallop printing in the Children's Pavilion.

Fish Prints A selection of the fish and scallop prints created by visitors to Marine Science Day.

Seafood Cooking Demo Kelly Turner, Chef Instructor at the Culinary Institute of Virginia (L), joins with Sea Grant Seafood Education Specialist Vicki Clark (2nd from L) to serve scallops during a Seafood Cooking Demonstration.

Seafood Cooking Demo VIMS grad student Matt Whalen (L) shows a visitor how to use a microscope to view the small shrimp-like crustaceans that inhabit local sea grass beds.

Hidden Pipefish Visitors learn about camouflage by counting pipefish hidden within sea grass.

DNA Wendi Ribeiro, a graduate student in the Marine and Aquaculture Molecular Genetics program at VIMS (L), shows young visitors how to prepare samples for DNA analysis.

Blue Crab A young visitor examines a blue crab.

Blue Crabs Visitors learn about blue crabs.

Aquarium Display A visitor examines an aquarium display.

Zooplankton Kate Ruck shows a zooplankton sample to a visitor. Ruck is an incoming graduate student.

TEM VIMS professor Wolfgang Vogelbein (C) instructs Porter Doughty (L) and Michael Luck (R) in the use of the transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Green Screen A pair of young visitors prepare for the Virtual Scientist "green screen" activity. Results of this “Scientist for a Few Seconds” activity will soon be available on the VIMS YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/vimsvideos).

Cake Gummi worms and fish occupy the "seafloor" as part of a hands-on activity in which visitors take "sediment cores" from a chocolate layer cake.

Sediment Cores Visitors take "sediment cores" from a chocolate layer cake.

Sediment Cores The "seafloor" following sediment coring. Unlike real sediment cores, these cores were good to eat.

Acrobat Graduate student Daniel Maxey (R) explains how VIMS scientists use the Acrobat sensor to measure dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay.

Fish Collection Graduate student Dan Dutton (C) describes a specimen from the VIMS Fish Collection.

Seine Net Visitors check their seine net for marine life.

Algae A young visitor gets a hands-on feel for green algae.

Shark Logan Miesowitz of Hayes becomes a shark.

Mapping VIMS scientist Tami Rudnicky explains the intricacies of mapping to 3rd-grader Jasmine Tomson of Gloucester.

Seine Net Visitors draw their seine net from the York River.

Parade Prep Students from Yorktown Elementary prepare to march in the Parade of Marine Life.

SCUBA Divers Ben Malmquist (L) and Caleb Richardson (R) dressed as SCUBA divers for the Parade of Marine Life.

SCUBA Divers Students from Yorktown Elementary march in the Parade of Marine Life.

Scallop and Anglerfish Hannah Mclean (L) and Sarah McGuire of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve program at VIMS show off their scallop and angler fish costumes following the Parade of Marine Life.

Deep-sea Fish VIMS graduate student CJ Sweetman shows a deep-sea fish to a visitor.

Best of Show Monet Wilson, a 6th grader at Peasley Middle School in Gloucester, won Best of Parade for her seahorse costume in the Parade of Marine Life during Marine Science Day at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on May 30.

Oyster Hatchery Researcher Karen Hudson (R) explains the workings of the VIMS Oyster Hatchery. Hudson is with the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center at VIMS.

Scallops Hannah McLean (R) talks about scallops. McClean is with the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve program at VIMS.

Waiting for Waders Scott Lerberg (foreground) helps visitors don their waders before seining. Lerberg is Stewardship Coordinator with the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve program at VIMS.

Dip Net A young visitor uses a dip net to search for marine life in the York River.

Seining Visitors seine for marine life in the York River.

Tire Pressure Sandi Buchheister of Hayes (L) looks on as VIMS professor Rebecca Dickhut (R) checks her recommended tire pressure.

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Marine Science Day, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s annual open house, will take place on Saturday, May 21^st from 10 am to 3 pm on the VIMS bayfront campus in Gloucester Point.

Now in its ninth year, the popular event is offered free of charge and proceeds rain or shine. The goal of Marine Science Day is to give the public a behind-the-scenes look at how VIMS research in Chesapeake Bay and around the world helps empower Virginians to protect and restore our coastal environment.

Seahorses

The Institute honors a different animal each year during Marine Science Day, with this year’s choice being the seahorse. Visitors will be able to partake in several activities related to these winsome creatures, including a "seahorse scramble" and a "seahorse search." Visitors will also be able to the make a seahorse hat and stick puppet, and to compete in the "Seahorse Slurping Challenge," in which they'll use common kitchen utensils to test the effectiveness of different feeding methods for capturing small prey.

Something old, something new

Susan Maples, VIMS’ Public Outreach Coordinator, says this year’s event will “feature several new hands-on activities in addition to favorites from years past.”

One new activity is a  "Making Waves" photo booth that will allow visitors to picture themselves on a surfboard atop a wave—an image donated by world-renowned Hawaiian photographer Clark Little—while VIMS researchers provide information about the science of waves and their importance in moving seafloor sediments. Participants will later be able to share their “hang-ten” moment with family and friends via the VIMS website.

One of the event’s perennial favorites is the Parade of Marine Life, in which children and adults from around Tidewater walk through the VIMS campus wearing handmade creature costumes including seahorses, jellyfish, sharks, dolphins, and blue crabs. This year’s parade features a new, more compact route with a surprising twist.

Science from scientists

Attendees will be able to visit display booths to learn from VIMS researchers how they help manage blue crabs, restore oysters, survey fish populations, unravel biodiversity, monitor water quality, find and remove "ghost" crab pots, and reduce the accidental capture of diamondback terrapins. Other activities will introduce VIMS’ international work in Antarctica.

The younger set will have the chance to learn with fun crafts and activities in the Children's Pavilion. Kids and parents will also have the chance to collect and observe organisms from the York River, and to tour the Institute’s Teaching Marsh and Shellfish Hatchery.

In addition to these daylong activities, Marine Science Day offers a series of events that begin at specific times. These include a 10-minute mini-lecture on marine careers, a seafood cooking demonstration, a performance by the Hysterically Correct Pirate Show, and more. Details on these and all the other activities are available in the Marine Science Day program, which is available ahead of time at www.vims.edu/msd.

VIMS, one of the leading marine centers in the U.S., provides research, education, and advisory service to help protect and restore Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters. The Institute offers Master’s and Ph.D. degrees through its School of Marine Science, part of the College of William and Mary.