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Bay Education Day @Rockport
October 25 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Dive into the wonders of our coastal environment at Bay Education Day on Saturday, October 25, from 12:00 to 4:00 PM at the Bay Education Center in Rockport (121 Seabreeze Drive, Rockport, TX 78382).
This free, family-friendly event is packed with hands-on experiences, interactive exhibits, and exciting presentations that bring the science of our bays to life. Join Bay Exploration Walks to beachcomb, conduct plankton tows, or try beach seining. Get creative with arts & crafts—learn about native animals by making paper friends to take home, use clay, soil, and seeds to assemble wildflower seed bombs to support pollinators, or show your creativity with bracelets and keychains made from color-changing and glow-in-the-dark beads. You can also make your own keepsake through Gyotaku (fish printing) using silicone fish replicas.
Don’t miss engaging talks by UTMSI scientists Ed Buskey, Ken Dunton, Sharon Herzka, Mark Lever, and Andrew Orgill; partner booths from The Amos Rehabilitation Keep, Texas Sea Grant, Goose Island State Park, and the Welder Wildlife Foundation; Science on a Sphere® shows; and exhibits from local education and conservation organizations.
Bay Education Day is sponsored by H-E-B and hosted by the University of Texas Marine Science Institute with the help of our volunteers and community partners. Celebrate science, stewardship, and community—explore, learn, and have fun while discovering the magic of our bays!
Schedule of Events
Activities not listed—like the hands-on science stations, fish printing, and arts and crafts—are open, come-and-go events. Presentations, Bay Education Walks, and Science on a Sphere® sessions are scheduled activities. Note that presentations and Science on a Sphere® shows are repeated and will remain the same. Please see the schedule below:
12:00 PM — Bay Exploration Walk (departs on the hour)
12:00 – 1:15 PM — Presentations
- 12:00 – 12:15 PM — Jellyfish: Friend, Foe or Food? – Edward Buskey
- 12:15 – 12:30 PM — Texas Seagrasses: Our Cornfields of the Sea – Ken Dunton
- 12:30 – 12:45 PM — An odyssey from bay to ocean: the life of the blue crab – Sharon Herzka
- 12:45 – 1:00 PM — Can seaweed farms contribute to the mariculture boom on the Texas Gulf Coast? – Mark Lever
- 1:00 – 1:15 PM — Migration in Motion: Understanding the Journey and How to Help – Andrew Orgill and Tess Kelly
1:00 PM — Bay Exploration Walk (departs on the hour)
1:15 – 1:20 PM — Intermission
1:20 – 1:55 PM — Science on a Sphere (35 minutes)
2:00 PM — Bay Exploration Walk (departs on the hour)
1:55 – 2:00 PM — Intermission
2:00 – 3:15 PM — Presentations
- 2:00 – 2:15 PM — Jellyfish: Friend, Foe or Food? – Edward Buskey
- 2:15 – 2:30 PM — Texas Seagrasses: Our Cornfields of the Sea – Ken Dunton
- 2:30 – 2:45 PM — An odyssey from bay to ocean: the life of the blue crab – Sharon Herzka
- 2:45 – 3:00 PM — Can seaweed farms contribute to the mariculture boom on the Texas Gulf Coast? – Mark Lever
- 3:00 – 3:15 PM — Migration in Motion: Understanding the Journey and How to Help – Andrew Orgill and Tess Kelly
3:00 PM — Bay Exploration Walk (departs on the hour)
3:15 – 3:20 PM — Intermission
3:20 – 3:55 PM — Science on a Sphere (35 minutes)
3:55 – 4:00 PM — Wrap-up / Event Concludes
Meet Your Bay Education Day Presenters
Jellyfish: Friend, Foe or Food?
Edward Buskey, Professor
Jellyfish have drifted through Earth’s oceans for over 500 million years. With their delicate, translucent bodies they seem like alien life forms gliding silently through the sea. While they may look harmless, jellyfish evoke a variety of responses from humans—friend, foe, or food—depending on perspective and circumstance. For many, jellyfish are synonymous with danger. Their stings, delivered through venomous tentacles, range from mildly irritating to potentially life-threatening. Overfishing, climate change, and pollution have led to jellyfish “blooms,” or massive population surges, which may disrupt the balance of marine food webs. Jellyfish, while often seen as pests, play an essential role in marine ecosystems. As both predators and prey, they help maintain ecological balance in the sea. Jellyfish feed on plankton, small fish, and other organisms, controlling their populations and preventing overgrowth. At the same time, they serve as food for sea turtles, and other marine creatures. Despite their dangerous side, jellyfish are considered a delicacy in many Asian countries, where they have been consumed for over a thousand years. Low in calories but rich in collagen and minerals, jellyfish are praised for their potential health benefits. Whether friend, foe, or food, jellyfish demand respect and understanding as one of Earth’s most fascinating and resilient creatures.
Texas Seagrasses: Our Cornfields of the Sea
Ken Dunton, Chair and Professor
Seagrasses play a pivotal role within marine habitats and provide a plethora of services that benefit both the coastal ecosystem and human populations. Aside from the invaluable services that seagrass provide, they also play a vital role within the Gulf coast economy.
The Texas coast is a destination for recreational fishermen and tourists. Seagrasses provide numerous ecosystem services and are critical nursery habitat for many coastal fauna including flounder, redfish, speckled trout, blue crab, and shrimp. Life within seagrass beds can be easily observed while snorkeling, the enhanced water clarity allows admirers to observe marine fauna within their natural, undisturbed environments.
In this talk, seagrass ecologist Ken Dunton will talk about these amazing plants and the unique adaptations they had made to a very salty and continuously submerged environment.
An odyssey from bay to ocean: the life of the blue crab
Sharon Herzka, Director and Associate Professor
Blue crab is a seafood delicacy served throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Their scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, means “beautiful swimmers.” Known for its feisty nature and striking coloration, the blue crab’s life includes risky journeys, avoiding predators (including us!), and repeatedly casting off its armor. This talk will describe the story of a blue crab’s life and its current fishery status.
Can seaweed farms contribute to the mariculture boom on the Texas Gulf Coast?
Mark Lever, Associate Professor
The farming of seaweed is increasing globally due to the many economic uses of seaweed and the low cost and small ecological footprint of seaweed production. While offshore farming has increased in the United States in recent years, inshore seaweed cultivation has been neglected. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the diverse economic uses and environmental benefits of seaweed and seaweed farms and outline why Texas intracoastal bays have the potential to become central hubs for the sustainable production of seaweed on the Gulf Coast.
Migration in Motion: Understanding the Journey and How to Help
Andrew Orgill, ARK Staff Supervisor co-presenting with Tess Kelly, SWMP Technician
The presentation will cover bird migratory pathways (and why we have so many migratory birds here), anthropogenic risks that birds face (lights, windows), and things that people can do at home or at their schools/workplaces to mitigate those risks and help the birds!
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is Bay Education Day?
Bay Education Day takes place on Saturday, October 25, from 12:00 to 4:00 PM at the Bay Education Center, 121 Seabreeze Drive, Rockport, TX 78382. Free parking is available near the Bay Education Center. Signs and volunteers will help direct you.
Is the event free? Do I need to register?
Bay Education Day is completely free and open to the public. No registration is required—just stop by and enjoy the activities.
What should I wear and bring?
Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended. If you plan to join the Bay Exploration Walks, especially seining, you may want to bring clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting wet. Hats, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle are also a good idea for outdoor activities.
Will food and drinks be available?
There will not be food provided, but a Kona Ice food truck will be on-site with treats available for purchase. A water station will also be available, and we encourage visitors to bring a reusable water bottle.
Will the presentations and Science on a Sphere® shows be different each time?
No—the presentations and Science on a Sphere® shows will repeat the same content each time. This allows visitors to attend at a time that works best for their schedule without missing anything.