So many of us are drawn to the local estuaries but know little about their important role in our ecology. The Bay Education Center provides the visitor with an innovative way of exploring and learning about these important bodies of water and the life they support. Stroll at your leisure to enjoy our hands-on exhibits and check out the current water quality in our bays.
An added attraction is Science On a Sphere®, a spherical display system created by NOAA to illustrate Earth science concepts to people of all ages.
To request a field trip, please complete and submit the Visiting Group Request Form. Once submitted, someone from the Marine Science Education staff will contact you within two business days.
Each individual who participates in an on-site educational program must complete a Release and Indemnification Agreement form (see Release Forms below) before they will be allowed to participate in the program.
Individuals who do not fully complete the required form will not be allowed to participate in the scheduled activity.
This includes individuals participating in tours, field trips, and workshops. The minor form is to be completed and signed by the parent or legal guardian of any participant who is under eighteen years of age. The adult form is to be completed and signed by each person who is eighteen years of age or older (students, teachers, chaperones, etc.).
It will be the responsibility of each group sponsor to ensure that each participant completes the form in its entirety and the group sponsor is responsible for turning in the completed forms upon checking in at UTMSI for their scheduled activity. Please note that each form must be signed and dated by the parent/legal guardian, and/or by the participant who is eighteen years of age or older. Forms must also be signed and dated by a witness.
The Bay Education Center typically has scientific lectures during the winter. Check back for the series in 2022. You can view several lectures held virtually in 2021 at our YouTube Channel.
2021 Virtual Lectures Include:
Alicia Walker - Sea Turtle Stranding and Rehabilitation
Derek Bolser - Fantastic fish and where to find them
Simon Brandl - Understanding and conserving coral reefs
Kristin Nielsen - Mercury Exposure From Subsistence Fishing
Jace Tunnell - Saving 1,000 Cold Stunned Sea Turtles
Victoria Congdon - Seagrass in the Gulf of Mexico
Brett Baker & Andrew Esbaugh - Diversity in a Changing Ocean