Patton Center for Marine Science Education
Map/DirectionsAdmission
Free
Hours of Operation
Tuesday-Saturday from 10am – 4pm
Closures may occur with University holidays.
Location and Contact Information
855 E. Cotter Avenue I Port Aransas, TX 78373
The Patton Center for Marine Science Education features eight large aquaria and engaging interactive displays that allow people of all ages to learn about the local marine life and the research conducted at UTMSI and its Mission-Aransas Reserve program. It includes the Estuary Explorium with interactive exhibits for both young and young-at-heart. The facility offers a variety of self-guided and guided learning opportunities for families, adults, youth, and organized groups. The Center is also home to multiple walking trails, including the Wetlands Education Center and the Water Wise Wildlife Garden. These trails include a variety of native plants that attract local fauna by providing sources of food and shelter.
The Center was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and was renovated with support from The University of Texas at Austin, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and philanthropists Bobby and Sherri Patton. The space has since been transformed into a bright and dynamic facility to teach about the wonders of the local marine ecosystems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENTER
Please contact us at msi-edureserve@utlists.utexas.edu or give us a call at (361) 749-6711.
Field Trips
The Marine Science Institute serves as a learning resource for the faculty and students of universities, colleges, secondary schools, and home school groups.
R/V Katy & Other Boat Reservations
The R/V KATY is a 57-ft. research vessel available to visiting groups. The minimum grade for the R/V Katy is 5th grade, with no exceptions. The capacity is 25 persons, not including crew, per trip. Half-day reservations. • $675 student programs (5th grade and above) • $850 College/University programs
A 1,200-square-foot Pier Lab with running seawater and small aquaria is available for groups. Special arrangements are made by request. Please reserve in advance. Groups are advised to furnish their own lab equipment.
To request a field trip, please complete and submit the Visiting Group Request Form below. Once submitted, someone from the Marine Science Education staff will contact you within two business days to begin the registration process. Once a reservation has been confirmed, all other forms below must be signed before your arrival.
- Visiting Class Instruction Form (must be submitted 2 weeks before visit)
- Liability Release Forms (one for each participant must be printed and brought with you)
- Release and Indemnification Agreement Forms
Featured at the Patton Center: Interdependency
Celebrating The Texas Gulf Marine Environment in Art
ARTIST Kent Ullberg
“Interdependency” adorns the main entrance of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. From a distance, “Interdependency” is a 10-foot-long tarpon leaping out of the sea, but a closer look reveals more than 50 marine plants and animals that fuse together to create the giant fish.
The sculpture, unveiled on July 21, 2012, was made possible by a generous donation from the Jack and Valerie Guenther Foundation.
Artist and creator Kent Ullberg decided to depict a tarpon because it symbolizes Port Aransas (which, until 1910, was named Tarpon, Texas) and is a symbol of the Gulf of Mexico marine environment. Forming the tarpon from a diverse array of marine life was inspired by the famous Renaissance painting Vertumnus by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which hangs in the national museum in Ullberg’s native Sweden. Arcimboldo’s 1590 oil painting uses fruits, vegetables, grains, and flowers to create a portrait of Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire. Just as in the painting, Ullberg’s tarpon comes together as a fusion of sea life that ranges from microscopic plankton and seaweed to fishes, whales, and birds.
Ullberg described “Interdependency” as the most challenging individual sculpture of his career. While incorporating so many different plants and animals and making sure they all were scientifically correct, he had to maintain the form of the tarpon. But as he puts it, the Institute got “50 sculptures for the price of 1.”
Ullberg hopes his work will be fun and educational. Children can make a game of finding each of the different creatures in the sculpture. They will also learn something about the interdependency of marine life when they see the osprey carrying a mullet in its talons, a crab nipping the red drum’s tail, or the remora attached to the shark.