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Open House at FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory slated for April 29
BY LIBBY FAIRHURST
Few things say summer's almost here like the annual Open House at Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory on the Gulf of Mexico and this year, the public is invited to visit the FSU research, education and outreach program from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 29.
The fun-filled slate of free offerings for the entire family will include lab tours, up-close-and-personal marine life exhibits, boat trips, research presentations, special children's activities and much more. Overlooking St. George Sound in St. Teresa, Fla., the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory is located on Highway 98 between Panacea and Carrabelle in Franklin County, about 45 miles southwest of Tallahassee.
"We're particularly excited about this year's Open House because it gives us an opportunity to really strut our stuff," said Laboratory Director Felicia Coleman, a scholar scientist in FSU's biological science department. "The public can peek at plans for expanding the program as they learn more about ongoing research focused on the ecology of the region."
The Coastal and Marine Laboratory plays a particularly vital role at this time, Coleman said, because all of Northwest Florida faces a dramatic increase in human impacts related to coastal development.
FSU scientists and local naturalists will be on hand to discuss the rich biological diversity of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. The Open House will spotlight a wide range of research performed by FSU faculty and students from the departments of anthropology, biological science, oceanography and geology, among others, with topics ranging from nautical archaeology, reef fish ecology and conservation to marine mammals, hurricane models and microbes -- the "hidden heroes" of coastal marine ecosystems.
In addition, Coastal and Marine Laboratory partners will showcase their ongoing activities -- the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, for example, will provide children with hands-on opportunities to tong oysters.
Coleman's own widely recognized research on reef fish ecology recently relocated to the Coastal and Marine Laboratory following her January appointment as its director. She intends to focus on predator-prey interactions by looking at the linkages between animals that live in coastal waters and those living on offshore reefs.
FSU has operated the current laboratory since the late 1960s, when it was dedicated in the name of Edward Ball, founder of the St. Joe Paper Company. Ball donated St. Joe property to the state for the lab's use.
"Think of it," Coleman said. "Here we are, plunked down in the heart of perhaps the most biologically rich, pristine environment left in Florida with the most enthusiastic researchers you can imagine. That kind of energy and high level of interest is contagious and it's something we'd like the public to catch."
2006 OPEN HOUSE
THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COASTAL AND MARINE LABORATORY
*SATURDAY, APRIL 29
10 A.M. TO 6 P.M.
3618 HIGHWAY 98, ST. TERESA, FL
(BETWEEN PANACEA AND CARRABELLE, INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 98 AND 319)
ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FREE, INCLUDING PARKING
*If Open House is cancelled due to inclement weather, it will not be rescheduled.
For additional information, contact the Laboratory at (850) 697-4120 or visit the web site at http://www.marinelab.fsu.edu/.
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