Ocean Girls Day 2008

NC Aquarium and NC Maritime Museum team up for Ocean Girls Day May 17

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the North Carolina Maritime Museum invite area middle-school girls to catch the wave of ocean science next month at a free workshop.

The Aquarium and the Museum team up for Ocean Girls Day 2008 at the Aquarium, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. A grant from the Carteret Community Foundation helped sponsor the workshop.

Programs will help girls ages 10 -14 better understand local and global marine issues, find their "ecological addresses" and increase their ocean literacy.

Dr. Karen Eckert, a research scientist at Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort and executive director of Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network (WIDECAST), will be the keynote speaker.

The day features hands-on activities such as live animal encounters, microscope discovery, kayaking and marsh and maritime forest explorations. Participants also can learn about career options at a career and information fair, as they meet women from marine fields such as science, history and the arts.

There is no charge for the workshop, but participants must register in advance and be accompanied by a chaperone. One adult may chaperone up to five girls. Participants and chaperones will be admitted to the Aquarium without charge. Snacks and lunch will be provided. Participants will receive a T-shirt and other giveaways. Chaperones and participants will be eligible to win prizes in drawings to wrap up the day.

For more information, contact Allison Gleason Besch, Group Programs Coordinator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort , 252-728-7317; or Laurie Streble, Outreach Coordinator at the Aquarium, 252-247-4003, ext. 283.

To register, call the Aquarium at 252-247-4003, ext. 257.

BRANCH FACILITIES

Visit the branch museum of the North Carolina Maritime Museum. For information, contact:

NC Maritime Museum at Southport (910) 457-0003

Museum Calendars are mailed four times a year. It is museum policy to register participants for programs after the calendars are in the mail. Paid trip fees confirm reservations and are not refundable later than five days before the program, unless the museum cancels. Please call between 8 AM and 5 PM weekdays for reservations for cancellations. No reservations can be taken via e-mail.

Members receive quarterly mailings of the Calendar and the Waterline newsletter and discounts on some programs and in the Museum Store. FOM denotes a discount for Friends of the Museum. Contact the Friends of the Museum to join.