On March 9, Discovery Hall Programs in partnership with Alabama Public TV (APT) hosted Gulf Detectives, the first live webcast from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The webcast highlighted the Mobile Bay watershed and current Sea Lab research.

The webcast included student ‘detectives’ exploring the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the salt marsh and Mobile Bay with Dr. Valentine and educators Greg Graeber and Dr. Tina Miller-Way as well as live question and answer segments with DISL faculty members, Dr. Kelly Dorgan, Dr. Ken Heck and Dr. Jeff Krause and their graduate students, Ryan Parker and Whitney Scheffel.

Our Gulf ‘detectives’ included high school students Gavin Bordelon (Robertsdale High School), Amari Gamble (Florence High School), Paeton Jones (Spanish Fort High School), and Caroline Mullikin (St. James School, Montgomery).

This live webcast was an opportunity for students to visit parts of the Mobile Bay watershed and learn about Alabama’s coastal environments without ever leaving their classroom.

APT visited several times over the past year to record segments and background footage for the broadcast. Days before the broadcast, they arrived and set up an amazing array of equipment - cameras, monitors, microphones and what seemed to be miles of cable.

Teachers and students who registered ahead of time were able to submit questions for the webcast. More than 8,000 students from Alabama and from as far away as India tuned in and watched the live event!

APT and DISL thank Alan Sealls, Chief Meteorologist from local TV station WKRG, who moderated the question and answer segments.

If you missed the broadcast, it will be available in the APT archives soon. Look for the link on the DISL website. If you want to bring a group to visit the Sea Lab and explore these coastal habitats in person, please contact us via www.disl.org/educational-programs/onsite-programs-k-12.