Summertime is the busy time at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Three sessions of college courses for graduates and undergraduates, overnight and day camps for K-12 students, and teacher workshops keep our educators and faculty members busy.

The grueling 11 day May term wrapped up, and the first five week session for college students from our 22 consortium schools began. Classroom work is paired with field work and hands-on training for the nearly dozen classes offered during first session. The first session will finish up on the first of July and the second five week session will start the next day.

Once again on campus is the National Science Foundation's Ocean Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates. The NSF/REU program includes 8 students chosen from a competitive pool of nearly 200 applicants from across the United States. The 10 week long program allows the students to conduct their own independent research projects. Read more about ithere.

Discovery Hall Programs K-12 summer camps have welcomed more than 100 kids since the first of June. The overnight camps - Bay Voyager, Gulf Island Journey and Barrier Island Explorer - gave students a chance to get into the salt marsh, go out on the Alabama Discovery Research Vessel, and even take a kayak trip around Little Dauphin Island. Day camps- Bio Blitz, Oceans Alive! and Survivor – afforded students the chance to fish, go crabbing, and explore the beach.

Discovery Hall Programs High School Marine Science Course has just begun. High schoolers interested in the marine science field get the chance to participate in more than 150 hours of field, lab and classroom work.

While students are learning, the public has had the chance to learn more as well with events at the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. For World Oceans Day, the public aquarium offered a closer look at the Gulf of Mexico's environmental impact. A number of people also took advantage of the excursions offered by our Estuarium marine science educators. Excursions included a trip to the beach, maritime forest and salt marsh.

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