The weather is warming up and things are getting busy at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Check out the events coming up that you don't want to miss.
Discovery Day, Saturday, April 7: Discovery Day is the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's open house for the public. Once a year, the public is given a tour of our research facilities to learn about our coastal environment and the research our team is working on. Visitors will learn about the coastal ecosystem we live in and why it's important to conserve our precious and unique environment. You will also be able to tour the Research Vessel Alabama Discovery. Airbus and 92Zew hopped aboard the boat for Discovery Day 2018. Adult admission to the Estuarium will be deeply discounted with the support of Airbus, and 92Zew will join us on campus for the day. We appreciate our sponsors and vendors.
University Programs Seminar Series: The University Programs Seminar series continues on Thursday, April 19 with Dr. James Heiss of the National Academy of Sciences, Ocean Studies Board. The seminars are streamed live on our YouTube Channel, and archived for you to view at anytime.
Cocktails with the Critters, Thursday, May 3: This is the 13th year for the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation's fundraiser. Food, music, and a silent auction will be held from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Bluegill Restaurant on the Causeway. The Bluegill Restaurant is pulling out all the stops and will be serving fabulous and tasty hors d’oeuvres and wine and beer.
MATE Regional ROV competition, May 4-6: Discovery Hall Programs hosts an annual student ROV competition each spring. Teams of middle and high school students, along with their teachers/mentors, design, build, and test their own ROV before coming to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to compete against other student teams in a series of scientific missions. The competition serves as the Northern Gulf Coast regional site for the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) program. The competition includes SCOUT, NAVIGATOR and RANGER class competitions, and consists of 2 mission attempts, a marketing display poster and an oral presentation. The competition will be held over a 3-day weekend beginning on Friday with safety inspections, followed by pool demonstrations (i.e. missions) on Saturday and presentations on Sunday.
Summer Excursions: The Estuarium will once again offer summer excursions to the public during May, June, and July. There are two types of excursions: Beach, Dunes, and Maritime Forest and Salt Marsh. Check the dates, and make your reservations to join this summer.
DHP Day Camps: Discovery Hall Programs offers Day Camps throughout the summer for ages 5 through 13.
Friends of the Sea Lab special event with WKRG Chief Meteorologist Alan Sealls, Saturday, June 9: The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation invites you to become a Friend of the Sea Lab and take part in special events throughout the year. The next event will be Saturday, June 9 when Chief Meteorologist Alan Sealls talks about hurricanes.