Mote Marine Laboratory — SeaTrek
Transcript
Kasey Gaylord: Hello, and welcome to Mote Marine Laboratory. I'm Kasey Gaylord, your host for the next 180 seconds.
SeaTrek is Mote Marine Laboratory's high-energy, multimedia, interactive videoconferencing program that brings the adventure of science right into the classroom. Our programs feature the work of the research scientists at our lab, as well as interviews showing how their interests led them to their careers. Each of our programs is supported by a free downloadable curriculum that is aligned to national and Sunshine State education standards. So, who can participate? We deliver our programs to students all over the world. Any site that has a videoconference system can connect with us to receive programs. And what do you get? SeaTrek currently offers five 50 minute science programs for upper elementary and middle school. So let's dive in and take a look at one of our most popular programs, “Sharks: Devouring the Myths”.
Don't be afraid. See sharks up close and learn the truth about them. Find out why it's more dangerous to be at home than in the water with these fascinating creatures. In this program, Mote Marine Laboratory presents a media-rich videoconference on sharks, with topics including sharks species diversity; shark facts vs. shark myths, featuring simple statistics from the International Shark Attack File; and shark feeding behaviors, highlighted with live shots from our camera located inside our 135,000 gallon shark tank.
What other creatures do we feature? How about “Sea Turtles: Amazing Reptiles of the Sea”. This program takes a strong conservation standpoint for these endangered animals. But, we like to spice it up a little bit with a lively game show format. We also discover what a hatchling needs to survive in the open ocean and then take a tour of Mote's sea turtle exhibits.
But it's not just reptiles that get the SeaTrek treatment. We also cover some pretty big mammals. So, how do you train a 3,000 pound relative of the elephant? Find out how Mote cares for Hugh and Buffett, our resident West Indian manatees, and learn how big and smart they are in “Mammals, Mammoths, Manatees!”
And, just like with our sharks program, we feature live shots from our animal cam, located inside the manatees' 70,000 gallon exibit.
All of our programs are highly interactive, allowing students to give us answers and ask questions of their own, but our most interactive feature comes in our next program, “Mission: Sea Deep, ROV”. We literally put the students in the driver's seat for this program, allowing them to pilot our remotely operated vehicle in our shark tank from the comfort and safety of their classroom. This program seems a lot like a video game, but the students actually have missions to complete as they learn about the technology that allows scientists to explore the most mysterious depths of our planet.
Well, that's not all of our programs, but that is all the time we have today. To find out more about these and other exciting SeaTrek programs like Coastal Habitats, Dolphins, Coral Reefs, and Marine Fisheries please visit our distance learning website at www.seatrek.org. When visiting our website, you can also find out how to register and get scheduled for one of our interactive programs.
So until next time, thank you and bye-bye from Mote Marine Laboratory.