Summary
Sail aboard a research vessel and explore the living treasures of the San Francisco Bay. The Marine Science Institute (MSI) provides some of the best hands-on science and environmental education in the Bay Area. On the Discovery Voyage, students spend 4 hours learning about the San Francisco Bay ecosystem by examining water quality and collecting organisms at every level of the food web from microscopic plankton to mud dwellers to bat rays and fish. The diversity of life in the Bay is astounding and surprising to students who have spent their whole lives living by its water but never “diving in”. If a half-day voyage isn’t for you, many other fantastic programs are available including Inland Voyages (where live marine organisms come to you), Ocean Lab (where students explore animals of the rocky coastal ecosystem in MSI’s Discovery Lab classrooms), and Tidepool Expeditions (where MSI naturalists provide a guided tour of the tidepool creatures at Pillar Point).
Objectives
Can apply knowledge about the characteristics of life to the organisms living in the San Francisco Bay.
Can conduct a scientific investigation.
Can use a dichotomous key to identify animals.
Can recognize the extraordinary diversity of life in an ecosystem from single cells to sharks.
HAVE FUN!
Time
The Discovery Voyage lasts 4 hours.
Other programs range in length from 1-4 hours or programs may be combined for a full day adventure.
