Mystic Aquarium

 How do scientists study animal behavior and why is it important? Whether it is to study wild animals, to better understand the health of our ocean planet, or to train a behavior for an aquarium animal to assist in its own health care, we will explore the many techniques for studying and training marine animals (and students too!).
CT State Science Core Scientific Inquiry, Literacy and Numeracy

Find out about the variety of marine-related career opportunities available to your students. From designing deep sea vehicles, analyzing blood and water samples to developing interactive programs for visitors, students will understand what it takes to keep an educational research facility like ours running successfully. We would love to see some of them as part of our staff someday!
Lengthen your class! See marine careers in action in a special behind-the-scenes tour.

Did a whale ever live on land?  How are humans and whales similar and different? This program will explain how environmental changes supported the evolution of new species and the expansion to life to utilize available unused niches.  Students will examine marine mammal skeletons to discover the structural changes whales and dolphins have made to support a fully aquatic lifestyle.  This program is a great way for your students to see firsthand anatomical evidence that supports the theory of evolution and the transition from a terrestrial to aquatic lifestyle.
Lengthen your class! Turn this experience into a 90-minute class that involves additional lab time and extra animal specimens.
CT State Science Standard Addressed: 10.5
CT Enrichment Standards: Evolution, Physiology

From the coral reef ecosystem off the coast of Australia to the polar regions within the Arctic Circle, ocean habitats around the world are under extreme stress.  Throughout this interactive class, students will discover how climate change, pollution, habitat loss and human interaction are affecting aquatic plants and animals around the world.  The class will conclude by discussing the current projects underway to help recover these endangered ecosystems.
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 9.3, 9.6, 9.8, 9.9, 10.6

This two hour program allows students to test their laboratory skills by analyzing marine mammal blood samples. Through the preparation and staining of blood slides, identification of individual cells and the determination of cell functions, students will discover how the components of blood can be used to gain information on an animal's health. This program demonstrates to students fascinating real-time applications of both immunology and hematology in the diagnosis and treatment of illness.
Additional Researcher for a Day programs focusing on molecular biology, pathology and microbiology are also available.
Cost of program: $7 per student
CT State Science Standard Addressed: 10.1
CT Enrichment Standards: Science and Technology, Physiology

 This two-hour program introduces students to commonmicrobes that affect animals and demonstrate their effects on health and disease. Using samples taken from collection animals, household items and even the students, we will culture and identify microbes based on their appearance and characteristics under the microscope. This class is a great introduction or review of the science of microbiology.
Cost of program: $7 per student
CT State Science Standard Addressed: 10.2
CT Enrichment Standard: Physiology