Scripps Institution of Oceanography Presents 'Oceans of Fun' During UCSD Open House

Discover what's fascinating and fun about oceanography at this year's Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD Open House.

The Scripps portion of UCSD Open House will be held on the Scripps campus on Saturday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Shuttle buses from UCSD will be available for transportation to Scripps.

This year's Open House theme is "Oceans of Fun," chosen in honor of the Scripps centennial. Scripps turned 100 years old on Sept. 26, 2003.

Scripps will offer dozens of things to see and do at Open House, including ocean and earth science booths, lively entertainment, and an assortment of family activities, from a surf clinic to hands-on science demonstrations. The Scripps Pier, normally closed to the public, will be open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and docents will offer tours and fascinating narratives about the institution's history.

Visitors will get a close-up look at Scripps science, from viewing plankton through a microscope and observing Scripps Oceanographic Collections specimens to listening to marine mammal sounds and learning about an in-progress experiment studying the local coastline.

The surf is always up at Scripps! Guests can learn to surf with a little help from Scripps scientists during the Open House Surf Clinic. Participants will learn the science of surfing and how and why waves are formed. Surfboards will be provided; visitors must provide their own wetsuits.

Open House also will feature several activities presented by the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, including crafts for all ages, an inflatable whale that children can walk through to view whale anatomy, and the Planet Earth Express van and its mini-aquarium
Admission and parking at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps will not be free during Open House, but the aquarium will be open for regular hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A special feature at the aquarium that day is a book-signing with Richard Corfield, author of The Silent Landscape: The Scientific Voyage of HMS Challenger, at 1 p.m.

Join Scripps for "Oceans of Fun!" For more information about the Scripps/UCSD Open House please call 858/534-3624.