EcoHouse @ Project Oceanology

Last weekend, EcoHousers (and SV Farmers) Jenn Silverstein, Andrew Brown and Tanya Lama accompanied EcoHouse Coordinator Brigid Belko to the Project Oceanology program at UConn's Avery Point Campus.

Andrew Brown wrestles a spider crab out of the lobster pot, a form of "passive fishing" demonstrated by the staff at Project O. Students pulled in the pot and examined the catch in saltwater basins on deck.

Project O aims to nurture interest and enthusiasm for marine science and environmental appreciation through hands-on learning geared toward a grade-school audience. Formed in 1972 by a group of public school educators and administrators from SE CT, and armed with a $50K grant, they obtained a vessel and retrofitted it into a marine science classroom. Over the years, Project O has grown into a comprehensive marine science and environmental education program, with various classroom spaces, state of the art oceanographic equipment and a fleet of vessels. Approximately 25,000 people each year participate in Project O, which remains a non-profit organization supported by public school districts, colleges, universities and educational institutions. Read more about Project O's history here

Here are a few of the various activities we enjoyed: A big thank you to David Colberg, Public Information Coordinator at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, for coordinating our visit to Project O. 

Jenn Silverstein examines the contents of the plankton net; some phytoplankton, zooplankton, and larval marine organisms. We later had the pleasure of examining the specimens more closely under a dissection microscope. 

A squid!

A red sea robin, named for its extravagant red lateral fins, was amongst the catch hauled in by the otter net. 

A friendly hermit crab emerges to say, "Hello!"