NEWS RELEASE

10/15/03

Mark Shwartz, News Service: (650) 723-9296, mshwartz@stanford.edu

Relevant Web URL:
http://hms.stanford.edu/HMSweb/openhouse/openhouse.htm
http://www.tunaresearch.org/trcc.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Palumbi/ProjectSummaries/Whale.html

Hopkins Marine Station to hold open house Saturday, Oct. 25

Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station will open its doors to the public on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors to the free open house at the lab located in Pacific Grove, Calif., are welcome to explore the science and history of Hopkins through film, demonstrations, displays and lectures. Faculty, staff and students will be on hand to discuss teaching and research on migratory fish, marine mammals, aquatic birds, invertebrates and other subjects.

Director George Somero will officially open the day's events with a brief history of Hopkins. Screenings of a 6-minute special feature on the lab produced by NBC affiliate KSBW-TV in Salinas will follow. Speakers will then deliver lectures every half hour beginning at 11 a.m. on subjects such as "the incredible edible squid," life in the intertidal zone, and global warming and its impact on local marine ecosystems. The Tuna Research and Conservation Center, a joint research project between Hopkins and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has scheduled two feedings of its captive bluefin tuna -- one of the fastest swimmers in the sea. Visitors also can attend a 30-minute workshop, "How to Be an Ocean Detective," demonstrating how DNA is used to track the illicit trade of whale and shark products.

Hopkins Marine Station is located on Oceanview Boulevard in Pacific Grove, next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. On-site parking will be available only for people with handicapped parking permits; others may park nearby. For directions and a schedule of events call (831) 655-6200 or go to http://hms.stanford.edu.

Czerne M. Reid is a science-writing intern with the Stanford News Service.

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By Czerne M. Reid