A Virtual Field Trip to the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystem Exhibit’s Oculina Habitat
Summary
Join Smithsonian Marine Ecosystem Exhibit marine science educator, Laura La Beur, as she shares facts about the Oculina Reef, a deep-water coral reef habitat off the coast of Florida and introduces the Oculina Ecosystem exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium in Fort Pierce, Florida. A feeding of the exhibit will follow.
Panelists
Laura La Beur
Laura La Beur is a marine science educator for the Smithsonian Marine Station and Ecosystems Exhibit. She has a master's degree in Marine Systems and Policies from the University of Edinburgh and has a special interest in marine debris and deep-sea ocean policy that aims to understand anthropogenic changes to ocean systems. She has been with the Smithsonian in Fort Pierce, Florida since the beginning of 2020 and has switched gears from in-person interpretive instruction to digital programming and video editing. Laura is working with the Smithsonian Marine Station and Ecosystems Exhibit to teach others about the unique ecosystems that make Florida special as well as creating educational distance learning opportunities to support K-12 teachers.
Classroom Resources
Ocean Acidification Experiments from Science Scope
These activities are designed to explore ocean acidifcation in the middle school classroom. As oceans absorb atmospheric CO2, they undergo a series of reactions that cause a reduction in normally stable ocean pH.