Bringing science to life at the UW Aquatic Sciences Open House
Another year, another fantastic day of bringing science to life at the UW Aquatic Sciences Open House. Featuring 30 booths, each with an interactive activity dedicated to specific research underway in the world of water, this year’s Open House welcomed more than 600 visitors.
Making aquatic science accessible to all is one of the driving forces behind the Open House. The event is hosted by the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, which sits on the south campus of the University of Washington and just across from Portage Bay. The breadth of research which was on display on Sunday 21 May really highlights the unique location of the UW aquatic sciences programs in the Puget Sound, benefitting from the proximity to a wide range of freshwater and marine environments.
From peering into the depths of the UW Fish Collection, testing knowledge on the Fishes of the Salish Sea Mural, plunging hands into a coastal sand pit, or picking up a crayfish and touching seastars; these were just some of the hands-on activities available.
Highlighting the amazing opportunities to explore the science and research right in our backyard helps us inspire our Open House visitors, who spanned in age from toddlers and teenagers to adults.
It’s not just local science that was on display. The aquatic science underway at UW spans the globe, from Arctic oceanography and submarine research to tropical coral reefs and seabird observations.
An extra special treat for Open House visitors was a tour of the R/V Rachel Carson, docked just a few minutes away from the SAFS building. The research vessel, owned by UW Oceanography and operated as part of the Academic Research Fleet within the UNOLS framework (University National Oceanographic Laboratories System), is used throughout the year for research expeditions within the Salish Sea and in coastal waters along the western US and British Columbia.
Opening our doors to the diverse communities that make up Seattle, this year had in-person interpreters available in Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese and ASL, funded by our partner foundry10, an education research organization with a philanthropic focus on expanding ideas about learning and creating direct value for youth.
Did you miss the Open House this year? Check out the coverage by Fox 13 Seattle.
Special thanks to the Open House Coordinator (Jenny Stern), the SEAS Open House Committee (Marie Zahn and Will Kumler), the SEAS Board (Haila Schultz, Miranda Roethler, Marie Zahn, Brielle Kwarta, Samantha-Lynn Martinez, Mark Scheuerell, and Sam Scherer), foundry10 (Lindsay Holladay Van Damme, Curtis Rogers, Sydney Parker, Wes Koseki, Travis Willingham Windleharth), UW News (Hannah Hickey), and all booth hosts and event volunteers.
Experience the SEAS 2023 Open House in the gallery below
