MarineQuest Program and Tour
The original $17.5 million UNCW Center for Marine Science was completed in 2000 with a total of 75,000 square feet of net indoor space including: Teaching auditorium for up to 150 individuals Classrooms and marine science labs Running seawater system which provides raw unfiltered and purified seawater at flow rates up to 600 liters/min. Greenhouse with running seawater Aquarium room and outdoor tanks with running seawater 900-foot pier with docking facilities In the spring of 2008, the 24,000 square foot addition was completed. This one-story addition with a second floor mechanical loft adds: 37 individual offices Five shops (Dive, Oceanographic Instrumentation with 7,000 gallon seawater test tank, Aquaculture and Boat Repair) Four labs (Instrument Fabrication, Biotechnology (2) and NCNERR) A dive compressor room Conference room with full voice and data capabilities In the summer of 2010, the $4.3 million 11,000 square foot Shellfish Research Hatchery was completed, and in 2013, the 70,000 square foot Marine Biotechnology building opened. MarineQuest is the official marine science outreach program for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Watson College of Education, and the Center for Marine Science providing young people with opportunities to explore, discover and value our marine habitats. Whether you experience MarineQuest as a summer camper exploring the ocean or as a student on a school field trip discovering the marsh, the outcome is the same: MarineQuest is more than just another day at the beach; MarineQuest is making waves in environmental education!
Learning Objectives:
- Review of the challenges in creating spaces to be shared by very different age groups and different levels and approaches to learning
- Examine how technology was integrated in the facility and how well it serves a nature preservation purpose
- Observe accessibility solutions adopted for the various wings
- Examine recycling and purification processes
3 LU | HSW