Each fall the UA Arboretum hosts hundreds of children on a trick-or-treating adventure through the woods. This year a trail of candy led them to a fun-filled pavilion with Education Stations, where participants could make pipe cleaner spiders, look at local bugs, color, and even see strawberry DNA! We had a great time handing out treats and tidbits, and saw some fantastic costumes! 

Happy Halloween!

It was muddy and rainy, but we were out there with our giant isopod! Had a fantastic time sharing our love of the ocean with the general public. Best face of the day was a young boy who asked me if people ate giant isopods (they do!). The Biology tent also boasted magic berries (turning sour into sweet), plants from around the world, Cellfies, fishes, skeletons, and much more. 

Hope everybody stayed dry and had fun! 

I had an amazing time visiting a class of 5th graders in Arizona today! Their amazing teacher did a great job organizing the class (those sticky notes are their best questions), and we had a fun time talking about the ocean, and sharks, and the cool critters in my aquarium. I feel like I get better at doing this each time- I was prepared with videos and pictures this year. Best questions included: 

"If we've only explored 1% of the ocean how do we KNOW there isn't a shark bigger than Megladon?"
"Why is the ocean salty?"
"How big is the computer you work on?"
"How many different ocean animals have you met?"

That last one was overwhelming to answer, as I thought about all of the chances I've had to visit oceans around the world in search of the weird critters within. Seeing their faces light up with curiosity was such a joy!