Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport to Open in 2008
http://oceanexplorium.org/articles/4/1/Ocean-Explorium-at-New-Bedford-Seaport-to-Open-in-2008/Page1.html
Ocean Explorium
The Sea: we look to it for inspiration, sustenance and adventure. Our community is defined by the sea. Throughout our history we have taken both pleasure and profit from the waters that meet our shores and from the oceans beyond. But how much do we know about the sea and the forces that act upon it? How can we be wiser and more effective stewards of this wonderful resource? How can we meet the challenges and opportunities that face our friends and neighbors who make their living from the sea? How can we ensure that our children will both love the sea and embrace its critical role in their lives?
For more information please visit our website at www.oceanexplorium.org
By Ocean Explorium
Published on 12/10/2007
After years of careful planning, determination and hard work, the dream is finally coming true. The Ocean Explorium will open next summer, right in the heart of New Bedford.
And it’s going to take us places never expected.
In a joint partnership between the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the New Bedford Oceanarium, the Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport takes a whole new approach to the concept of aquariums and marine education.
“This project is not just about seeing marine animals on display,” says newly appointed director, Mark Smith. “This is about experiencing the oceans in a truly hands-on way.”
Construction of the project has already begun, in the heart of the city. It is taking shape inside the magnificent lobby of the historic New Bedford Institution for Savings, at Union Square.
Chair of the New Bedford Oceanarium Board of Trustees, Robert B. Feingold, is excited. “I know I speak for everyone involved by saying we are thrilled that construction is underway; we have a new director and we’ve set a date for the grand opening next summer,” said Mr. Feingold.
“This project stays true to our original mission: as a unique educational facility and as an economic catalyst for the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts.”
Using original concepts and sophisticated displays, the Ocean Explorium aims to change the way we learn about the oceans and our environment.
The new director, Mark Smith, is an Australian marine biologist who has worked with some of the world’s most prestigious aquariums, including Sea World in Australia, L’Aquàrium de Barcelona in Spain and the Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal.
Mr. Smith says the Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport has three main objectives—education, conservation, and community networking.
“We hope it will promote a much broader and deeper understanding of our local waters and the oceans beyond,” he said. “But education has to be about having fun. We want to give people the opportunity to make contact with the marine world in exciting and innovative ways.”
The Ocean Explorium promises to do just that.
Visitors will enter the Ocean Explorium and embark on a journey of discovery. Inside they will encounter a giant luminescent cube—a metaphor for the oceans. And inside the cube, they will find our magnificent planet Earth—suspended in space.
This futuristic exhibit will be a crucial element of the Ocean Explorium’s educational program. Judged by Time magazine as “…one of the top ten inventions of 2006,” the globe is part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) revolutionary new Science On a Sphere®. It uses high-speed computers, multiple projectors and advanced imaging techniques to create an image of the planet in three dimensions.
“It will be an incredibly exciting way for people to learn about important environmental issues such as climate change, ocean currents and weather patterns on a global scale,” said Mr. Smith. “And not only can we view our planet from a myriad of perspectives, we can also view the Sun and all the planetary bodies of the solar system in three dimensions. An amazing educational tool.”
And the Ocean Explorium will offer visitors much more. There will be living exhibits, including a coral reef, a coastal zone touch tank, where people can interact with animals and plants, and a rare opportunity to see marine life in its very early stages—an ocean nursery, with delicate baby animals such as cuttlefishes, seahorses and sharks.
A series of interactive exhibits called ‘The Working Waterfront’ will highlight the important relationship between local fishermen, Buzzard’s Bay and the oceans beyond. Dynamic displays will demonstrate the fishermen’s special understanding of the sea and the significant role of the seafood industry to local communities.
The Ocean Explorium will also have a resource room, with high-tech computer and electronic media facilities, and a media room with state-of-the-art audiovisual systems, enabling visitors to venture ‘above, under and across’ the world’s oceans.
But Mr. Smith emphasizes that the project is not just about the exhibits and the building.
“The Ocean Explorium is more than a building. It’s really a concept—a concept about bringing people, marine research, and education together. We want people to want to find out how they can preserve and restore the oceans, about what they can do personally to help things change for the better.”
As part of that objective, the Ocean Explorium will run an extensive outreach program to take its message beyond the building itself. A key part of the program is the WOW Mobile—a moving exhibition, which has been operating for the past three years.
The WOW Mobile takes educational programs and scientific equipment into the community, and has already reached 8,000 students in the SouthCoast region.
The Chancellor of UMass-Dartmouth, Dr. Jean MacCormack, is thrilled. “We are so pleased that the University is able to partner with the Oceanarium to support the Ocean Explorium project.”
“We must continue to build awareness of ocean health and ocean productivity, and we must encourage and support environmental stewardship,” she said. “It is critical that we provide learning opportunities for students of every age so that each generation will act as informed guardians of the oceans’ inhabitants and its resources."
And it’s going to take us places never expected.
In a joint partnership between the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the New Bedford Oceanarium, the Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport takes a whole new approach to the concept of aquariums and marine education.
“This project is not just about seeing marine animals on display,” says newly appointed director, Mark Smith. “This is about experiencing the oceans in a truly hands-on way.”
Construction of the project has already begun, in the heart of the city. It is taking shape inside the magnificent lobby of the historic New Bedford Institution for Savings, at Union Square.
Chair of the New Bedford Oceanarium Board of Trustees, Robert B. Feingold, is excited. “I know I speak for everyone involved by saying we are thrilled that construction is underway; we have a new director and we’ve set a date for the grand opening next summer,” said Mr. Feingold.
“This project stays true to our original mission: as a unique educational facility and as an economic catalyst for the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts.”
Using original concepts and sophisticated displays, the Ocean Explorium aims to change the way we learn about the oceans and our environment.
The new director, Mark Smith, is an Australian marine biologist who has worked with some of the world’s most prestigious aquariums, including Sea World in Australia, L’Aquàrium de Barcelona in Spain and the Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal.
Mr. Smith says the Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport has three main objectives—education, conservation, and community networking.
“We hope it will promote a much broader and deeper understanding of our local waters and the oceans beyond,” he said. “But education has to be about having fun. We want to give people the opportunity to make contact with the marine world in exciting and innovative ways.”
The Ocean Explorium promises to do just that.
Visitors will enter the Ocean Explorium and embark on a journey of discovery. Inside they will encounter a giant luminescent cube—a metaphor for the oceans. And inside the cube, they will find our magnificent planet Earth—suspended in space.
This futuristic exhibit will be a crucial element of the Ocean Explorium’s educational program. Judged by Time magazine as “…one of the top ten inventions of 2006,” the globe is part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) revolutionary new Science On a Sphere®. It uses high-speed computers, multiple projectors and advanced imaging techniques to create an image of the planet in three dimensions.
“It will be an incredibly exciting way for people to learn about important environmental issues such as climate change, ocean currents and weather patterns on a global scale,” said Mr. Smith. “And not only can we view our planet from a myriad of perspectives, we can also view the Sun and all the planetary bodies of the solar system in three dimensions. An amazing educational tool.”
And the Ocean Explorium will offer visitors much more. There will be living exhibits, including a coral reef, a coastal zone touch tank, where people can interact with animals and plants, and a rare opportunity to see marine life in its very early stages—an ocean nursery, with delicate baby animals such as cuttlefishes, seahorses and sharks.
A series of interactive exhibits called ‘The Working Waterfront’ will highlight the important relationship between local fishermen, Buzzard’s Bay and the oceans beyond. Dynamic displays will demonstrate the fishermen’s special understanding of the sea and the significant role of the seafood industry to local communities.
The Ocean Explorium will also have a resource room, with high-tech computer and electronic media facilities, and a media room with state-of-the-art audiovisual systems, enabling visitors to venture ‘above, under and across’ the world’s oceans.
But Mr. Smith emphasizes that the project is not just about the exhibits and the building.
“The Ocean Explorium is more than a building. It’s really a concept—a concept about bringing people, marine research, and education together. We want people to want to find out how they can preserve and restore the oceans, about what they can do personally to help things change for the better.”
As part of that objective, the Ocean Explorium will run an extensive outreach program to take its message beyond the building itself. A key part of the program is the WOW Mobile—a moving exhibition, which has been operating for the past three years.
The WOW Mobile takes educational programs and scientific equipment into the community, and has already reached 8,000 students in the SouthCoast region.
The Chancellor of UMass-Dartmouth, Dr. Jean MacCormack, is thrilled. “We are so pleased that the University is able to partner with the Oceanarium to support the Ocean Explorium project.”
“We must continue to build awareness of ocean health and ocean productivity, and we must encourage and support environmental stewardship,” she said. “It is critical that we provide learning opportunities for students of every age so that each generation will act as informed guardians of the oceans’ inhabitants and its resources."