Discovery Voyage - Grade 4 and up
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Discovery Voyage
Join the MSI crew for a four-hour expedition of the San Francisco Estuary aboard the 90-foot research vessel, the Robert G. Brownlee. Your group will spend a half-day as scientists, discovering the estuary's ecosystem and discussing their own roles within it.
Students will collect and examine plankton, run hydrology tests, and observe wetland ecology from the ship. They will delve through mud samples, discovering the fascinating invertebrates that thrive at the Bay's bottom. Students will also use a trawl net to catch a wide variety of fish species, including sharks and rays! They will then identify the fish with a dichotomous key before releasing and may help volunteers measure fish for MSI's monitoring program. This program offers students the chance to enjoy the natural vitality of this area while learning valuable scientific skills. |
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Plankton Station: In the plankton station, we will be studying plant (phytoplankton) and animal plankton (zooplankton). Students will examine organisms collected in the Bay in our onboard plankton lab. Using a microscope and digital display, student will observe and catalog a number of different species. |
Hydrology (Water Chemistry) Station: Students deploy a Van Dorn bottle in order to collect samples of Bay water. The instructor leads the group in a discussion on how variables of water chemistry can change over the course of a year and how this might affect organisms in the Bay. |
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Ichthyology (Fish) Station: Students deplay a 16 foot trawl net to catch fish. Using teamwork they bring their catch onboard into a touch tank for closer observation. The group then breaks into smaller work groups to closely observe, study, and touch the fish. Students use a dichotomous keyor other identification aids to identify the fish the have collected. |
Benthic Station: Students deploy a mud grab (Peterson Grab) to gather a bottom sediment sample. The students then have an opportunity to touch the “bottom” of the Bay and look through the sample for organisms. The sediment is then washed away, and the invertebrates are collected and placed into buckets for closer observation.
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Discovery Voyages are appropriate for students in grades 4 through college level. Upon request the program can be tailored to include specific themes and topics such as human impact, food webs, and biodiversity. An Educator Guide is provided.
Pricing:
4 hour program
8 am - 12 noon and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
$1,000 to $1,800 per trip (sliding scale depending on need) for up to 42 students.
Additional $200 for up to 60 students.
Teacher Information:
The R/V Robert G. Brownlee cell phone number: 650-455-8113
Directions to the Marine Science Institute - Redwood City Directions to the Richmond Marina Directions to the San Francisco Bay Marina
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or call 650-364-2760 ext. 10 |
