OSC takes public education program on the road

Jun 12th, 2012

Kelly Foss

OSC takes public education program on the road

The Public Education Program (PEP) at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) can receive more than 15,000 visitors between June 1st and Labour Day weekend. So when construction at the Logy Bay facility shut down public access to the site last summer, the fear of losing one of the region’s popular tourist attractions was a valid concern.

Features of the program at the OSC include an outdoor touch tank where visitors can experience a variety of marine life; an outdoor observation platform for viewing their captive population of harp seals; and marine interpreters, primarily Memorial summer student staff, to answer questions and explain current research initiatives at the facility.

“We’ve been delivering this program since 1988 and rather than cancel the program entirely we decided to put the show on the road, using a portable touch tank and seal video presentation to visit local schools, kids’ summer camps and tourist destinations,” said Danielle Nichols, research marketing manager at the Ocean Science Centre.

“The students also set-up temporary displays in and around the city of St. John’s in at places such as Signal Hill and Cape Spear National Historic Sites, Memorial University’s Botanical Gardens and Child Care Facility and the Easter Seals House.”

With the roadshow being so successful last summer, and construction at the facility still on-going, the OSC intends to once again offer the free program to various institutions, companies, school groups, summer programs, and tourist attraction locations in the region.

They’ve already booked a number of reoccurring appointments at Cape Spear, Suncor Energy Fluvarium, Botanical Gardens, Coastal Railway Museum and Johnson Geo Centre but are still taking appointments on a first come, first served basis.

To find out more about the program, or to book an appointment, contact Ms. Nichols at 864-2459 or dnichols@mun.ca.