No need to walk on sandy beaches and splash in sparkling waters to learn about the fascinating world of marine science - thanks to Alabama’s ACCESS Program, learning about marine life is accessible to all.  This distance learning program, integrated into every public high school in Alabama, will be featured in the ACCESS Distance Learning Week, February 7-11, 2011, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Education and Outreach department, Discovery Hall Programs, will be taking part in this enriching program for high school students.

During the entire week, numerous organizations will be conducting engaging programs and lessons for high school students, members of the Alabama Legislature, and other interested organizations throughout the state.  On Wednesday, February 9, starting at 10am, educators from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Education and Outreach team will conduct an Introduction to Animals in Alabama’s Coastal Waters in the Sea Lab’s new videoconferencing facility in the Shelby Center for Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management. 

Using both live and preserved specimens, the Sea Lab educators will show students examples of many groups of invertebrate and vertebrate animals commonly found in Alabama’s waters.  Students will learn about the classification, habitats, and natural history of these animals.  A document camera system will allow close up views of many of the animals being examined.  The presentation will end with an “up close and personal” look at an animal through a dissection of a shark!

Scheduled link-ups with the Sea Lab’s program include:

• Geneva County High School – Hartford, AL (Geneva County)
• Hayden High School – Hayden, AL (Blount County)
• Marion County High School – Guin, AL (Marion County)
• McKenzie High School - McKenzie, AL (Butler County)

As a special feature during this event, a live audience of 67 seventh-grade students from Madison Academy and their teacher, Ms. Margie Smith, will be at the Sea Lab during the program.

“The Deepwater Horizon event this past summer illustrated the importance of the Gulf coast to the state of Alabama as well as to the entire northern Gulf of Mexico region,” said Dr. Tina Miller-Way, Sea Lab Associate Director for Education and Outreach.    “Now, we need to let every K-12 student in Alabama see and understand why these coastal areas are so important.  The ACCESS program allows us to reach many students who may be unable to experience the coast firsthand and the Discovery Hall Program is excited to be able to once again participate.”

Dr. Melinda Maddox, Director, Technology Initiatives, Alabama State Department of Education, added, “ACCESS is an innovative distance and blended learning program that incorporates real-world experiences for students in Alabama such as the one being offered by Dauphin Island Sea Lab.  These virtual field trips offer students rare opportunities to interact with scientists from the field.”

Launched in 2004, the ACCESS program seeks to provide greater equity for all Alabama public high school students through access to distance learning technology.  Alabama is poised to be a leader in distance learning by tailoring online and videoconferencing services to the needs of the individual student.  By leveraging existing resources and expanding access, this program will deliver a broad range of courses to students statewide, including Alabama’s hardest-to-serve areas.

For more information on the ACCESS program and ACCESS week, visit http://accessdl.state.al.us/ ; e-mail Meg Lowry at mlowry@alsde.edu; or call 334.242.9594.

Note to reporters/assignment desk editors: if you would like to send a reporter to the Sea Lab to witness the program live, please contact Sara Johnson at sejohnson@disl.org or 251-861-2141 x7515 to reserve space in the Shelby Center at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.