5th Annual Marine Masterpieces Student Art Contest The artistic talent of dozens of students in grades K-12 will be on display in the Seymour Center exhibit hall from April 5 through May 25, as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Marine Masterpieces. The public is invited to attend an awards ceremony and reception for the artists that will be held Saturday, April 5 at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. The awards ceremony for individual winners in grades K-5 will begin at 12 PM, and the awards ceremony for individual winners in grades 6-12 and the Group category will begin at 2 PM. The Marine Masterpieces art contest was open to individuals and groups that produced works that "communicate something about marine life/science, ocean conservation, or marine scientists." Individual winners were selected in each of five categories: K-1st grade, 2-3rd grade, 4-5th grade, 6-8th and 9-12th grade. Winners were also selected from a separate category for Group artwork. A total of 287 artists produced 240 pieces that were judged by a panel of six judges. First-place winners will receive one-year student memberships to the Seymour Center, while their teachers will receive a voucher for $100 toward a class field trip to the center; other prizes include T-shirts, books, and ocean themed gifts from the Seymour Center’s Ocean Discovery Shop. Many thanks to Edie and Bob Rittenhouse for their generous sponsorship of this year's Marine Masterpieces Student Art Contest and Exhibition. Click here to view a list of the 2008 contest winners. Click here to view contest winners from Marine Masterpieces 2007. Click here to view contest winners from Marine Masterpieces 2006. Click here to view contest winners from Marine Masterpieces 2005. Click here to view contest winners from Marine Masterpieces 2004 Sea Search: A Marine Science Program for High School Teachers and Students Sea Search is a new marine science program designed to provide high school science teachers with an easy way to incorporate marine science into their curriculum, and to provide opportunities for high school students to become engaged in science through the Seymour Center’s ocean-themed exhibits, programs, tours, and volunteer opportunities. Realizing that logistical and financial challenges make it difficult for many high school teachers to coordinate learning-based field experiences for their students, Sea Search is a marine science program students can participate in on their own time and outside of school hours. Sea Search is easy on teachers (requiring almost no prep time), and enriching, yet challenging for students. The Sea Search curriculum is aligned with California Science Content Standards. For more information on Sea Search, including how the program works and how to get your students involved, click here. Education Kits The Seymour Center has partnered with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History (http://www.santacruzmuseums.org) to offer a new seashell education kit for teachers. The Seashell Science kit contains shells representing nearly 30 species of marine animals from Monterey Bay. Curriculum suggestions for grades K-2 are included, focusing on adaptive features of seashore animals. Activities are aligned with California Science Content Standards and challenge students to sharpen their observation skills, while incorporating language and creative arts. In addition to the shell collection and curriculum, the kit also includes activity sheets, answer keys, two reference books, and a teacher preview pass to visit the Seymour Center. To learn more about the Seashell Science kit call the Seymour Center at (831) 459-3800. Seashell Scienceis now available. To reserve Seashell Science or other education kits for loan from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, call the museum at (831) 420-6115. Kits are available by reservation only. Predatory Bird Research and Conservation School Assemblies The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG), based at Long Marine Lab was instrumental in the effort to bring the peregrine falcon back from the brink of extinction, and now they want to share the inspiring story of the peregrine with your students. Scientists and educators from the SCPBRG are available to visit your school for assemblies and class visits for students in grades three through adult. Students will meet a live peregrine falcon during the presentation, learn about the peregrine’s amazing adaptations for survival, and hear the stories of the dedicated scientists whose work led to the removal of these fascinating predators from the Endangered Species List. Great teaching resources and activities for your students are also available. For more information or to schedule a visit the SCPBRG web site at http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/classroomvisit.htm, or e-mail falconet@ucsc.edu. Activities and Resources Take advantage of ready-to-use learning activities and resources on a variety of marine science topics. Make the most of your field trip or science unit with these activities. Also, find useful suggestions for organizing your class visit to the Seymour Center. Click here to view activities and forms. Teacher Mailing List Make sure you receive notification of new educator resources and opportunities as they become available. Call (831) 459-3800 and request to be added to our teacher mailing list. Learning Programs: School | Youth | Teacher | Visitor | Member | Student