Do you know that horseshoe crabs have 9 eyes and they use their tails for righting themselves if they are flipped over by a wave? Aquarium visitors learnt many fun facts about this prehistoric but peaceful creature with the help of Justin Bopp from StonyBrook University.

Saturday  December 16th

Justin Bopp

Learn about the fascinating life history and characteristics of the arthropod that has walked with dinosaurs- the American horseshoe crab. Horseshoe crabs have been used in the biomedical industry and have saved thousands of human lives. Come see and touch horseshoe crab molts.

Photo credit : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Bopp

November 18, 2017

Roger Flood, Stony Brook University.

What does the ocean floor look like? Haven’t we found everything on the sea floor already? What is bathymetry? Meet with a Marine geologist and get the answer to those intriguing questions and much more. Discover that the ocean floor is not completely flat and has many interesting features, some of which are completely different from those on land.

Drs. Roger Flood and Kamazima Luiza presenting an EchoBoat which can be used to create the maps of the floor of Setauket Harbor needed for studying and managing this important resource. Photo Credit Anne McElroy (09/23/2017). More info: https://www.somas.stonybrook.edu/2017/09/24/somas-bring-drone-boats-to-setauket-harbor-day/

On Saturday 21st, a lot of visitors stopped by to get information about the fish they can catch and eat safely.  Great success for Maureen, wonderful outreach.

Saturday October 21st

Maureen Murphy, Stony Brook University.

The story of mercury in the environment is complex but it is also fascinating in that mercury is a naturally occurring element.  The story includes intriguing science on how mercury enters into the ecosystem and how it is transformed to more toxic forms by microorganisms, how it biomagnifies in the food chain, how that translates to levels of methylmercury in different fish species, and ultimately how it ends up inside of us.

Meet with the project coordinator of The Gelfond Fund for Mercury Research & Outreach and learn about mercury cycles.

Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MercuryFoodChainMercureBioconcentration-frFL.png

Darcy Lonsdale, Stony Brook University

September 16, 2017

Plankton includes all organisms (algae, animals, bacteria) that drift with ocean currents. They are unbelievably abundant and important within the marine environment.  In fact, most of the earth’s biomass consists of plankton adrift in the oceans. Join us and meet a local marine zooplankton specialist to observe and learn about those wonderful and amazing organisms.

Professor Darcy Lonsdale speaks to students at Lake Ronkonkoma before they take samples.

Photo by Phil Corso – April 14, 2015 (https://www.somas.stonybrook.edu/2015/04/19/stony-brook-students-step-up-to-study-lake/)

On Saturday 19th of August, LIA visitors had the opportunity to discover and observe local seaweeds, invertebrates and little fish they can use to build their own pet zoo.  They received tons of advice from the Abrams’ team. Excitement and fun guaranteed! Thanks to Stephen Abrams, Laura Bonilla and Jacob Murphy.

August 19, 2017

Meet with Steve Abrams, a local scientist and aquarist, and learn how to build and maintain your own underwater zoo using amazing local invertebrate creatures such as crab, shrimp, snail, anemone, cray fish, and insects. Come and discover more about marine and fresh water life on Long Island.

Hermit Crab at the Vancouver Aquarium