One of Discovery Place’s program specialists, Heather Heslep, spent part of August on the northern part of the East Coast on an adventure with the Marine Mammal Institute. This post the second in a series that follows her adventure as she learns more about marine mammals and climate change.

We started our day on Wednesday, August 10th at the LEED-certified Jennette’s Pier at Nag’s Head, a great spot for leisurely walks on the pier, fishing or just going to the beach. Three giant wind turbines strategically placed on the pier not only capture wind that can supply 50% of the electricity for the facility, but are aesthetically pleasing as well.

We also spent a portion of the day at the Virginia Aquarium, where Sue Barco, a lead researcher on dolphins, spoke about... Keep reading.

Discovery Place curators travel across North Carolina in order to bring the most authentic and educational learning experiences to all of our guests in World Alive. Each year, Discovery Place renews its Educational Collection Permit with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Marine Fisheries to collect approved animals for display in World Alive. Specifically, our staff collects animals for our North Carolina coast exhibit, which features a spartina marsh, an oyster reef and an eelgrass bed, all natural habitats in our local oceans and waterways.

Many of the animals found in World Alive, especially those in the North Carolina coast habitat, are not commercially available. In order to create a display that is true to our animals’ natural... Keep reading.

One of Discovery Place’s program specialists, Heather Heslep, headed up the East Coast this week on an adventure with Marine Mammal Institute. Heather was selected for the program because of her passion for education and work with the Museum. This post is the first of several that will follow her adventure as she learns more about marine mammals and climate change.

When opportunity knocks, do you answer? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, but as I sit here on a bus headed to Jennette’s Pier , I am glad that I chose to apply for the Marine Mammal Institute. I knew that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I submitted an application to be part of this 10-day, fully-funded professional development opportunity designed for enthusiastic grassroots educators... Keep reading.

Can you feel the beat?

We had a feet tapping, hand clapping great time when DrumSTRONG joined us at at Discovery Place on August 6. The group facilitated DrumCircles in our Explore More Collections lab and everyone had a great time with hands-on percussion fun. Plus, Discovery Place staff showcased African drums and other artifacts for learning and experience.

DrumSTRONG focuses on "drumming to BEAT cancer." The organization brings together the community in a festive, informative, uplifting rhythm-filled environment; raising awareness & funds for education, research and survivorship support.

Please visit www.drumstrong.org and learn more about this organization and their DrumCircles.

The Corey Ellis Hughes Dunn Award recognizes teen Apprentices who have exhibited a passion for science and nature, a willingness to learn and a commitment to sharing their knowledge and experiences with others.

This year we recognized our first recipient, Carson Trapp.

Carson has volunteered over 470 hours at the Charlotte Nature Museum in the last 16 months. Her enthusiasm shows in the way she takes initiative to learn tasks and her eagerness to share her knowledge of the natural world with all Charlotte Nature Museum visitors. On any given day, Carson can be found feeding the animals, facilitating animal encounters with our visitors, guiding our summer campers on nature hikes, or leading one of our monthly Creature Feature events.

Carson’s passion and enthusiasm truly... Keep reading.