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Fourth Annual Open House in St. Petersburg, FL, Sets New Records
A record number of more than 35 exhibits presented research topics from five USGS offices in Florida, including offices in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Gainesville, Altamonte Springs, and Tallahassee. Highlighted among the exhibits was Gene Shinn's 24-ft-long blimp designed to sample African dust. Gene had the USGS visual identifier embossed on the side—as far as we know, the largest USGS visual identifier made to date. Also notable was an exhibit assembled by USGS biologists in St. Petersburg to simulate a marsh environment; it included native marsh plants, aquariums, a kiddie pool full of horseshoe crabs, and a cooling mist that sprayed everything and everyone. The mist was well appreciated, because the temperature on October 9 was 89¡ at 77-percent relative humidity, for a NOAA Heat Index (apparent temperature) of 109°! We were especially pleased that exhibitors came from afar to help out, including Jane Eggleston from Tallahassee, Trudy Phelps from Altamonte Springs, and Larry Harvey from the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in Melbourne, FL. The tour guides were real heroes that day, helping to lead a record 871 4th-graders, teachers, and chaperones through the exhibits. The work of the CCWS Marine Operations group, under Terry Kelley and Dave Wegener, was most commendable; they set up and took down a record 13 tents to shade exhibitors, and handled other construction and all the last-minute running of electrical cords for outdoor power. CCWS graphic artists Betsy Boynton and Laurinda Frye made countless posters, signs, manatee bone casts, and more for the event. Fifty new portable exhibit boards built for the "Gulf of Mexico Integrated Science-Tampa Bay Pilot Study 2nd Annual Science Conference," held on September 19 in St. Petersburg, proved crucial in highlighting all the science we had to display. On the second day, the open house was held for the public, and more than 250 people attended. Feedback forms showed that no one exhibit was the clear favorite, but many exhibits seemed to be favorites for numerous people. This result suggests that the public has a wide range of interests and that the USGS is well served by offering displays illustrating the large variety of science topics studied here. Thanks to one and all who made this event a success!
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in this issue:
Adriatic Sea Sediment-Transport Cruise Assateague Island Vegetation Mapping Field-Testing New Portable Drilling System Woods Hole Field Center Open House St. Petersburg Field Center Open House Fourth-Graders Tour St. Petersburg Field Center
Planning Gas-Hydrates Research Science and Politics in Ecosystem Decisions Louisiana Coastal-Restoration Advisory Board Air Medical Transport Center Tour  |
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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