School Programs
The Back Bay Science Center offers hands-on educational programs on a wide range of topics for classes of students. These programs can be customized on class size and available staff. Learn more about these educational opportunities below.
School programs for seventh grade to college students.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers educational opportunities for classes of students in seventh grade through college to visit the Back Bay Science Center and learn about the local watershed. Curriculum topics include estuarine and marine ecology, invasive species, water quality, and ocean acidification, but may be tailored to the class and instructor goals. Educational programs are led by California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff. To request an educational program, please complete the Facility Use Request Form with a one-page description and email it to Jene Dietz at jene.dietz@wildlife.ca.gov. Requests must be made using the schedule below and allow one month for processing and review.
For programs that occur in the spring (February, March, April, May), deadline for requests is December 1.
For programs that occur in the summer (June, July, August, September), deadline for requests is April 15.
For programs that occur in the fall/winter (October, November, December, January), deadline for requests is August 15.
As the Back Bay Science Center primarily serves seventh grade through college students, instructors with elementary students may want to reach out to Newport Bay Conservancy or Orange County Coastkeeper for additional educational programming opportunities.
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Curriculum Examples
Students will help deploy scientific equipment, collect bottom-dwelling fish, then identify and measure the specimens.
Students will deploy scientific equipment to collect and identify invertebrates that live in and on the mud.
Students will collect and identify plankton and learn about the important ecological functions plankton supply to the food web and the oceans.
Students will test multiple water parameters of the Bay and learn what factors can contribute to healthy or unhealthy conditons.
Students will learn practices used to identify different species of birds and their behaviors.
Students will utilize the iNaturalist app and a dichotomous key to identify local plant species of the salt marsh and the ecological impacts of non-native species.
Students will conduct quadrat surveys of the intertidal animals at the touch tanks to determine the "health of the ecosystem."