Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

It is the job of the Aquarium veterinarians to not only monitor the health of the animals in the Aquarium’s collection but also to help rehabilitate stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. Throughout this program, your students will learn what it takes to be an aquatic veterinarian by examining animal anatomy through the use of X-rays, the immune system by looking at individual blood cells, and how the environment can affect an animal’s health. 
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 6.2, 7.2

What characteristics does a whale or dolphin have that make it a mammal? What makes a shark a fish? Students will learn the answers to these questions and much more as they discover scientific classification within the animal kingdom. From phylum to species, students will understand how both the external and internal anatomy of an animal plays an important role in grouping organisms together. Class participants will even have the opportunity to use their new found taxonomy skills to classify live marine invertebrates!
CT State Science Standard Addressed: 6.2

Explore the unique relationships that are found within New England’s largest river ecosystem. Through hands-on activities students will delve into the wonders of the Connecticut River to discover how factors such as invasive species, nonpoint source pollution, and riverside development can affect the populations within the freshwater ecosystem. Class participants will even discover what steps are being taken to clean up our rivers and what they can do to help keep these ecosystems safe for generations to come!
Lengthen your class! Add Long Island Sound Exploration for a full 90 minute investigation into CT’s unique aquatic systems.
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 6.2, 6.4, 8.2

From the arid deserts of Africa to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, organisms have adapted to cope with extreme environmental conditions. Throughout this program, students will discover the intense challenges that animals such as Adele penguins, deep sea tube worms, and Antarctic leopard seals encounter every day. Participants will learn through lab activities that put students’ chemistry, math and biology skills to the test – and indicate their relevance (and importance!) to the animal world.
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 6.2, 6.4, 7.3, 8.2

The Long Island Sound is an amazing and diverse ecosystem, but what makes this environment different from others? Students will learn the unique characteristics of an estuary, analyzing water samples from Aquarium exhibits to determine which best illustrates the qualities of the water found in the Sound. Students will also have the opportunity to interact with live Long Island Sound marine invertebrates – and to discover how human activity has impacted this delicate ecosystem.
Lengthen your class! Add Discovering Freshwater Ecosystems for a full 90 minute investigation into CT’s unique aquatic systems.
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 6.2, 6.4

Kids may not enjoy squid on their dinner plates – but in the lab, they will! Discover the amazing adaptations of the fastest, largest and most intelligent invertebrate in the sea by participating in a detailed dissection of our local species.
Lengthen your class! Turn this dissection into a 90-minute immersive lab experience by adding an invertebrate lab to discover how squid, snails, sea stars and other marine invertebrates are classified into taxonomic groups.
CT State Science Standards Addressed: 6.2, 7.2, 8.2