Have you ever wondered what happens in that unusual building with the tent-like roof at the Inner Harbor? Science happens here.
The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology opened it doors to the public for a free Open House on Saturday, May 6 to share the research happening at the harbor’s edge.
Roughly 200 members of the community enjoyed hands-on activities ranging from extracting DNA from a strawberry to a video game about sharks, toured the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC), an extensive fish-holding facility; and engaged with our scientists about the work they do and how it's helping to change the world.
“The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology is one of the world’s top environmental biotechnology research institutes,” said Director Russell Hill. “We want to let the general public know about the science that’s happening here, especially kids.”
Scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) are engaged in cutting-edge research in microbiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology. They are using marine organisms like sponges to develop drugs for cancer and tuberculosis, devising ways to make alternative fuel out of algae found in the Chesapeake and working on understanding how crabs and fish grow so we have abundant sources of food.
An initiative of the University System of Maryland, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Science is made up of researchers and graduate students from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland Baltimore County and University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Watch this video of our scientists as they talk about the value of an Open House and the exhibits they planned for it.
See more photos from the Open House.
