FROSTBURG, MD (April 22, 2016) – If you’re curious as to what four-year old children and river otters could possibly have in common (answer: they’re both “selective” eaters), visit the UMCES Appalachian Laboratory on Saturday, May 7 from 10 am to 2 pm for its annual Open House. No matter your age or background, you'll have a chance to immerse yourself in hands-on experiments, interact with scientists working (and residing) in your community, and enjoy aerial drone demonstrations to learn how researchers are using this technology in our area.
Activities include:
- Shrink Your Foodprint - Learn how the food that you eat affects the climate.
- The Dirt Doctor - Find out why soil is so critical to plants and animals.
- What Does the Otter Eat? - Learn about the ecology of the river otter.
- Phenology, Climate Change, and Art - Channel your inner artist by sketching and painting a biological illustration of a species of interest while learning about how their life cycle must be accurately timed with seasonal cues.
- Enviroscape - Learn what you can do to make your water cleaner using the hands-on Enviroscape stream model.
- Maryland's Flying Mammals - Gain a better understanding of why bats are important to our ecosystem.
- Where in Western Maryland? - Brush up on your observation and recall skills to play this fun game and guess where in western Maryland aerial photographs were taken.
The Appalachian Laboratory’s Open House is held in partnership with Frostburg State University and the Allegany County Public Schools’ Western Maryland STEM Festival. Parking is free, and the lab is located at 301 Braddock Road, a quarter-mile north of exit 33 on Interstate 68. For more information, call 301-689-7100 or email events@al.umces.edu. www.umces.edu/al