South Bay : Touring Marine Museum to Debut at School

A group of San Pedro middle school students have been selected as the test audience for a trailer-borne marine museum created by the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. It is designed to spark interest in scientific research and familiarize youngsters with diverse forms of sea life.

Dodson Middle School will be the site of the Oct. 18 inaugural “voyage” of Seamobile, a computer-equipped interactive exhibit that will simulate an undersea expedition through the use of video “portholes” and sound effects. Over the next year, the Seamobile will provide hands-on science instruction to more than 15,000 middle school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As part of the program, students will be asked to collect and analyze marine data at five computer stations aboard the museum. Each station will allow students to act as navigators, biologists, chemists and geologists to expose them to the various scientific disciplines and different facets of marine life. The Seamobile is supported by a $1-million grant from the museum.