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Virtual Field Trips | Interactive Field Trips | Discovery Education

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Take your students beyond the classroom walls and into some of the world's most iconic locations for rich and immersive learning experiences. Learn more!

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Ready to explore Yellowstone? You don't have to wait for your trip out here. You can start exploring now by virtually touring some of the main attractions around the park. Included with each map-based tour is additional information about visiting in person.

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Virtual Tours - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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Ready to explore Yellowstone? You don't have to wait for your trip out here. You can start exploring now by virtually touring some of the main attractions around the park. Included with each map-based tour is additional information about visiting in person.

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Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island | Scholastic.com

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Teach about immigration with this webcast from Ellis Island, brought to you by Scholastic and the National Park Service. Tour the historic immigration station, meet Park Rangers, and discover the history of immigration in America.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here.

Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

Learn more about Google Earth.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

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Our virtual field trips allow your students to travel the world and explore natural environments without leaving the classroom. Start your adventure here!

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BECAUSE LITERARY READING BRINGS WISDOM TO THE INFORMATION AGE
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

A few words from Google Lit Trips founder

I just want to express my sincere appreciation to those who incorporated the Google Lit Trips resources into their heroic distance learning efforts.To those of you who went a step beyond and chose to also find it in their hearts to make donations to support our work on their behalf, thank you so very much.To all please know that as a retired educator myself, supporting your efforts for your kids and students is my passion. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and safe summer.
JeromeBurg@GoogleLItTrips.org

Our 53 Most Popular Google Lit Trips have been upgraded to
extensively enhanced new Premier Edition Google Lit Trips

Featuring more extensive multi-media, automatic updates, and ability to view on all platforms
Our most recent additions appear in bold print below

Grades K-5 Titles: A Family Apart, A Small Dog's Big Life, A Walk in London, Abuela, Big Anthony: His Story, Bonyo Bonyo, Brothers in Hope, Bud, Not Buddy, By the Great Hornspoon, Flotsam, Going Home, Lost!, Make Way for Ducklings,Number the Stars, The Armadillo from Amarillo, Paddle-to-the-Sea, Pedro's Journal, Riding Freedom, Possum Magic, Sam Patch Daredevil Jumper, Seaman: The Dog who Explored with Lewis and Clark, The Lamp the Ice and the Boat Named Fish, We All Went on Safari, White Jade Tiger

Grades 6-8 Titles: Around the World in 80 Days, Blood on the River, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, Hana's Suitcase, Hard Gold, Marching for Freedom, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Remote Man, Walk Two Moons, A Long Walk to Water, Esperanza Rising, Fever 1793, My Brother Sam is Dead,The Slave Dancer, The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963

Grades 9-12 Titles: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, A Walk Down Cannery Row, Candide, Flesh & Blood So Cheap, Frankenstein, Jack London Historic Park, Macbeth, Night, The Aeneid, The Catcher in the Rye,The Grapes of Wrath, The Kite Runner, The Odyssey - A Mediterranean-Wide Interpretation, WW II Locations: Farewell to Manzanar, Hiroshima, and Night

VIEWING THE NEW GOOGLE LIT TRIP PREMIERE COLLECTION

What is a Google Lit Trip?
Lit Trips are downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. Along the way, placemarks with pop-up windows contain "just in time" resources including relevant media, thought-provoking discussion starters, and links to supplementary information about "real world" references in that portion of the story. Our focus is on creating engaging and relevant literary experiences for students.
Watch the video on the left for a simulation of the experience.

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BECAUSE LITERARY READING BRINGS WISDOM TO THE INFORMATION AGE "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

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Virtual field trips are a game changer. Not only do they fill in for real field trips when budgets and other roadblocks prevent in-person options, but virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. No fundraising or permission slips required!

(Note: For anyone who needs it, YouTube offers a closed-captioning option. Just click the CC button in the bottom right-hand corner.)

Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future. Tour whenever, wherever on Kahoot! Each tour comes with a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.

2. The Zoo

There are so many amazing online options when it comes to zoos that we couldn't narrow it down to just one. Most zoos have live webcams in some of their most popular exhibits, such as the KC Zoo Polar Bear Cam and the Giant Panda Cam at Smithsonian's National Zoo. However, some zoos offer a more in-depth look. You'll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo as their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out our full list of virtual zoo goodness.

3. The Aquarium

It's a similar story with aquariums. You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium's Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the "Jelly Cam" at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium even has a 30-minute video tour. Want more under-the-sea fun? Here's our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.

4. The Farm

The classic preschool field trip goes online! You can have your pick of dairy farm field trips, but we like this one from the Dairy Alliance and this one from Stonyfield Organic. Farm Food 360 gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Canadian farm and food tours-from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. We're also loving these virtual egg farm field trips from the American Egg Board.

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5. An Art Museum

We found 20 art museums with virtual tours, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's # MetKids and its awesome Where's Waldo? setup. And you can't miss the world-famous Louvre in Paris (no passport needed!). Check out the current virtual tours: Traveling Materials and Objects, the Advent of the Artist, the Body in Movement, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!

6. A National Park

From webcams at Hawaii volcanoes to a virtual run along the rim of the Grand Canyon, you have tons of options here. Our top pick would have to be Yellowstone. The interactive maps are a great way to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Volcano, but we think kids will be psyched about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the opportunity to make their own predictions for its next eruption. Check out everything the National Park Service has to offer virtually.

7. A Planetarium

Through Stellarium Web, kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.

Take your students on a virtual field trip of a recycling center and a modern landfill. Plus, there's a full-on curriculum that includes lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip.

The Nature Conservancy has a brand-new virtual field trip entitled "You're the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs & Cicadas." Check out their full library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.

Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events -each with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include "Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee" and "The Future Is Now" (architectural and engineering innovations). Stay tuned for their upcoming civics virtual field trip, "The American Ideal."

This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is a quick five minutes long.

Explore online exhibits and discover the history and evolution of play. Check out board games that changed play, sports video games that shaped digital play, and the making of Monopoly to name a few.

Kids can learn about the most recent Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

The "Museum of We the People," the Constitution Center serves as a "headquarters for civic education." Check out the Interactive Constitution section, and be sure to watch the virtual tour.

Houston, we have a virtual field trip. Three, actually. All with companion educator guides. The star of the show is the behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center.

Boise State put together this fully interactive virtual field trip with text, photos, audio, and video about the history of music. The four featured music locations are: Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and the armory.

This virtual experience of George Washington's home is incredibly well done. Enter the different buildings-from the opulent mansion to the chilling slave quarters-and click on different items for video and text explanations.

This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education, who lends his expertise on the building of this national monument. The 3D Explorer is also an excellent tool.

Take a visit to the National WWII Museum for "a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb." Don't forget to download the classroom guide!

For a look inside the iconic building, check out the 360° tour of some of the most historic rooms of the People's House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Examine each room and check out the contents up close.

The National Museum of Natural History's virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.

A collaboration with over 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible storehouse of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.

Boasting the world's largest collection of 360° image videos, 360 Cities provides kids with the opportunity to see stunning panoramas across the globe, including their video of the ice floe on the Vistula River in Poland.

It's the official residence of the Queen of England, and boy, is it opulent! Get a peek inside the gorgeous Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.

See one of the wonders of the world with this amazing, thousands-year-old fortification system known the world over. This virtual tour has four scenes available (you have to pay to get access to all 14). The bird's-eye view of Mutianyu pass is a highlight.

Most of us recognize the giant stone statues of Easter Island, but what's the story behind them? Nova's online adventure "Secrets of Easter Island" delves into the mystery with a virtual tour.

National Geographic lets you explore the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. Use the interactive map to enjoy the fully immersive experience (sound on!).

You don't need a time machine! Discovering Ancient Egypt has a ton of free resources, but it's the interactive pyramid map and 3D temple reconstructions that really give it a field trip feel.

Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock, a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history-from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

No, really! You can absolutely "go" to the red planet. With Access Mars, you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover. Trust us-don't skip the intro. And if your kids liked that, check out this 4K tour of the moon. These may go down in history as some of the best virtual field trips your students get to experience.

Take a virtual tour of this historical battleship located on the Camden waterfront. This battleship has traveled more miles than any other!

No need to travel to Rome! Take in the amazing art and architecture located in the Vatican Museums with these 360-degree views.

Download the app and climb aboard the virtual tram line! Take a virtual walk through the Space Center Houston with informational stops along the way.

Virtually visit museum rooms in the famous Louvre located in Paris. Even check out The Louvre kids' site for student-friendly galleries and stories. You can't visit The Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa, so check out their immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.

This interactive tour of Ellis Island lets students explore places like the Baggage Room and the Stairs of Separation through short stories, historical photographs, videos, and audio clips. Students can also hear the stories of real kids who recently immigrated to the United States, explore colorful charts and graphs with immigration data, and watch a 30-minute movie that includes a Q&A with National Park Service Rangers who explain what coming to America was like for many immigrants.

38. Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Travel back to the 17th century with options for free, on-demand, digital resources or a live, 1-hour virtual school program led by a Plimoth Patuxet Contemporary Indigenous Museum Educator. Students explore Wampanoag daily life and history; discover the real history of Thanksgiving and the legend behind it; meet a 17th-century Pilgrim; get an interactive sneak peak into 17th-century wardrobes; and learn about simple machines and water power at the Plimoth Grist Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops, including Wampanoag Pottery and Write Like a Pilgrim.

When you can't visit the museum in person, 3D virtual field trips to the Children's Museum Houston are the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, math, states of matter, forces and properties of water, and more.

Beyond the Battle Field is a virtual field trip for grades 2-8 hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived historical-fiction series for kids. Students will meet a museum educator as well as the museum curator, and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolution. Plus they'll hear the stories of teens who served during the war. There's also a Classroom Kit available with a vocabulary list and discussion questions by grade level.

If you liked this roundup of the best virtual field trips and want more resources like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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You can't always get there in person, but lots of places will let you "visit" online. These are the best virtual field trips out there!

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Connect With Nature Middle school children birdwatch and learn about the species of birds during the First State National Park's Bioblitz outside Wilmington, Delaware. On May 20 and 21, 2016, the Nature Conservancy and the National Parks Service partnered with National Geographic to execute the First State National Park's first Bioblitz. Over the course of the two-day event, over 800 observations were recording and more than 300 species were identified. More than 30 volunteers, 200 middle and high school students, and 100 community members participated in nature walks, species inventories and educational science experiments. © © Devan King/TNC

Youth Engagement

Nature Lab is The Nature Conservancy's youth curriculum platform.

Nature is the fantastic factory that makes the building blocks of all our lives-food, drinking water, the stuff we own, and the air we breathe. That's why The Nature Conservancy and its 550 scientists have created Nature Lab: to help students learn the science behind how nature works for us and how we can help keep it running strong.

Protect Land and Water

Grades 3-8 | Learn what it takes to ensure we have clean water and land and how we can protect healthy, diverse oceans for fishing, working and playing.

Build Healthy Cities

Grades 3-8 | Explore how nature-based solutions can help keep our cities healthy.

Tackle Climate Change

Grades 3-8 | Learn how as individuals, we can all learn more about various types of nature-based solutions to the climate crisis and do our part to help improve our world.

Provide Food and Water Sustainably

Grades 3-8 | Explore how food and water can be sourced while protecting our planet.

Planting Urban Trees The Brightside Organization, The Nature Conservancy, UPS and Brown-Forman partnered to plant 150 trees along West Broadway from 20th Street to the end at Shawnee Park in Louisville, Kentucky. © The Nature Conservancy (Devan King)

School Garden Resources

Access resources to lead students in building a garden. Lessons are designed for grades 5-8 but customizable for any grade band.

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Youth Engagement Nature Lab is The Nature Conservancy's youth curriculum platform. Nature is the fantastic factory that makes the building blocks of all our lives-food, drinking water, the stuff we own, and the air we breathe.

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On Thursday, April 16, we have a very special guest, Sophia Trinh, joining our Virtual Marine Biology Camp. Sophia has very generously offered to lead a free ocean-themed painting class for kids of all ages. In this hour-long session, we'll be learning to paint the iconic killer whale!

Sophia Trinh is an American-Vietnamese watercolor artist from Seattle, Washington. She started painting at the age of four and soon developed a love for watercolors. Today, Sophia's work is a synthesis of creativity, and imagination, science, and geometry. She is inspired to use art as a tool to engage others, and communicate ideas. Sophia's hope in sharing her art with the world is that others will be encouraged to find space in their lives for art and creativity. You might enjoy following Sophia on Instagram.

In addition, Sophia has kindly agreed to donate an original painting of an endangered North Atlantic right whale (shown above) to Oceans Initiative. Oceans Initiative works with colleagues at New England Aquarium and NOAA to try to help protect these endangered whales by reducing impacts of ocean noise, ship strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear. We invite you to make a donation to support our conservation mission. Sophia will select the winner of the painting.

Visit our Get Involved page to make a tax-deductible donation in the USA.

Our Canadian friends and neighbours may make a tax-deductible donation here.

Whether you donate or not, please know the art class is free, like all of the sessions we've done so far. We hope to see you online Thursday, April 16, at 11 am (Seattle time) for this very special ocean-themed painting class with Sophia! Watch for updates, as we identify the best free platform to use, so you can watch Sophia live on Thurs. Please have ready your watercolor paints, paintbrushes, paper, and a rag or towel. We can't wait to see what you create!

A few of you have asked for projects for your kids to do between our episodes. We'd love to see your kids coloring these images of the outline of a Chinook salmon, a spyhopping orca (check out our social media logos for inspiration), and a pair of leaping Pacific white-sided dolphins. Email colored images, or your own drawings, to team AT oceansinitiative DOT org. Need some inspiration for your drawings? Check out our photos by following us on Instagram.

We are thinking about summarizing these interviews into an e-book of the most commonly asked questions. We'd make it free to download, with a suggested donation to support our conservation mission. If you submit your images by email, we may use your child's drawing (with first name and age) in our book.

FAQs
Hi all. We apologize for not being able to respond personally to the thousands of messages we are receiving. We're two scientists (with a kid stuck at home) and are struggling to keep up with this venture on top of our workloads doing science and running a nonprofit. Thanks for your patience. If you see someone asking a question you can answer, please do! We're all trying to get through this mess together.

Here are the most frequently asked questions:

1. What time is it where you are? Here is a great tool to find out your local time at 11 am Pacific https://www.timeanddate.com Or google "Current time in Seattle" to see the time difference between your home and Seattle. (Yes, that is a typo in the graphic. It should say PDT, not PST, because we're in Daylight Savings Time. But you can still type Seattle into Google or timeanddate.com to find out the corresponding time in your time zone.)

2. Where can I see the first two videos? They should be on a videos tab on our Facebook page. (Most people are seeing it on the left in their computers but we're not sure about the app.) We're trying to copy these videos to our website (or YouTube) for families and teachers who don't use social media. Thanks for your patience.

3. Can we add subtitles or translations? We'd love to! We don't know how. We're trying to copy the videos to our webpage. When we do, we'll make them downloadable in case anyone wants to translate or add captions. Please know we're volunteering as much and as fast as we can.

4. How can I help? First, you already are helping by spreading the word about Oceans Initiative's work. Many of the foundations and individual donors who support our conservation nonprofit measure impact by the size of our audience. It's a measure (albeit an imperfect one) of our reach. Like, comment, share, and invite friends to join us.

For those asking, here is the best way to make a tax-deductible, charitable gift in Canada or USA. Those donations go directly to our nonprofit's conservation mission. But please know that there is no charge to join these events, and there is no pressure to give. We understand first hand that families have been hit hard by this challenge. We'll keep up these events as long as there is need, interest, and capacity.

Thank you for your support. We love seeing your kids' photos and drawings. Thanks for joining us. Please stay safe and healthy.

During the school shutdowns, we've decided to launch a (very) informal, impromptu, virtual marine biology camp. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and you should see us in your news feed when we go live, Mondays and Thursdays at 11 am Pacific time. For Paddington Bear fans, you'll note that this is conveniently timed to coincide with elevenses. We've been using this as an excuse to bake yummy treats, for educational purposes of course. The recipes help us practice our reading and math skills. What are you making for Monday's elevenses?

Thanks, GeekWire, for the great profile of this event. We did this primarily as parents of an almost six-year-old kid who is really missing her friends. Please like, comment, share, and tell us in the comments below what you'd like to see us cover in future episodes. We'll keep this up as a free community service as long as schools are closed, kids are interested, and our nonprofit team has the capacity to keep up with demand.

We're scientists. We're also parents. Our daughter is stuck at home as public schools in our area have been closed for 6 weeks. Yikes! How do we entertain and educate them, while we all figure out how to work from home?

We have a fantastic team of biologists at Oceans Initiative, each of whom runs at least one fascinating project. We're planning to live stream an event Monday 16 March 2020 at 11 am (Pacific). Choose your favourite platform. We'll be streaming simultaneously on Instagram and Facebook. No need to sign up. Just like and follow the pages, and we'll "see" you Monday at 11. (When we studied at University of St Andrews, we loved the tradition of "elevenses" when scientists met in the lobby every morning at 11 to drink tea and coffee, eat pastries, and talk about science.)

Feel free to email us your questions ahead of time, to get the conversation started. We'll start out by talking about southern resident killer whales. But let's brainstorm the next topic for our meeting. This quarantine may last a while. We could talk about Pacific white-sided dolphins, including Erin's work collecting breath samples to understand diseases in wild dolphins. (That may be an age-appropriate way to talk about viruses.) We could talk about our efforts to keep whales, dolphins, and porpoises safe from fishing gear. One of our team, Natalie Mastick, could talk about her studies of parasites in marine mammals - if we talk on a Thursday, she could stream from her lab and show you some worms, in jars. Or maybe we can figure out how to invite guest speakers when we run out of topics.

Let us know in the comments below if this is a community service you'd use. How are you keeping your kids entertained and educated at home these days? We're all in this together.

"Parasitism may play a role in the recovery of at-risk marine mammals, but without digging in and figuring out if this is a new problem or status quo, we won't know."
- Natalie Mastick

Posted originally at nataliemastick.com/blog/

There are indents on my nose, my hair smells faintly of ethanol, and I am actively working on realigning my spine after several hours hunched over a microscope. I have just wrapped up a fish dissection, but not a normal fish dissection of a fresh or even thawed fish. This fish was caught in 1985. Once captured, it was fixed in formalin and then stored in ethanol, living in a jar in the Burke Museum's fish collection at the University of Washington for the last 35 years. This dissection is a small piece of the Wood lab's effort to reconstruct the past of Puget Sound, and the parasites that lived in it. Each fish preserved contains a snapshot of what parasites infected it when it was caught and subsequently stored in ethanol, to live on a shelf for eternity. By dissecting the species commonly caught in Puget Sound and stored over the past century (that's right, 100 year-old fish!) we are able to see how parasite diversity has changed in the region.

This has important implications for the fish that these parasites infect. Some of the parasite species found in fish use that fish as their definitive host; they'll live in that fish for the rest of their lives. Other species, however, use the fish as a stepping stone-or intermediate host-to get to their ideal definitive hosts. These parasites wait until their intermediate host gets eaten, hopefully by a definitive host that they can infect for the rest of their lives. The parasites found in the fish represent the transferable parasites that were inhabiting the environment at that time, available to be eaten by a definitive host.

A group of these parasites are parasitic nematodes (worms) of the family Anisakidae, or anisakids, which I discussed in my blog post "Anisakid risk to endangered marine mammals." These nematodes have multiple life stages, in which they depend on different hosts. Their first host, or primary host, is a copepod, which then gets eaten by a small fish or squid. In this second host, the nematode encysts in the muscle and waits to get eaten by the next biggest animal, hopefully a marine mammal (a whale, dolphin, seal, sea otter, or sea lion). Unfortuantely for the worm, from there it gets eaten by another fish. But evolution prepared them for this! Anisakids can keep getting eaten by fish and encysting them until they finally reach a marine mammal. Then, once they finally reach a warm-blooded host, they inhabit the stomach or intestine and reproduce. Those eggs are then sent out into the marine environment through the host's feces, where they can get eaten by a copepod and the whole life cycle can begin again.

Aniskaids might play a bigger role in marine mammal health than previously thought. Once in the intestinal tract of a marine mammal, anisakids absorb nutrients from the host, taking up energy that would otherwise be used by the host alone. At larger burdens, large amounts of energy can be taken from the host, effectively acting as an energy sink. The whale or seal needs to eat more to account for this energy lost to its parasitic stowaways. But for at-risk or endangered species like the southern resident killer whale, which is already nutritionally stressed, parasitism by these nematodes may represent an additional stressor inhibiting the recovery of the species by acting in concert with other stressors.

In the lab today I was dissecting herring. Herring are an important forage fish in the Pacific Northwest. They form large schools and can be found in open ocean as well as bays. Herring are eaten by humans, fish, and birds, and they also make up a large part of the diet of some marine mammals, including whales, seals, sea lions, and porpoises. They form a foundation of the food web, so that the parasites that they harbor can continue on to a marine mammal, even if they are not consumed by one directly. By assessing how the abundance of anisakid nematodes has changed in herring and other fish, both small and large, that are common prey to marine mammals, I am uncovering how the risk to anisakid infection has changed locally over the past century.

While we are still in the dissection stages and not the analysis quite yet, I think we may see an increase in anisakid abundance. Marine mammals are key to the spread of anisakids in the marine environment, and surprisingly enough some marine mammals in this area have been increasing in number since protections were put in place in the 1970s (think of the skyrocketing populations of sea lions and harbor seals in the area). With more definitive hosts shedding eggs into the environment, the likelihood of infection of fish and subsequently of other mammals increases. I expect that this will be evident through the historical record we're currently examining.

It is important to determine what parasite abundance in the ecosystem was like in the past because it provides context for what we see today. A component of my research is assessing how parasitized marine mammals in the area are now, and if parasites are likely impacting the health of marine mammals more than they were in the past. If we don't know what the past was like, we can't tell if marine mammals today are any worse off now than they were before, especially the at-risk ones like the endangered southern resident killer whale. If at-risk species are facing a more significant threat from parasites today than they were in the past, then those threats could be incorporated into their management. Parasitism may play a role in the recovery of at-risk marine mammals, but without digging in and figuring out if this is a new problem or status quo, we won't know.

UPDATE (March 05, 2020): Thank you to everyone who has submitted an application. We were truly impressed by both the number (almost 200!) and quality of applicants. Due to our organization's small size and the sheer number of applicants, we had to interview people on a rolling basis and are currently in the the final stages of the interview process. Thank you again for your time and interest in working with Oceans Initiative and please keep an eye on our social media channels for information on upcoming projects and job openings in Canada and the US.

Four PAID Field Technician Positions Available: Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Research, Summer 2020.

June 25 - September 4, 2020 (1 month minimum; start/end dates flexible; preference given to applicants available for the entire period), with a possibility of extending fieldwork through September.

Oceans Initiative is a team of scientists on a mission to protect marine wildlife. Our US team is based out of Seattle, WA. We are currently recruiting 4 highly motivated field technicians to collect behavioral and AIS data on killer whales and vessels from land-based study sites on San Juan Island for our summer 2020 field season. Experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, and SRKW identification skills, are highly valued. Must be able to work independently and as part of a close-knit team where a positive attitude is essential. Applicants with substantial experience in theodolite tracking, project leadership, and project management may be considered for a coordinator role. Applicants must be eligible to work legally in the U.S. for the duration of the employment period.

The primary goal of this project is to measure the effectiveness of recent efforts to reduce impacts of vessel noise and disturbance on foraging of SRKWs. Data collection involves: recording behavioral observations of SRKW activity in Haro Strait, theodolite tracking of vessel and whale movement, storing and processing AIS data, and documenting small vessel presence and activity within 1000m of the whales.

Qualification requirements: Student or recent graduate of a biology/marine biology, marine science, oceanography, zoology or related program, or related experience. Excellent communication skills. Experience working as a naturalist on a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea would be helpful. Genuine interest in killer whale behavior, and conservation. Valid driver's license and clean driving record. Must be able to collect data on uneven terrain, in variable weather conditions (4-37C, 40F-100F, rain, humidity and biting insects). Knowledge of digital SLR cameras and lenses an asset. Familiarity with data storage and management processes. Ability to work on-call, dawn-dusk, for multi-week shifts with scheduled days off.

Duties include: staying current on location of SRKW through frequent monitoring of sightings network, high-quality data collection, data management, meticulous note-taking, providing daily communication with executive team via Slack, maintenance of field equipment, and some content creation for social media posts.

Preferred applicants will be available for the entire 2 month period, with the potential of extending into September. Those with first hand marine mammal observing experience and/or experience working on whale-watch vessels in the San Juans, are especially encouraged to apply. If you have experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, please mention this clearly in your cover letter, and mention the software you have used to track cetaceans.

This position is PAID (remuneration dependent upon qualifications and experience) and housing on San Juan Island will be provided. While technicians will have to provide their own food and transportation to and around the island, one round-trip ferry ticket will be provided-any additional trips off-island must be covered by the individual.

Interested applicants must send a cover letter, CV and dates of availability to team@oceansinitiatve.org before April 3rd, 2020 to be considered. Applicant must be authorized to work in the US as we cannot sponsor overseas visas. Preference will be given to applicants who can stay through the entire project. Application review will begin immediately. More information about Oceans Initiative can be found at www.oceansinitiative.org or by contacting us directly at team@oceansinitiative.org.

Thank you,
Erin Ashe, PhD
Rob Williams, PhD
Laura Bogaard, BASc

PS: We have seen this ad shared to other sites, where it has been described as a paid internship. This is well suited for an early career researcher, or a naturalist wishing to gain experience in science, but our team is unable to provide the one-on-one mentorship we would normally expect in a paid internship. We are looking for people who are ready to work as paid field technicians. These are short-term, contract positions to carry out specific tasks. They are not intended to become full-time salaried positions, or to support data collection for your graduate degree.

"There are vulnerable marine mammals around the world. If these species are also facing an increase in parasitism, that may be an added stress impacting their rate of recovery."
- Natalie Mastick

Posted originally at nataliemastick.com/blog/

Until last year, my research revolved around whale foraging behavior. I studied the foraging behavior of humpback whales for my masters and spent several summers in the San Juan Islands studying southern resident killer whale behavior in response to shipping noise with Oceans Initiative. When I met Chelsea Wood, a parasite ecologist at the University of Washington, while scoping out PhD advisors it dawned on me that there was a whole other scale of foraging ecology to consider in whales- that of the parasites living within them.

I had worked with sick marine mammals before and assisted on a handful of necropsies at that point. Parasites were relatively commonplace, but generally not the cause of rehabilitation for the sick animals or death for those we necropsied. I had grown accustomed to ignoring parasites and assuming their effects were negligible. But after meeting Chelsea, it was clear that parasites may play a bigger role in animal health and survival than I had given them credit for. I had been studying southern resident killer whales with Oceans Initiative for several years, working on assessing the impacts of a suite of threats to the population. I thought more about the role parasites might play in an endangered species like the southern resident killer whales, whose recovery is inhibited by multiple stressors. For marine mammals that are already facing a multitude of threats, parasites could be an additional burden that might make the difference between a healthy and a sick animal.

Marine mammal parasites are nearly as widespread as their hosts. Parasitic nematodes of the family Anisakidae, or anisakids, are transmitted to marine mammals through the fish that they eat. Anisakids travel up the food web from copepods to fish or squid until they reach a marine mammal, their definitive host. They inhabit their host's intestinal tract, reproducing and sending their eggs back into the ocean via their host's feces to continue the cycle. These parasites can infect a wide range of fish species, leaving many marine mammals vulnerable to infection if their prey harbor anisakids.

There is evidence that anisakids are on the rise around the world. This led me to wonder, are these parasites increasing in the prey that marine mammals eat? And could the most vulnerable marine mammals be at risk to increases in parasitism? This seemed like an important question to address from a recovery and management standpoint. There are vulnerable marine mammals around the world. If these species are also facing an increase in parasitism, that may be an added stress impacting their rate of recovery.

The first chapter of my PhD has focused on answering these questions in some of the most at-risk species- those listed as threatened or endangered in the Endangered Species Act and the IUCN Red List. My lab-mate Evan Fiorenza recently completed a major meta-analysis of the publications on anisakid prevalence over the last 60 years. I compared the ranges and diet species of all IUCN listed species and ESA listed populations, resulting in 14 populations that overlapped with this meta-analysis dataset, ranging 30 years. I also subset the data to look at the species with the most data to see if there was a trend in any of the most well-represented diet species, grouped by the mammal that eats them.

As I am still actively analyzing the data, it is too soon to say whether there has been a change in anisakid abundance in the prey that endangered marine mammals are eating. That being said, I am excited to be presenting my preliminary data and analyses at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona this week. With any luck, I will be able to talk to some of the experts on these endangered marine mammals to gather more information about their diets to improve the resolution of my study. When I return, I plan to work on increasing the scope of my study to include species listed under Canada's Species At Risk Act (SARA), and working with the experts at Oceans Initiative to improve range estimates of these species. But for now, I am excited to soak in new information more from the world's marine mammalogists over the next week.

"It's always such a privilege to study marine wildlife. I am especially grateful to join Oceans Initiative in their research with Pacific white-sided dolphins in truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth."
- Laura Bogaard

This summer marks our 11th year of Pacific white-sided dolphin research in the Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia, Canada. Since the birth of this project with Dr. Erin Ashe's PhD research, we have learned so much about this fascinating and under-studied species. The Broughton Archipelago also provides a rare opportunity to study a generally pelagic (open ocean) species in inshore waters. We now think that this habitat may be crucial to their feeding on herring. It also acts as a nursery for rearing their babies. The initial goal of our study was to use dorsal fin photographs for identification to model population level changes from year to year. You can read more about the post-season intricacies of this work from Natalie Mastick's blog post on our website.

It's a 3-day trip on our research vessel, Wishart, from Seattle to Malcolm Island in British Columbia. On the way, we stopped briefly at San Juan Island to check in on our Southern Resident killer whale field team. As we navigated up the inside waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, we spotted a plethora of marine mammal species including humpback whales, transient killer whales, harbor seals, harbor porpoise, Dall's porpoise, and Steller sea lions.

We were also delighted to be joined for a few days by Ryan Tidman and Chelsea Xavier-Blower of SeaLegacy. They brought lots of creative energy (and of course, their drones) and helped us with building some fun new behind the scenes content that we are very excited to share on social media in the upcoming months.

Photo credit: Ryan Tidman

The two action-packed weeks that followed covered three research aims: investigate the effectiveness of a fishing pinger on dolphin avoidance behavior, collect breath samples in order to better understand their individual health, and capture as many identification photographs as possible. We collected almost 700 GB of identification photos and 17 breath samples, and conducted 30 experimental trials for our pinger study. Satisfied, fulfilled, and exhausted we ended our expedition on a high note.

On our last day in the Broughton, we had a rare opportunity to re-sight my favorite humpback whale, Lucky, whom I wrote about in my first blog post as an intern three summers ago. We even got to watch as she and another humpback were bubble-net feeding! This is where humpback whales blow bubbles in a large circular motion, creating a "net" around a school of fish. Then, they lunge up through the school, mouths open wide, gulping large quantities of prey.

It is always such a privilege to study marine wildlife. I am especially grateful to join the Oceans Initiative team in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

"We hope that they are finding fish in peaceful, clean waters. And when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them."
- Sarah Colosimo

It's another beautiful summer on San Juan Island for our field team, where the days are long and end with glorious sunsets. Seal pups and fawns mark the beginning of new life. And the town is bustling with tourists who have come to see the resident star attraction of the islands; but the whales are not here.

We haven't seen the Southern Resident killer whales since their fleeting visit in early July. Their appearance spanned the course of two days as they performed their classic "westside shuffle" along the shores of the island at a hasty speed, treating those who were lucky enough to witness this brief encounter. As quickly as they appeared, they too quickly disappeared. It has now been over a month since we have seen them.

The absence of the whales we know and love from these inland waters this summer is unprecedented and impossible to ignore. It is particularly prominent for us, given the purpose of our team being on island is to observe these whales. However, the reality begs us to accept that the whales are not here because this is no longer a viable habitat for them. Perhaps the whales have finally realized this too, and are unable to energetically contend with the declining salmon runs, vessel noise, and toxins that have become the reality of the Salish Sea.

Waiting for Southern Resident killer whales on San Juan island. © Farrell McClernon

The story of the Southern Resident killer whales is undoubtedly devastating. Last summer, we watched on from the shore as a mother carried her deceased calf for days on end and as a starving juvenile wasted away until she eventually disappeared. As their numbers continue to decline, with additional missing whales this year, it is hard not to feel as though all is lost and the damage is irrevocable. But we urgently need to escalate our efforts to restore the Salish Sea in the hopes that the whales will return, before we lose them forever.

It is bittersweet to be without the Southern Residents this summer. While we are without our study species in the place that has historically been considered their critical habitat, we can only hope that it is because they have found an abundant source of salmon that is filling their bellies and supporting their survival. If there is anything that these whales have demonstrated to us, it is the ability to endure and persist. Wherever the Southern Resident killer whales are, we hope that they are finding fish, in peaceful, clean waters, and when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them.

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On Thursday, April 16, we have a very special guest, Sophia Trinh, joining our Virtual Marine Biology Camp. Sophia has very generously offered to lead a free ocean-themed painting class for kids of all ages. In this hour-long session, we'll be learning to paint the iconic killer whale!

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Walkertown Middle School MC Virtual Trip Ideas

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Take a virtual field trip to numerous locations including: Ireland, NYC, Nashville, Charleston SC, the Florida Keys, Washington DC, Jamaica, Wyoming, Disney World, Indianapolis, International Space Station, Austin, TX! Grab your WOW Passport and collect stamps along the way.

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On Thursday, April 16, we have a very special guest, Sophia Trinh, joining our Virtual Marine Biology Camp. Sophia has very generously offered to lead a free ocean-themed painting class for kids of all ages. In this hour-long session, we'll be learning to paint the iconic killer whale!

Sophia Trinh is an American-Vietnamese watercolor artist from Seattle, Washington. She started painting at the age of four and soon developed a love for watercolors. Today, Sophia's work is a synthesis of creativity, and imagination, science, and geometry. She is inspired to use art as a tool to engage others, and communicate ideas. Sophia's hope in sharing her art with the world is that others will be encouraged to find space in their lives for art and creativity. You might enjoy following Sophia on Instagram.

In addition, Sophia has kindly agreed to donate an original painting of an endangered North Atlantic right whale (shown above) to Oceans Initiative. Oceans Initiative works with colleagues at New England Aquarium and NOAA to try to help protect these endangered whales by reducing impacts of ocean noise, ship strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear. We invite you to make a donation to support our conservation mission. Sophia will select the winner of the painting.

Visit our Get Involved page to make a tax-deductible donation in the USA.

Our Canadian friends and neighbours may make a tax-deductible donation here.

Whether you donate or not, please know the art class is free, like all of the sessions we've done so far. We hope to see you online Thursday, April 16, at 11 am (Seattle time) for this very special ocean-themed painting class with Sophia! Watch for updates, as we identify the best free platform to use, so you can watch Sophia live on Thurs. Please have ready your watercolor paints, paintbrushes, paper, and a rag or towel. We can't wait to see what you create!

A few of you have asked for projects for your kids to do between our episodes. We'd love to see your kids coloring these images of the outline of a Chinook salmon, a spyhopping orca (check out our social media logos for inspiration), and a pair of leaping Pacific white-sided dolphins. Email colored images, or your own drawings, to team AT oceansinitiative DOT org. Need some inspiration for your drawings? Check out our photos by following us on Instagram.

We are thinking about summarizing these interviews into an e-book of the most commonly asked questions. We'd make it free to download, with a suggested donation to support our conservation mission. If you submit your images by email, we may use your child's drawing (with first name and age) in our book.

FAQs
Hi all. We apologize for not being able to respond personally to the thousands of messages we are receiving. We're two scientists (with a kid stuck at home) and are struggling to keep up with this venture on top of our workloads doing science and running a nonprofit. Thanks for your patience. If you see someone asking a question you can answer, please do! We're all trying to get through this mess together.

Here are the most frequently asked questions:

1. What time is it where you are? Here is a great tool to find out your local time at 11 am Pacific https://www.timeanddate.com Or google "Current time in Seattle" to see the time difference between your home and Seattle. (Yes, that is a typo in the graphic. It should say PDT, not PST, because we're in Daylight Savings Time. But you can still type Seattle into Google or timeanddate.com to find out the corresponding time in your time zone.)

2. Where can I see the first two videos? They should be on a videos tab on our Facebook page. (Most people are seeing it on the left in their computers but we're not sure about the app.) We're trying to copy these videos to our website (or YouTube) for families and teachers who don't use social media. Thanks for your patience.

3. Can we add subtitles or translations? We'd love to! We don't know how. We're trying to copy the videos to our webpage. When we do, we'll make them downloadable in case anyone wants to translate or add captions. Please know we're volunteering as much and as fast as we can.

4. How can I help? First, you already are helping by spreading the word about Oceans Initiative's work. Many of the foundations and individual donors who support our conservation nonprofit measure impact by the size of our audience. It's a measure (albeit an imperfect one) of our reach. Like, comment, share, and invite friends to join us.

For those asking, here is the best way to make a tax-deductible, charitable gift in Canada or USA. Those donations go directly to our nonprofit's conservation mission. But please know that there is no charge to join these events, and there is no pressure to give. We understand first hand that families have been hit hard by this challenge. We'll keep up these events as long as there is need, interest, and capacity.

Thank you for your support. We love seeing your kids' photos and drawings. Thanks for joining us. Please stay safe and healthy.

During the school shutdowns, we've decided to launch a (very) informal, impromptu, virtual marine biology camp. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and you should see us in your news feed when we go live, Mondays and Thursdays at 11 am Pacific time. For Paddington Bear fans, you'll note that this is conveniently timed to coincide with elevenses. We've been using this as an excuse to bake yummy treats, for educational purposes of course. The recipes help us practice our reading and math skills. What are you making for Monday's elevenses?

Thanks, GeekWire, for the great profile of this event. We did this primarily as parents of an almost six-year-old kid who is really missing her friends. Please like, comment, share, and tell us in the comments below what you'd like to see us cover in future episodes. We'll keep this up as a free community service as long as schools are closed, kids are interested, and our nonprofit team has the capacity to keep up with demand.

We're scientists. We're also parents. Our daughter is stuck at home as public schools in our area have been closed for 6 weeks. Yikes! How do we entertain and educate them, while we all figure out how to work from home?

We have a fantastic team of biologists at Oceans Initiative, each of whom runs at least one fascinating project. We're planning to live stream an event Monday 16 March 2020 at 11 am (Pacific). Choose your favourite platform. We'll be streaming simultaneously on Instagram and Facebook. No need to sign up. Just like and follow the pages, and we'll "see" you Monday at 11. (When we studied at University of St Andrews, we loved the tradition of "elevenses" when scientists met in the lobby every morning at 11 to drink tea and coffee, eat pastries, and talk about science.)

Feel free to email us your questions ahead of time, to get the conversation started. We'll start out by talking about southern resident killer whales. But let's brainstorm the next topic for our meeting. This quarantine may last a while. We could talk about Pacific white-sided dolphins, including Erin's work collecting breath samples to understand diseases in wild dolphins. (That may be an age-appropriate way to talk about viruses.) We could talk about our efforts to keep whales, dolphins, and porpoises safe from fishing gear. One of our team, Natalie Mastick, could talk about her studies of parasites in marine mammals - if we talk on a Thursday, she could stream from her lab and show you some worms, in jars. Or maybe we can figure out how to invite guest speakers when we run out of topics.

Let us know in the comments below if this is a community service you'd use. How are you keeping your kids entertained and educated at home these days? We're all in this together.

"Parasitism may play a role in the recovery of at-risk marine mammals, but without digging in and figuring out if this is a new problem or status quo, we won't know."
- Natalie Mastick

Posted originally at nataliemastick.com/blog/

There are indents on my nose, my hair smells faintly of ethanol, and I am actively working on realigning my spine after several hours hunched over a microscope. I have just wrapped up a fish dissection, but not a normal fish dissection of a fresh or even thawed fish. This fish was caught in 1985. Once captured, it was fixed in formalin and then stored in ethanol, living in a jar in the Burke Museum's fish collection at the University of Washington for the last 35 years. This dissection is a small piece of the Wood lab's effort to reconstruct the past of Puget Sound, and the parasites that lived in it. Each fish preserved contains a snapshot of what parasites infected it when it was caught and subsequently stored in ethanol, to live on a shelf for eternity. By dissecting the species commonly caught in Puget Sound and stored over the past century (that's right, 100 year-old fish!) we are able to see how parasite diversity has changed in the region.

This has important implications for the fish that these parasites infect. Some of the parasite species found in fish use that fish as their definitive host; they'll live in that fish for the rest of their lives. Other species, however, use the fish as a stepping stone-or intermediate host-to get to their ideal definitive hosts. These parasites wait until their intermediate host gets eaten, hopefully by a definitive host that they can infect for the rest of their lives. The parasites found in the fish represent the transferable parasites that were inhabiting the environment at that time, available to be eaten by a definitive host.

A group of these parasites are parasitic nematodes (worms) of the family Anisakidae, or anisakids, which I discussed in my blog post "Anisakid risk to endangered marine mammals." These nematodes have multiple life stages, in which they depend on different hosts. Their first host, or primary host, is a copepod, which then gets eaten by a small fish or squid. In this second host, the nematode encysts in the muscle and waits to get eaten by the next biggest animal, hopefully a marine mammal (a whale, dolphin, seal, sea otter, or sea lion). Unfortuantely for the worm, from there it gets eaten by another fish. But evolution prepared them for this! Anisakids can keep getting eaten by fish and encysting them until they finally reach a marine mammal. Then, once they finally reach a warm-blooded host, they inhabit the stomach or intestine and reproduce. Those eggs are then sent out into the marine environment through the host's feces, where they can get eaten by a copepod and the whole life cycle can begin again.

Aniskaids might play a bigger role in marine mammal health than previously thought. Once in the intestinal tract of a marine mammal, anisakids absorb nutrients from the host, taking up energy that would otherwise be used by the host alone. At larger burdens, large amounts of energy can be taken from the host, effectively acting as an energy sink. The whale or seal needs to eat more to account for this energy lost to its parasitic stowaways. But for at-risk or endangered species like the southern resident killer whale, which is already nutritionally stressed, parasitism by these nematodes may represent an additional stressor inhibiting the recovery of the species by acting in concert with other stressors.

In the lab today I was dissecting herring. Herring are an important forage fish in the Pacific Northwest. They form large schools and can be found in open ocean as well as bays. Herring are eaten by humans, fish, and birds, and they also make up a large part of the diet of some marine mammals, including whales, seals, sea lions, and porpoises. They form a foundation of the food web, so that the parasites that they harbor can continue on to a marine mammal, even if they are not consumed by one directly. By assessing how the abundance of anisakid nematodes has changed in herring and other fish, both small and large, that are common prey to marine mammals, I am uncovering how the risk to anisakid infection has changed locally over the past century.

While we are still in the dissection stages and not the analysis quite yet, I think we may see an increase in anisakid abundance. Marine mammals are key to the spread of anisakids in the marine environment, and surprisingly enough some marine mammals in this area have been increasing in number since protections were put in place in the 1970s (think of the skyrocketing populations of sea lions and harbor seals in the area). With more definitive hosts shedding eggs into the environment, the likelihood of infection of fish and subsequently of other mammals increases. I expect that this will be evident through the historical record we're currently examining.

It is important to determine what parasite abundance in the ecosystem was like in the past because it provides context for what we see today. A component of my research is assessing how parasitized marine mammals in the area are now, and if parasites are likely impacting the health of marine mammals more than they were in the past. If we don't know what the past was like, we can't tell if marine mammals today are any worse off now than they were before, especially the at-risk ones like the endangered southern resident killer whale. If at-risk species are facing a more significant threat from parasites today than they were in the past, then those threats could be incorporated into their management. Parasitism may play a role in the recovery of at-risk marine mammals, but without digging in and figuring out if this is a new problem or status quo, we won't know.

UPDATE (March 05, 2020): Thank you to everyone who has submitted an application. We were truly impressed by both the number (almost 200!) and quality of applicants. Due to our organization's small size and the sheer number of applicants, we had to interview people on a rolling basis and are currently in the the final stages of the interview process. Thank you again for your time and interest in working with Oceans Initiative and please keep an eye on our social media channels for information on upcoming projects and job openings in Canada and the US.

Four PAID Field Technician Positions Available: Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Research, Summer 2020.

June 25 - September 4, 2020 (1 month minimum; start/end dates flexible; preference given to applicants available for the entire period), with a possibility of extending fieldwork through September.

Oceans Initiative is a team of scientists on a mission to protect marine wildlife. Our US team is based out of Seattle, WA. We are currently recruiting 4 highly motivated field technicians to collect behavioral and AIS data on killer whales and vessels from land-based study sites on San Juan Island for our summer 2020 field season. Experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, and SRKW identification skills, are highly valued. Must be able to work independently and as part of a close-knit team where a positive attitude is essential. Applicants with substantial experience in theodolite tracking, project leadership, and project management may be considered for a coordinator role. Applicants must be eligible to work legally in the U.S. for the duration of the employment period.

The primary goal of this project is to measure the effectiveness of recent efforts to reduce impacts of vessel noise and disturbance on foraging of SRKWs. Data collection involves: recording behavioral observations of SRKW activity in Haro Strait, theodolite tracking of vessel and whale movement, storing and processing AIS data, and documenting small vessel presence and activity within 1000m of the whales.

Qualification requirements: Student or recent graduate of a biology/marine biology, marine science, oceanography, zoology or related program, or related experience. Excellent communication skills. Experience working as a naturalist on a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea would be helpful. Genuine interest in killer whale behavior, and conservation. Valid driver's license and clean driving record. Must be able to collect data on uneven terrain, in variable weather conditions (4-37C, 40F-100F, rain, humidity and biting insects). Knowledge of digital SLR cameras and lenses an asset. Familiarity with data storage and management processes. Ability to work on-call, dawn-dusk, for multi-week shifts with scheduled days off.

Duties include: staying current on location of SRKW through frequent monitoring of sightings network, high-quality data collection, data management, meticulous note-taking, providing daily communication with executive team via Slack, maintenance of field equipment, and some content creation for social media posts.

Preferred applicants will be available for the entire 2 month period, with the potential of extending into September. Those with first hand marine mammal observing experience and/or experience working on whale-watch vessels in the San Juans, are especially encouraged to apply. If you have experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, please mention this clearly in your cover letter, and mention the software you have used to track cetaceans.

This position is PAID (remuneration dependent upon qualifications and experience) and housing on San Juan Island will be provided. While technicians will have to provide their own food and transportation to and around the island, one round-trip ferry ticket will be provided-any additional trips off-island must be covered by the individual.

Interested applicants must send a cover letter, CV and dates of availability to team@oceansinitiatve.org before April 3rd, 2020 to be considered. Applicant must be authorized to work in the US as we cannot sponsor overseas visas. Preference will be given to applicants who can stay through the entire project. Application review will begin immediately. More information about Oceans Initiative can be found at www.oceansinitiative.org or by contacting us directly at team@oceansinitiative.org.

Thank you,
Erin Ashe, PhD
Rob Williams, PhD
Laura Bogaard, BASc

PS: We have seen this ad shared to other sites, where it has been described as a paid internship. This is well suited for an early career researcher, or a naturalist wishing to gain experience in science, but our team is unable to provide the one-on-one mentorship we would normally expect in a paid internship. We are looking for people who are ready to work as paid field technicians. These are short-term, contract positions to carry out specific tasks. They are not intended to become full-time salaried positions, or to support data collection for your graduate degree.

"There are vulnerable marine mammals around the world. If these species are also facing an increase in parasitism, that may be an added stress impacting their rate of recovery."
- Natalie Mastick

Posted originally at nataliemastick.com/blog/

Until last year, my research revolved around whale foraging behavior. I studied the foraging behavior of humpback whales for my masters and spent several summers in the San Juan Islands studying southern resident killer whale behavior in response to shipping noise with Oceans Initiative. When I met Chelsea Wood, a parasite ecologist at the University of Washington, while scoping out PhD advisors it dawned on me that there was a whole other scale of foraging ecology to consider in whales- that of the parasites living within them.

I had worked with sick marine mammals before and assisted on a handful of necropsies at that point. Parasites were relatively commonplace, but generally not the cause of rehabilitation for the sick animals or death for those we necropsied. I had grown accustomed to ignoring parasites and assuming their effects were negligible. But after meeting Chelsea, it was clear that parasites may play a bigger role in animal health and survival than I had given them credit for. I had been studying southern resident killer whales with Oceans Initiative for several years, working on assessing the impacts of a suite of threats to the population. I thought more about the role parasites might play in an endangered species like the southern resident killer whales, whose recovery is inhibited by multiple stressors. For marine mammals that are already facing a multitude of threats, parasites could be an additional burden that might make the difference between a healthy and a sick animal.

Marine mammal parasites are nearly as widespread as their hosts. Parasitic nematodes of the family Anisakidae, or anisakids, are transmitted to marine mammals through the fish that they eat. Anisakids travel up the food web from copepods to fish or squid until they reach a marine mammal, their definitive host. They inhabit their host's intestinal tract, reproducing and sending their eggs back into the ocean via their host's feces to continue the cycle. These parasites can infect a wide range of fish species, leaving many marine mammals vulnerable to infection if their prey harbor anisakids.

There is evidence that anisakids are on the rise around the world. This led me to wonder, are these parasites increasing in the prey that marine mammals eat? And could the most vulnerable marine mammals be at risk to increases in parasitism? This seemed like an important question to address from a recovery and management standpoint. There are vulnerable marine mammals around the world. If these species are also facing an increase in parasitism, that may be an added stress impacting their rate of recovery.

The first chapter of my PhD has focused on answering these questions in some of the most at-risk species- those listed as threatened or endangered in the Endangered Species Act and the IUCN Red List. My lab-mate Evan Fiorenza recently completed a major meta-analysis of the publications on anisakid prevalence over the last 60 years. I compared the ranges and diet species of all IUCN listed species and ESA listed populations, resulting in 14 populations that overlapped with this meta-analysis dataset, ranging 30 years. I also subset the data to look at the species with the most data to see if there was a trend in any of the most well-represented diet species, grouped by the mammal that eats them.

As I am still actively analyzing the data, it is too soon to say whether there has been a change in anisakid abundance in the prey that endangered marine mammals are eating. That being said, I am excited to be presenting my preliminary data and analyses at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona this week. With any luck, I will be able to talk to some of the experts on these endangered marine mammals to gather more information about their diets to improve the resolution of my study. When I return, I plan to work on increasing the scope of my study to include species listed under Canada's Species At Risk Act (SARA), and working with the experts at Oceans Initiative to improve range estimates of these species. But for now, I am excited to soak in new information more from the world's marine mammalogists over the next week.

"It's always such a privilege to study marine wildlife. I am especially grateful to join Oceans Initiative in their research with Pacific white-sided dolphins in truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth."
- Laura Bogaard

This summer marks our 11th year of Pacific white-sided dolphin research in the Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia, Canada. Since the birth of this project with Dr. Erin Ashe's PhD research, we have learned so much about this fascinating and under-studied species. The Broughton Archipelago also provides a rare opportunity to study a generally pelagic (open ocean) species in inshore waters. We now think that this habitat may be crucial to their feeding on herring. It also acts as a nursery for rearing their babies. The initial goal of our study was to use dorsal fin photographs for identification to model population level changes from year to year. You can read more about the post-season intricacies of this work from Natalie Mastick's blog post on our website.

It's a 3-day trip on our research vessel, Wishart, from Seattle to Malcolm Island in British Columbia. On the way, we stopped briefly at San Juan Island to check in on our Southern Resident killer whale field team. As we navigated up the inside waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, we spotted a plethora of marine mammal species including humpback whales, transient killer whales, harbor seals, harbor porpoise, Dall's porpoise, and Steller sea lions.

We were also delighted to be joined for a few days by Ryan Tidman and Chelsea Xavier-Blower of SeaLegacy. They brought lots of creative energy (and of course, their drones) and helped us with building some fun new behind the scenes content that we are very excited to share on social media in the upcoming months.

Photo credit: Ryan Tidman

The two action-packed weeks that followed covered three research aims: investigate the effectiveness of a fishing pinger on dolphin avoidance behavior, collect breath samples in order to better understand their individual health, and capture as many identification photographs as possible. We collected almost 700 GB of identification photos and 17 breath samples, and conducted 30 experimental trials for our pinger study. Satisfied, fulfilled, and exhausted we ended our expedition on a high note.

On our last day in the Broughton, we had a rare opportunity to re-sight my favorite humpback whale, Lucky, whom I wrote about in my first blog post as an intern three summers ago. We even got to watch as she and another humpback were bubble-net feeding! This is where humpback whales blow bubbles in a large circular motion, creating a "net" around a school of fish. Then, they lunge up through the school, mouths open wide, gulping large quantities of prey.

It is always such a privilege to study marine wildlife. I am especially grateful to join the Oceans Initiative team in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

"We hope that they are finding fish in peaceful, clean waters. And when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them."
- Sarah Colosimo

It's another beautiful summer on San Juan Island for our field team, where the days are long and end with glorious sunsets. Seal pups and fawns mark the beginning of new life. And the town is bustling with tourists who have come to see the resident star attraction of the islands; but the whales are not here.

We haven't seen the Southern Resident killer whales since their fleeting visit in early July. Their appearance spanned the course of two days as they performed their classic "westside shuffle" along the shores of the island at a hasty speed, treating those who were lucky enough to witness this brief encounter. As quickly as they appeared, they too quickly disappeared. It has now been over a month since we have seen them.

The absence of the whales we know and love from these inland waters this summer is unprecedented and impossible to ignore. It is particularly prominent for us, given the purpose of our team being on island is to observe these whales. However, the reality begs us to accept that the whales are not here because this is no longer a viable habitat for them. Perhaps the whales have finally realized this too, and are unable to energetically contend with the declining salmon runs, vessel noise, and toxins that have become the reality of the Salish Sea.

Waiting for Southern Resident killer whales on San Juan island. © Farrell McClernon

The story of the Southern Resident killer whales is undoubtedly devastating. Last summer, we watched on from the shore as a mother carried her deceased calf for days on end and as a starving juvenile wasted away until she eventually disappeared. As their numbers continue to decline, with additional missing whales this year, it is hard not to feel as though all is lost and the damage is irrevocable. But we urgently need to escalate our efforts to restore the Salish Sea in the hopes that the whales will return, before we lose them forever.

It is bittersweet to be without the Southern Residents this summer. While we are without our study species in the place that has historically been considered their critical habitat, we can only hope that it is because they have found an abundant source of salmon that is filling their bellies and supporting their survival. If there is anything that these whales have demonstrated to us, it is the ability to endure and persist. Wherever the Southern Resident killer whales are, we hope that they are finding fish, in peaceful, clean waters, and when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them.

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On Thursday, April 16, we have a very special guest, Sophia Trinh, joining our Virtual Marine Biology Camp. Sophia has very generously offered to lead a free ocean-themed painting class for kids of all ages. In this hour-long session, we'll be learning to paint the iconic killer whale!

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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As a public health precaution due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), the National Museum of African American History and Culture will temporarily close to the public starting Saturday, March 14. We are not announcing a re-opening date at this time and will provide updates on a regular and as needed basis.

All public events, programming and gatherings are canceled. Please visit our calendar of events for the latest updates. Our visitor passes page has updated information about individual and group passes. We appreciate your understanding.

The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.
Lonnie G. Bunch III Founding Director, NMAAHC

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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As a public health precaution due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), the National Museum of African American History and Culture will temporarily close to the public starting Saturday, March 14. We are not announcing a re-opening date at this time and will provide updates on a regular and as needed basis.

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The site of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., offers museum exhibits, live theatre performances and immersive education programs for students and teachers.

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Oddizzi Geography resource for primary schools

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Award winning real world geography for kids - original resources and a community of ClassPals for primary/K6 children that build global citizenship skills.

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Tour Creator makes it easy to build immersive, 360 tours right from your computer.

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Virtual Reality

Take yourself on a real life expedition of Canadian farms and food processing facilities from the comfort of your home. It's a fun, simple and affordable way to educate and engage audiences in workshops, trade shows, classrooms and the like. This can be done through Google Cardboard or Gear VR. Grab one and get started!

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Virtual Reality Take yourself on a real life expedition of Canadian farms and food processing facilities from the comfort of your home. It's a fun, simple and affordable way to educate and engage audiences in workshops, trade shows, classrooms and the like. This can be done through Google Cardboard or Gear VR.

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Virtual Egg Farm Field Trips

Since 2012, the American Egg Board has partnered with Discovery Education to bring modern egg farms into today's classrooms through Virtual Egg Farm Field Trips. Join America's egg farmers in exploring their farms!
Hertzfeld Poultry Farm
Egg farms, like many others, are rising to the challenge of operating more sustainably. As a fourth-generation family farm in Grand Rapids, Ohio, Tom Hertzfeld II and his family understands the importance of sustainability and managing their ecological footprint. Learn how they conserve and protect the natural resources they rely on to produce eggs.

FOR STUDENTS K-5

FOR STUDENTS 6-8
Creighton Brothers Farms
Explore the ecosystem and food webs of an egg farm and discover how all parts - from the soil to plants to hens to humans - relate to and depend on one another. Plus, learn why this five-generation family farm in Warsaw, Indiana, believes high-quality animal care and environmental stewardship are critical to their business, community and world.

FOR STUDENTS K-5

FOR STUDENTS 6-8
Pearl Valley Eggs
Meet Dave and Ben Thompson, the father-and-son team, behind Pearl Valley Eggs in Illinois. Take a look at their feed mill and pullet barn and learn how egg farmers are working hard to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Willamette Egg Farms
At Willamette Egg Farms in Oregon, Gordon and Greg Satrum, also father and son, take viewers inside their scenic third-generation egg farm for a better look at how eggs move from their farm to our tables.

Hickman's Family Farm
AEB's inaugural Virtual Farm Field Trip kicked off at Hickman's Family Farms in Arizona. Brother and sister Clint and Sharman Hickman are part of the farm's third generation. Explore their hen house and egg processing plant, robots included!

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Virtual Egg Farm Field Trips - American Egg Board

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Since 2012, the American Egg Board has partnered with Discovery Education to bring modern egg farms into today's classrooms through Virtual Egg Farm Field Trips. Join America's egg farmers in exploring their farms! Hertzfeld Poultry Farm Egg farms, like many others, are rising to the challenge of operating more sustainably.

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All Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., including the National Zoo, and in New York City are temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. We are not announcing a re-opening date at this time and will provide updates on a week-to-week basis.

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Virtual Tour | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

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All Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., including the National Zoo, and in New York City are temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. We are not announcing a re-opening date at this time and will provide updates on a week-to-week basis.

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The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City-The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, United States - Google Arts & Culture

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The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City-The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

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How it Works:

We've invited the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society to nominate scholars to discuss every clause of the Constitution, exploring areas of agreement and disagreement about the Constitution's text and history, how it's been interpreted over time, and what it means today. For each major clause and amendment, we've added nonpartisan educational resources from the National Constitution Center, including videos, podcasts, blog posts, and The Drafting Table, a tool that allows users to explore early drafts of the constitutional text.

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Interactive Constitution | The National Constitution Center

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We've invited the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society to nominate scholars to discuss every clause of the Constitution, exploring areas of agreement and disagreement about the Constitution's text and history, how it's been interpreted over time, and what it means today.

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country. The birthplaces of these great forms of music are Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia respectively. In short, this virtual field trip will provide you with a deeper understanding of the history of each form of music, its particular artists, and its specific sound. In the end, you will be able to see how each physical location played a part in shaping and forming its own special sound and culture in the world of music.

Instructions

During this field trip, you will use the interactive map, text, photos, audio, and video to explore the various birthplaces and genres of music. Additionally, the navigation menu on the top of each page will guide you from city to city on this journey. Use all of the interactive elements of each page to learn about a particular style of music. Furthermore, keep notes and a journal of your experiences and impressions of each birthplace, and answer the questions included on each page about a particular type of music. At the end of your field trip, use your journal, your questions, and your answers to write an essay about the history of these four musical genres.

Learner Description

This virtual field trip was created for high school students studying music history. Furthermore, it can also aid any individuals that wish to explore the genesis and characteristics of a particular style of music.

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country.

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National Constitution Center Virtual Tour

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AEI Digital created this virtual interactive multimedia tour of the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The VR tour of this la...

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Stock 360° Panoramic Images and Videos for VR and More | 360Cities

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360Cities is the leading source of 360° panorama / VR media for education, publishing, advertising, film, and mobile apps & games. Become a 360Cities contributor and start creating, publishing, sharing, and earning money from your 360° panoramas and videos.

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Visit the museum's exhibition rooms and galleries, contemplate the façades of the Louvre...
Come along on a virtual tour and enjoy the view, thanks to the sponsorship of Shiseido.

Egyptian Antiquities

Practical information

The museum will reopen on July 6. Please find all of the information you need to know before visiting the museum this summer on this page.

Opening hours :
The Louvre is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

January 1, May 1, December 25

We strongly advise booking your time slot in advance online

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Visit the museum's exhibition rooms and galleries, contemplate the façades of the Louvre... Come along on a virtual tour and enjoy the view, thanks to the sponsorship of Shiseido. The museum will reopen on July 6. Please find all of the information you need to know before visiting the museum this summer on this page .

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As China's most famous attraction, the Great Wall of China is an essential stop on all China tours. Commonly considered a wonder of the world, the Great Wall boasts a history of over 2,000 years and stretches more than 3,000 miles across several provinces of northern China, making it one of the most impressive ancient structures on the planet.

Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China

Dear visitors, thank you for taking our Great Wall virtual tour. We have created many other virtual tours of Beijing, Guilin, Yangshuo, Suzhou and more. If you like our content, please pay below to enjoy more virtual tours. Once payment is done, you will be automatically redirected to all of our virtual tours (If you encounter any problem, please email us at: book@thechinaguide.com.)

Best Sections to Visit

Beijing is usually considered the main gateway to the Great Wall, since there are several world-famous sections of the Wall in the suburbs of Beijing, including Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, Juyongguan, Gubeikou, and Jiankou. These sections were built during the Ming dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries and have been well preserved.

Of all the sections of the Great Wall near Beijing, Badaling is the most famous one. As a result, Badaling is the destination of choice for many large tour groups and is often very crowded. The nearby Juyongguan Great Wall features one of the three great mountain passes of the Great Wall but is almost as crowded as Badaling.

Great Wall of China - Map of the Most Visited Sections

Mutianyu Great Wall is just as close as Badaling and offers wonderful views of the Great Wall and the surrounding hills with far fewer tourists. This section of the Wall also features a thrilling toboggan run that you can ride from the top of the Wall down to the bottom of the hill.

Due to their proximity, Badaling, Juyongguan, and Mutianyu are all doable as a half-day trip from downtown Beijing. We usually recommend Mutianyu over Badaling or Juyongguan, since the massive crowds at the latter two sections can ruin one's experience of this impressive structure.

Further away from Beijing, Jinshanling Great Wall is about 150 km northeast of downtown and it usually takes about two and a half hours to drive there. Despite the longer drive, Jinshanling is among the most stunning sections of the Great Wall. If your itinerary allows for one full day seeing the Great Wall, then we highly recommend a tour to Jinshanling.

Gubeikou and Jiankou can also be visited within a day tour from Beijing. Both sections have not been restored since they were first built in the Ming Dynasty, making them ideal choices for those who want to hike and experience the wild Great Wall. Do be aware that the Jiankou section features very steep and dangerous climbs and is only suitable for experienced hikers.

There are also some other famous sections of the Great Wall within or outside Beijing, such as Huanghuacheng, Simatai, and Shanhaiguan, but we only recommend these if you are visiting the Great Wall for a second time or planning a multi-day, in-depth Great Wall tour.

Great Wall Hiking and Camping

Due to its original purpose as a military defense, almost all sections of Great Wall were built on mountain ranges and thus involve some challenging climbs and uneven stairs, including the well-restored sections. If you are visiting a restored section but hike to the end of the renovated part, you will be able to see the unrestored part of the Great Wall.

For most visitors, Mutianyu and Jinshanling offer good, medium difficulty hikes, while still being very safe. For those looking for a serious hike along wild, unrestored portions of the Wall, we suggest the Jinshanling to Jinshanling East, or Gubeikou to Jinshanling routes. All these routes boast both unrestored and picturesque renovated sections of the Wall. However, please be aware that hikes along wild, unrestored parts of the Great Wall involve many steep climbs and loose bricks, and can be very dangerous in some places. (People can no longer hike through from Jinshanling to Simatai since the route was closed years ago.)

Camping on the Great Wall is usually banned, especially on the renovated sections. If you want to spend a night sleeping on the Great Wall, we can take you to a watchtower on the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall to experience the life of an ancient soldier and catch amazing sunrise/sunset views over the Wall.

Best Time to Visit

For all sections of the Great Wall near Beijing, the spring months (April to June) offer temperate weather and are great for climbing. In late April to early May, many trees begin to blossom, making this a particularly beautiful period to visit the Wall. Fall is also a nice time to visit, as temperatures are usually comfortable. October to early November are particularly picturesque, as the tree leaves on the mountains begin to change color. The winter months, from December to February, are cold and can be windy, but there are usually far fewer tourists on the Wall during these months. July and August are hot and humid, and thus not the best for long hikes. In addition, it's best to avoid hiking on the Wall after rain or snowfall because some parts can get very slippery.

You should also avoid visiting the popular sections, such as Badaling, Juyongguan, and Mutianyu, around National Day (the first week in October) and Spring Festival. August is also a busy time for the Badaling and Juyongguan sections, since students are on summer vacation and many families travel to these famous sections with their kids before the new school year starts. Learn more about how to avoid the crowds when traveling in China.

Great Wall of China Private Tours

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As China's most famous attraction, the Great Wall of China is an essential stop on all China tours. Commonly considered a wonder of the world, the Great Wall boasts a history of over 2,000 years and stretches more than 3,000 miles across several provinces of northern China, making it one of the most impressive ancient structures on the planet.

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This is the story of a team of archaeologists and a 75-person crew who sought to unravel a central mystery of Easter Island: how hundreds of giant stone statues that dominate the island's coast were moved and erected. For one month, the team struggled to raise a 10-ton moai, using only the tools and materials available to the ancient Easter Islanders. Text Secrets Home | NOVA Online | Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | © 1998 WGBH and PBS | created April 1998 TV/Web Schedule
About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print Move a Megalith | Dispatches | Explore the Island | Lost Civilization
Resources | E-mail | Table of Contents

Photo: © Cliff Wassmann

NOVA Online is produced for PBS by the WGBH Science Unit

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This is the story of a team of archaeologists and a 75-person crew who sought to unravel a central mystery of Easter Island: how hundreds of giant stone statues that dominate the island's coast were moved and erected. For one month, the team struggled to raise a 10-ton moai, using only the tools and materials available to the ancient Easter Islanders.

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Fly Through A Colossal Cave: Son Doong in 360°

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Son Doong's caverns can comfortably fit a 747 airplane. Explore them with these unbelievable 360° panoramas.

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Step 01

Image mosaics are captured with the left and right Navcam and Mastcam.

Step 02

The two mosaics are then combined together to create a stereo match.

Step 03

Using the data from the stereo match scientists are able to extract 3D mapping data.

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Step 01 Image mosaics are captured with the left and right Navcam and Mastcam. Step 02 The two mosaics are then combined together to create a stereo match. Step 03 Using the data from the stereo match scientists are able to extract 3D mapping data.

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Discovering Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt, the lives of the pharaohs and their world has been a constant interest throughout my life. It began at the age of five when my grandfather entertained me with stories about the ancient Egyptians. He also gave me a respect for scientific method, inspired me with an appreciation of art and taught me to examine the world around me through observational drawing. As a result I grew up to become an artist with a love of science and Egyptology.

My artistic works over forty years have been heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian artistic conventions and my later works, writing books and reconstructing Egyptian monuments, are the result of twenty years of drawings, paintings, photos and observational notes I made while travelling the Egyptian Nile.

I apply a meticulous regard for material evidence and archaeological knowledge in my work. So if you believe that aliens built the pyramids this website is not for you and I do not reply to emails containing such ideas.

I hope you enjoy this website it has a basic description of hieroglyphic writing, you can have fun with the Hieroglyphic Typewriter - you can write your name in the ancient script and email secret messages to your friends. You will also learn about Egyptian numerals and test your knowledge with some mathematical problems set out using the ancient numbers.

There are stories of the great kings & queens, the ancient Egyptian gods and mummification is covered with diagrams and videos. In the pyramid & temple section you can explore the ancient monuments; using interactive maps, photos, drawings, and paintings. Also check out 3D Temples and see how these shrines, to the gods, may have appeared to ancient eyes.
Mark Millmore

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Discovering Ancient Egypt hieroglyphs pharaohs pyramids mummification

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Ancient Egypt, the lives of the pharaohs and their world has been a constant interest throughout my life. It began at the age of five when my grandfather entertained me with stories about the ancient Egyptians. He also gave me a respect for scientific method, inspired me with an appreciation of art and taught me to examine the world around me through observational drawing.

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Learn about the significance of the Doomsday Clock and how it has evolved to include risks we face today. Originally on display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the Turn Back the Clock exhibit is now available for visitors worldwide to explore online.

Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history-from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

The virtual tour is best viewed on a desktop or tablet device. Tap on the interactive markers to focus on an artifact or panel, and tap again to enlarge those items further. To see a collection of the artifacts, .

Thanks to the generous sponsors of this exhibit and virtual tour

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

William and Eleanor Revelle

Holthues Trust

N Square Collaborative

Lee Francis and Michelle Gittler

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Virtual Tour: Turn Back the Clock - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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Learn about the significance of the Doomsday Clock and how it has evolved to include risks we face today. Originally on display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the Turn Back the Clock exhibit is now available for visitors worldwide to explore online.

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Collections by Follett is a new, collaborative way for educators to collect and share resources from anywhere, at any time, and with anyone.

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Virtual field trips allow children to visit places around the world without ever leaving their homes. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe, and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn't get to see otherwise. Virtual field trips are also great for when you can't get out due to illness or can't afford to travel. Here are several free resources your family can use to take virtual field trips.

Free Virtual Field Trips

Africam - Watch animals in the African bush live.

AG Explorer - Provides a variety of agriculture related virtual field trips.

All About Birds - Watch birds all over the US and world via live webcams.

Anne Frank House - Take a 360-degree tour of Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam.

Beyond the Battle Field - Watch a behind the scenes video-based field trip of the Museum of the American Revolution.

Boeing Aerospace Tour - Join Boeing on a virtual field trip to the Johnson Space Center.

The British Museum - View the museum's galleries online.

Buckingham Palace - Tour the famous London palace virtually.

Collum's Lumber Mill - Watch the process of pine trees being made into lumber.

E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum - Browse the online collection or search for a specific specimen.

Ellis Island - Visit Ellis Island with this video created by Scholastic.

Explore - Watch animals all over the world with these live webcams.

Eggs in Schools - Take a video-based tour of several egg farms.

Farm Tours - Learn about agriculture through these virtual tours of farms in Canada.

Ford's Theater - Tour the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination through panoramic images.

Great Wall of China - This panoramic virtual tour allows you to walk the Great Wall.

Holy Land Tour - Virtually visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and more.

Houston Zoo - Watch animals in several of their exhibits via live webcam.

International Space Station - Take a video tour of the space station.

The Louvre Museum - Explore exhibits at this famous art museum in Paris, France.

Marineland Dolphin Adventure - Learn about dolphins, sea turtles, and more during this video-based tour.

Mars - Explore the surface of Mars in a 360-degree view while learning about the planet and space exploration.

Memphis Fire Department - Watch a video tour of the fire department.

MetKids - Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Arts with an interactive map and videos.

Monterey Bay Aquarium - Watch sea creatures in this California aquarium with the live animal cam.

Mount Everest - Explore the mountain through 360-degree photos and informative articles.

Mount Olive Tour - Learn how pickles are made with this video tour.

Mount Vernon - Take an interactive and informative tour of George Washington's home in Virginia.

NASA Glenn Research Center - Take a look around the facilities with these interactive virtual tours.

National Aquarium - Take a virtual tour of this aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland.

National Museum of the US Air Force - Take a virtual tour of this museum.

Power Plant Tour - Learn what goes on inside a power plant.

San Diego Zoo - Watch live videos and learn about animals, play games, and more on this interactive website.

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - Virtually explore many current and past museum exhibits.

Son Doong Cave - Explore the world's largest cave with 360-degree images.

The Statue of Liberty - Learn about the Statue of Liberty through the videos and photographs in this virtual tour.

Titanic Wreckage - Virtually tour the Titanic wreckage on the ocean floor.

Vatican Museums - Virtualy tour numerous museums, chapels, and galleries.

The Virtual Rainforest - Learn about the rainforest with this interactive tour that includes informative videos and articles.

Virtual Trip to the Sun - Take a video-based journey from the Earth from the Sun, stopping at our moon, Venus, and Mercury.

Yosemite National Park - Tour the park with interactive panoramic photographs.

Zoo Tours - This YouTube channel visits zoos all over the country.

AirPano - Visit locations all over the world virtually with 360-degree videos and photographs.

Discovery Education - This website offers a wide variety of virtual field trips.

360 Cities - Provides interactive 360-degree videos and images of locations around the world.

Sites in 3D - Tour locations across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen, and many other countries using 360-degree images.

Google Arts and Culture - View the art collections of over 500 different museums and galleries. Some of the museums also offer full virtual tours.

Google Earth - "Fly" anywhere in the world in seconds, explore hundreds of cities in 3D, take guided tours, and create your own maps and stories.

Google Maps Street View - Type in any address, select street view and explore the area. Not only can you take a virtual trip down the streets, but you can also "step" into many museums, landmarks, and other attractions. Here are some I've found.

The White House - Washington, D.C.

The Colosseum - Rome, Italy

Stonehenge - Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Palace of Versailles - Versailles, France

Wilson Island - Great Barrier Reef, Australia

This is just a small sample of the places you can tour with Google Maps. Search for other locations that interest your family and see if Google will let you take a peak inside.

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Note: This post was originally published on March 16, 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Virtual Field Trips | Freedom Homeschooling

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Virtual field trips allow children to visit places around the world without ever leaving their homes. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe, and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn't get to see otherwise.

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Stellarium Web is a planetarium running in your web browser. It shows a realistic star map, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.

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Virtual Field Trip Apps and Websites | Common Sense Education

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Virtual Field Trip Apps and Websites is a list of 29 apps, games, and websites curated by Common Sense Education editors.