November 8, 1999
Education center at Long Marine Laboratory prepares for grand opening in March
By Tim Stephens
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| Seymour Center Photo: Tim Stephens |
The Seymour Center will enable Long Marine Lab to greatly expand its popular public education programs. With exhibits focusing on the work of researchers at the Institute of Marine Sciences, which operates Long Marine Lab, the center will give schoolchildren and the general public a unique view into the workings of a world-class marine research laboratory.
"This is a very exciting time now that all the pieces are starting to come together," said Seymour Center director Julie Barrett Heffington.
Private donations funded nearly all of the project's $6.25 million cost, including a cornerstone contribution from H. Boyd Seymour Jr. of San Francisco. Seymour's gift of $2 million honors his father, Harry Boyd Seymour (1896-1977), and his grandfather, Arthur McArthur Seymour (1864-1919). Both men graduated from UC Berkeley and were prominent attorneys in Sacramento.
Numerous other individuals and foundations made significant gifts, including the J. M. Long Foundation. (Long Marine Laboratory is named in honor of Joseph M. Long, the founder of Longs Drugs, whose contributions helped establish the lab in 1978.) Others who provided substantial support include Emmet and Leanore Hooper, Paul and Anne Irwin, David and Rebecca Kashtan, the Kresge Foundation, Anne and Paul Levin, Zoe Ann Orr Marcus, Frances McAllister, the Moore Family Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Simpkins family, Richard and Mary Solari, Robert Stephens and Julie Packard, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, and the Dean Witter Foundation.
The exhibits and aquariums at the Seymour Center will have a very different look and feel from those at other public aquariums, such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The emphasis here will be on scientists and how they study the ocean, Heffington said. The exhibit space will look something like a research laboratory, and interactive stations will provide "hands-on" experiences.
"The idea is to give visitors an understanding of the ocean and the wonderful life it supports, while at the same time opening a window into how scientists ask questions, make observations, and figure things out," Heffington said.
In addition to the exhibit space with its displays, aquariums, and touch tank, the center's facilities also include a book and gift store, an auditorium for public lectures, a teaching lab with running seawater for marine biology courses, and two classrooms for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students. One of the K-12 classrooms is a wet lab with running seawater, where students can examine live sea creatures. The other classroom is equipped with microscopes and other teaching tools.
"The Seymour Center will be an incredible community facility, with exhibits that explain how our researchers study the ocean and its life and what they are learning," said Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences.
In recent years, Long Marine Lab has welcomed about 30,000 visitors annually, and Griggs said he expects that number to grow to about 80,000 after the opening of the new center.
The lab remains open to visitors this fall, despite ongoing construction activities. Work has begun on the Center for Ocean Health, which will provide new laboratory and office space for researchers at the lab. The old aquarium and bookshop are gone, along with most of the old trailers, but docents are still leading tours of the research labs and marine mammal pools. Visiting hours are 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The lab is not charging its usual visitor fees but is accepting donations. Long Marine Lab is located at the end of Delaware Avenue in Santa Cruz, just past Natural Bridges State Beach.
A new schedule and fees will take effect after the Seymour Center opens to the public in March. The new visiting hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Admission fees will be $5 for adults and $3 for seniors (age 60 and older), students, and children ages 6 to 16; admission will be free for children age 5 and under. For more information, call (831) 459-4308.
