Aquarium of the Pacific

A Look Inside

How does a squid swim?  How does a fish breathe underwater?  The answers to these and more questions can be found with a closer look inside.  Choose from a squid or fish and make your first incision into the amazing world of aquatic anatomy.  Your students will discover the ins and outs to these interesting animals in this hands-on dissection.

Aquacology

We can take this program on the road! This program is also available as an Aquarium on Wheels Program.

Water is water, or is it? In this class your students will explore the world of aquarium filtration. By building their own aquarium systems complete with filtration and live animals, students will discover the importance of water quality and what it takes to keep water suitable to support life. Protein skimmers, bio-towers, UV sterilizers and other state of the art aquarium filtration components will be explored in this interactive class.

Tidepool Ecology

Tidepools can be a very harsh and dynamic habitat. Sea water is constantly filling and draining out of these pools, making life in the tide pool extremely unpredictable. Discover how some animals have adapted to this unique environment and how scientists study the marine life in this densely populated habitat. 

Career Smarts

Why not earn your living doing something you love?  Join us as we explore the “ocean” of opportunities to be found both in and around an aquatic environment.  Your students will participate in an interactive game show that focuses on marine-related careers.  What is husbandry?  Why would someone in an aquarium want to use a foam fractionator? This program is designed to answer these questions and more as we introduce students to marine related careers.

AP Biology Lab: Dissolved Oxygen

Oxygen is one of the most essential components for life on our planet. However, oxygen is not always readily available to animals and plants in the ocean. Through this hands-on laboratory session, students will develop and test a hypothesis regarding dissolved oxygen levels in the harbor adjacent to the Aquarium. Students will collect water samples at varying depths and analyze them for dissolved oxygen content. A class discussion will determine whether or not the results correspond to their hypothesis and why. Please note that the AP Biology Lab is a 2-hour program. If the class arrives more than 30 minutes late, the program will be canceled without refund. Please ask for more information about science standards.

Please note that special rates and times apply for AP Biology Labs. Please call our Reservation Hotline at (562) 951-1630 for details.

AP Environmental Science Laboratory: Finding a Balance

One of the toughest challenges facing any country, state, or even business is to find a balance between “economy” and “environment”. In this hands-on laboratory exercise students will take the role of environmental scientists by collecting data from the Port of Long Beach using oceanographic equipment such as sediment grabs, secchi disks, plankton nets, and water samplers. Students will also analyze a real life example of proposed port development and make decisions on how to balance the resulting environmental and economic impacts.