The Birkenbach-Oremus lab piled into a car and drove down to Baltimore for the day to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Aquarium. We tagged along with Dr. Ed Hale’s Aquaculture class and learned the ropes (and pipes) of how the aquarium’s staff keeps its marine critters alive. We learned about the food prepared for the animals, how sharks arrive at the aquarium, and the challenges of creating a delicate, oxegenating froth that mimics the natural seashore.
But it was also a way to care for ourselves in uncertain times. We sympathized with a sloth named Piper who fell asleep in the middle of eating. We pet jellyfish. We drank apple juice and ate chicken fingers. We gazed into the blue-green, gold-rimmed eyes of a black grouper. We marveled at the size of sharks and the miniature might of the mantis shrimp.
It was a good day. :)