Education and Outreach Activities

We have given high school students from coastal North Carolina the opportunity to get involved in our research. Every day from August 1 through October 31, the students collect megalopae samples from artificial collectors that are posted at Manns Harbor, Englehard, Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet. In addition, a fifth grade class along with their parents and teacher are collecting samples at Wrightsville Beach. The data generated from these samples is being used to quantify daily megalopal settlement, in an effort to make predictions about North Carolina's blue crab breeding stock, and determine the importance of physical factors such as wind direction and speed in megalopal transport into estuaries. The students get a unique opportunity to be involved in research in their community, interact with scientists, and get solid scientific field experience. The data they gather is a valuable tool, and is being used as a Master's Thesis for Grant Parkins, one of Dr. Eggleston's students.

In terms of education, the research group has constructed a blue crab home page and, in conjunction with UNC-TV, released a video describing the research and outreach efforts of this project.