Bringing research into the classroom opens the door for students to see what new science is doing. It allows students and teachers to learn new information and develop their own questions. Building bridges between university scientists and public school students and teachers is an essential ingredient in today's inquiry-based science education.

This home page provides information on the fishery and population trends, life history and current research on the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in North Carolina. There are also interactive computer simulations that demonstrate how weather patterns and wind-forcing influence population fluctuations of the blue crab, an interactive, mutliple-choice quiz to test your knowledge, a series of three lesson plans for teachers, web-based links to other sources of information on the blue crab, and a forum for the presentation and discussion of ideas on the blue crab. Funding for the development of this web-page was provided by the National Science Foundation and NC Sea Grant.