Families invited to explore Encyclopedia of Life at MBL during school vacation

MBL to sponsor free school vacation week event

Imagine a web page for every known species of animal, plant, and other form of life on Earth—all 1.9 million of them! The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), together with their partners, is creating just that through the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), a monumental, unprecedented project intended as a tool for scientists and policymakers and a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the living world.

Join the MBL Associates for a fun, educational, and interactive EOL-themed family event during school vacation week on Thursday, February 18 at 11:00 AM in the MBL’s Speck Auditorium 10 MBL Street, Woods Hole.  The event is free and open to the public.

Members of the EOL team will be there, along with digital cameras, laptop computers, and live specimens, to demonstrate how the EOL is being built, and how we all can help contribute local information to this worldwide project. While the event is targeted to students in grades 4 through 8, the entire family is welcome to attend.

The MBL has played a major role in developing the EOL, which was officially launched in 2007. EOL pages are created from an aggregation of text, images, video, scientific data, and other information drawn from many different sources, and all vetted by scientific experts.

Due to limited parking in Woods Hole, the MBL is providing a free shuttle between the MBL’s Devil’s Lane parking lot on Oyster Pond Road and the Speck Auditorium for a half-hour before and after the event.

Registration is requested. Please contact the Associates Office at 508-289-7281 or email sjoslin@mbl.edu to register or for more information.

Courtesy of the MBL.

    The MBL is a leading international, independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to discovery and to improving the human condition through creative research and education in the biological, biomedical and environmental sciences. Founded in 1888 as the Marine Biological Laboratory, the MBL is the oldest private marine laboratory in the Americas. For more information, visit www.MBL.edu.
    The MBL Associates are a group of individuals and businesses that support the scientific mission of the MBL through their gifts to the Annual Fund. The Associates sponsor educational and research programs for the MBL and raise funds for special projects. In addition, they operate the MBL Associates Gift Shop, located on Water Street in Woods Hole, the profits from which support scientific fellowships.