DURHAM, N.H. - Band a lobster, drive a remotely operated vehicle, or map the ocean floor at the University of New Hampshire's Ocean Discovery Day Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. Ocean Discovery Day brings research from UNH's School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering to life with hands-on fun and education for families and would-be ocean scientists at two locations, the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory on the UNH campus in Durham and UNH's Judd Gregg Marine Research Complex in New Castle. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors to the New Castle site of Ocean Discovery Day can make a fish print, touch a horseshoe crab, and analyze water characteristics. Exhibits and demonstrations will highlight aquaculture, marine mammals, octopuses, lobster tracking, diving and more. The Portsmouth Lighthouse and Fort Constitution will both be open for exploring, giving a glimpse into the region's rich maritime history.

At the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory on the UNH campus, Ocean Discovery Day visitors will learn how UNH researchers are learning more about the ocean with technology. Visit the building's unique facilities, including a 20-foot deep engineering tank and a 120-foot-long wave tank, a telepresence console that lets researchers connect with scientists at sea, and a panoramic data visualization display. Learn the basics of knot-tying, operate an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and see the jet ski researchers use to map the ocean floor.

Ocean Discovery Day is hosted by the UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, N.H. Sea Grant, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and the UNH Marine Docents. For more information, including directions, parking, and schedules of activities, go to http://marine.unh.edu/oceandiscoveryday/ or visit Ocean Discovery Day on Facebook.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

Photographs available to download:
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Dive in to ocean science at the University of New Hampshire's annual Ocean Discovery Day Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. Credit: Dennis Chasteen
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Caption: Take a closer look at what lives in our oceans at the University of New Hampshire's Ocean Discovery Day Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014.
Credit: Mike Ross, UNH Photographic Services