Frank Hubacz (2013), Yaara Crane (2013) and Chris Peters (2013) presented hands-on ocean related activities and their TAS experiences at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on Wednesday, December 18, 2013. They were invited to participate in a weekly public event called “The Scientist is In: Ask an Expert” that is held at the Sant Ocean Hall in the museum each week.

The Sant Ocean Hall was created through a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to show the ocean as a global system that is critical to life on Earth. The Hall opened in September 2008 and was the largest renovation of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum since it opened in 1910. It is 23,000-square-feet and features 12 distinct sections that exhibit deep oceans, coral reefs, Arctic and Southern Oceans, current ocean research and much more.

Frank Hubacz, a chemistry professor at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire shared his experience aboard NOAA ship Oscar Dyson in Alaska and explained how a global drifter buoy operates. Yaara Crane, a chemistry teacher at Annandale High School in Virginia, demonstrated how hydrographers map the sea floor with a hydrography box activity. She related this activity to her experience aboard NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson. Chris Peters, who sailed on NOAA ship Oregon II showed the public how salinity affects density and how this relates to ocean currents.