PORT ARANSAS, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) introduces this summer a new two-minute radio program, “Science and the Sea,” produced jointly with Corpus Christi Public Radio, KEDT.
“Science and the Sea” takes listeners on an exploration of the unseen underwater world that covers three-fourths of the planet, with entertaining stories conveying how scientists approach, and ultimately solve, some of the oceans’ mysteries.
The program is available free to public, commercial and non-commercial radio stations.
“There’s a rising interest in environmental issues,” said UTMSI Director Dr. Lee Fuiman, one of the program’s two executive producers. “Hurricanes, climate change and tsunamis are in the news. They all have to do with the world’s oceans.
“This program gives people a chance to learn more about marine science, marine biology, the world’s oceans, how they work and all the interesting bacteria, plants and animals that live in the sea,” he said. “And we hope to convey how science is conducted.”
The radio series takes advantage of the worldwide scientific activities of UTMSI researchers and the classes they teach at The University of Texas at Austin.
The program is modeled after StarDate, the successful astronomy radio program produced by the McDonald Observatory. “Science and the Sea” is distributed by McDonald Observatory’s StarDate productions team, with scripts by StarDate writer and producer Damond Benningfield.
The programs can be accessed on the “Science and the Sea” Web site (www.ScienceAndTheSea.org), where they are also available as free weekly podcasts. The Web site also contains magazine articles produced by UTMSI and other educational materials about the marine environment.
Stations across the country are receiving this summer CDs containing 13 two-minute programs, as well as a brief teaser for each show.
The voice of “Science and the Sea” is Holly Braly. Don Dunlap, general manager of public radio station KEDT in Corpus Christi, Texas, is the program’s other executive producer. Stewart Jacoby, the station’s program director, produces the program.
The debut of “Science and the Sea” is part of UTMSI’s 60th anniversary celebration. Established in 1946, the institute was the first permanent marine laboratory in Texas. The institute has a history of granting master’s and Ph.D. degrees through its academic counterpart, the Department of Marine Science at The University of Texas at Austin. The UTMSI research program emphasizes basic and applied research aimed at understanding the biological, chemical and physical processes governing the coastal zone ecosystem. The institute is also home to a variety of education and public outreach programs that serve the public from kindergarten through retirement age.
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