Sitka Sound Science Center

There’s still room in Ocean Adventure Camp!

Discover marine life while snorkeling, test your balance abilities on a paddleboard, and paddle a kayak on an expedition! This is the perfect camp for those looking to adventure on the water and explore marine environments while reading between the lines to explore life within kelp forests. Dinner is provided during the evening programs, and lunch is provided on Saturday.

Learn more and register at SitkaScience.org under education https://secure.qgiv.com/for/afterschoolregistration/event/oceanadventure/

Explore science, history, and art with local experts.

From scientific illustration and birding to aquarium exploration and local history, follow your curiosity, try something new, and spend time exploring alongside Science Center staff. Register for a single program or join us for the full series.

- Scientific Illustration with Lisa Teas Conaway, Tuesday, June 9, from 9am-12pm, at the Science Center - Karsh Classroom.

- Bird Walk with Chase Coleman , Wednesday, June 10, from 9-11am, starting at the Science Center.

- Aquarium Behind-the-Scenes Tour with Aquarist Matt Wilson, Friday, June 12, from 1-3:30pm, at the Science Center.

- History of the Science Center Tour with Lina Kapp, Friday, June 12, from 9-11:30am, at the Science Center.

Register here https://secure.qgiv.com/for/afterschoolregistration/event/summersessions2026/

Make Your Own Monster with Teaghan Gokey

Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time 5:30-7:00pm
Location: Sitka Sound Science Center, 834 Lincoln Street
Cost: $15 registration fee
Register at SitkaScience.org

Calling all fantasy freaks, dungeon masters, and dragon hunters: design your own fantastical creature inspired by local ocean animals. Join Sitka Fine Arts Camp faculty artist Teaghan Gokey and Sitka Sound Science Center aquarist Matt Wilson for an evening of art, science, and imagination. We will learn about Teaghan’s artistic practice, hear about unique features of animals in the aquarium, and sketch our very own monsters. Light refreshments and all art materials will be provided. Learn more about Teaghan Gokey at teaghangokey.com

Back for another visit

A veteran SIS (Scientist in the Schools) joined our education team in late-April this year, and we were thrilled to welcome her back. Ali Chene has worked with Sitka Sound Science Center for years, visiting schools and co-developing curriculum.

This visit saw Ms. Chene (Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System) and Alice Bailey (Alaska Ocean Observing System) bring their Backyard Buoy program into middle school classrooms. The buoys in question take detailed readings of ocean conditions like swell direction and wave height that can be shared with locals, making ocean navigation safer for all. In the classroom, the demonstration buoys helped students understand ocean conditions through the lens of plankton. As part of an annual Scientist in the Schools unit on invasive tunicates, students study these drifters of the sea. They learn that, in their larval state, tunicates ride ocean currents and can be carried many miles, arriving in new locations where they settle and compete with native species for resources. Students created planktonic tunicates from craft supplies and observed as they floated in large totes filled with water and a data-collecting buoy. Students could observe how plankton travel through the water with the buoy readings to better understand how ocean conditions could affect the spread of invasive species.
During Chene’s visit, she also helped with the first-graders’ top-of-the-rock, bottom-of-the-rock survey study. This was truly a full-circle moment as Chene helped our education team back in 2018, co-developing the intertidal survey by creating an in-class pre-teaching where students learned about tides and tidal animals, and then practiced their survey techniques before getting out on the beach.

We were thrilled to welcome Ms. Chene back into the web of Science Center activities and are excited about future work with Backyard Buoys. There might even be a workshop in the near future around Sitka WhaleFest.

To learn more about Ali Chene and Alice Bailey’s visit and Backyard Buoy, click here.
https://backyardbuoys.org/2026/04/30/aoos-and-pacioos-share-backyard-buoys-with-students-in-alaska/