Wizards At Western: 'Creatures of the Salish Sea'

Western Washington University’s College of Sciences and Technology presents its Wizards @ Western youth lecture series with “Creatures of the Salish Sea” on the WWU campus.

The Wizards @ Western events, free and open to the public, are geared toward children in grades 4-8.

Many bizarre marine animals are common but seem strange to most people because they are small and live in places that we rarely visit. At this event, children learn about some of these amazing marine animals and watch them feed and defend themselves from enemies. They see animals that are commonly confused with plants that turn into jellyfish. Using a microscope paired with high-definition video, they examine a variety of marine invertebrates that live in the Salish Sea.

“Creatures of the Salish Sea” is presented by WWU Assistant Professor of Biology Benjamin Miner. Miner’s primary research interest is evolutionary and ecological consequences of phenotypic plasticity with a secondary interest in marine invertebrate life-history evolution.

Miner earned his doctorate in Zoology from the University of Florida and his bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the University of California.

For more information on WWU’s Wizards @ Western youth lecture series, contact Jennifer Mott, program coordinator of WWU’s College of Sciences and Technology, at (360) 650-2454 or Jennifer.Mott@wwu.edu.