The fun and festivities of Coast Day this year will center around a “Science Serving Coastal Communities” theme, showcasing how University of Delaware scientists, staff and students are not only improving the understanding of ocean environments, but also serving local coastal communities.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7 at UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. It will include a number of family-friendly activities, ranging from lectures to interactive exhibits, such as “Ocean Rocks!” run by Jessica Warren, associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences. Participants will be able to ‘travel’ to the ocean floor to explore underwater volcanoes and examine actual rocks from the seafloor.

New exhibits will premiere this year, while old favorites will return, including the annual Crab Cake Cook-off, the Oyster Shucking Competition and many more.

The younger Coast Day crowd can look forward to the return of the popular critter touch tanks and the fish t-shirt printing table.

The dance troupe Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre will perform their creation for the “National Water Dance.”

New faculty members from UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) will be in attendance, presenting their own exhibits on various topics.

Some of these include:

• “Sharks!” with Aaron Carlisle, assistant professor in CEOE, which will have a display related to shark science including jaws, teeth and specimens on ice
• “What’s in Your Rain?” with Andrew Wozniak, assistant professor in CEOE’s School of Marine Science and Policy, where he will explain simple analysis of rainwater chemical properties and how they differ throughout Delaware
• “Mangroves Through the Eye of a Satellite” with Pinki Mondal, assistant professor of geospatial science, where she will present on how she uses satellite data to monitor mangroves along the west coast of Africa and how that knowledge can benefit coastal communities

A variety of food trucks will be available and hungry visitors can also check out the Seafood Chowder Challenge, where they will be able to sample and vote on the entries competing for first place.

Coast Day attendees can also learn about how Delaware Sea Grant has worked with faculty from throughout UD and CEOE to bring the latest science to coastal communities at the main exhibit in the Cannon Laboratory.

Projects that have arisen from these collaborations and are featured in the exhibit include the Businesses for Better Bags initiative in Lewes, offshore wind energy forums in Rehoboth and Bethany Beach, and educational projects like Under the Scope, resources and lesson plans to help K-12 teachers introduce students to studying zooplankton.

Coast Day and Delaware Sea Grant would like to thank numerous sponsors for their help in making the community event possible, including Edible Delmarva, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and many others.

The support of local organizations such as these proves integral in the continuation of this fun and educational community event.

Admission and parking are free. For the safety of all visitors, please leave your pets at home. A limited number of seats are available on a free bus from Newark to Lewes to UD students, faculty and staff by pre-registering at http://bit.ly/2x2Tsbf

For more information, visit the official Coast Day website at www.decoastday.org.