Tag Archives: marine biology

Nauti Nite, the WAVE Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, set for Oct. 2 at Newport Aquarium

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NEWPORT, Ky. — The WAVE Foundation, an independent nonprofit in partnership with Newport Aquarium, invites the public to paint the night blue for ocean conservation Oct. 2 at the 10th annual Nauti Nite fundraiser presented by PM/PC Direct Inc.

“Nauti Nite is one of the premier fundraisers for conservation in Greater Cincinnati,” said Scott Wingate, the WAVE Foundation’s execute director. “The funds generated during this ‘Party with the Penguins’ help the WAVE Foundation to serve as an advocate for marine life and to educate children throughout the community about the importance of conservation.”

Nauti Nite attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite blue cocktail attire as they celebrate the largest WAVE Foundation fundraiser of the year and party with Newport Aquarium’s adorable, tuxedoed African penguins.

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Proceeds raised from Nauti Nite directly benefit the WAVE Foundation’s education and conservation programs, such as the Finstitute, which serves more than 20,000 students per year through outreach programs, classes and aquarium visits.

Held at Newport Aquarium from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Nauti Nite will feature local catering, live music, a silent auction and exotic animal encounters, in addition to exclusive after-hours access to the one of the top-rated aquariums in the U.S.

Guests will have the opportunity to explore Newport Aquarium’s more than 90 unique exhibits, observe the beauty of aquatic life, enjoy food and beverages from dozens of Greater Cincinnati’s favorite eateries and listen to live music.

Tickets to Nauti Nite are available at wavefoundation.org for $75 per person, $140 per couple, and include unlimited food and beverages. Newport Aquarium Annual Passholders receive a 20-percent discount on Nauti Nite tickets.

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In 2014, Nauti Nite generated more than $50,000 to further the WAVE Foundation’s mission of promoting the welfare of aquatic life through advocacy, volunteerism and education.

For more information on Newport Aquarium, visit NewportAquarium.com or call toll free 800-406-FISH (3474). To learn more about the WAVE Foundation, visit wavefoundation.org.

About the WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium:
The WAVE Foundation is an independent, educational nonprofit organization at Newport Aquarium, which strives to excite, engage and educate the community about aquatic life and the importance of conservation. Its programming initiatives exist in three core areas: education, conservation and volunteerism. WAVE provides unique education curriculum and experiences for students of all ages; supports and provides leadership in local, national and global conservation efforts; and has a vibrant volunteer program with more than 500 dedicated volunteers.

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Newport Aquarium has showcased thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water since May 15, 1999. Named one of the best aquariums in the U.S. by Travel Channel and USA Today, Newport Aquarium is a Herschend Family Entertainment company and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky jewel attraction is home to: The world’s first and only Shark Bridge; the world’s first Shark Ray Breeding Program; Mighty Mike – the biggest and baddest American alligator outside the state of Florida; the largest and most diverse collection of sharks in the Midwest; and one of the world’s largest and most diverse penguin exhibits. Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee.

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One Aquarium Way | Newport, KY 41071 | 859-261-7444
www.newportaquarium.com

WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium, Thomas More College announce marine biology lecture series

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NEWPORT, Ky. — Thomas More College and the WAVE Foundation, a nonprofit in partnership with Newport Aquarium, have announced the launch of a new speaker series focused on marine biology and conservation.

Starting Sept. 9 at the award-winning Riverside Room at Newport Aquarium, the Marine Biology & Conservation Lecture Series features an exciting lineup of scientists, educators, explorers and conservationists who will speak on the topic of marine systems and their safeguarding.

“We are very excited about the caliber of speakers for this inaugural year of the lecture series. Each presenter is a renowned expert in the fields of marine biology and conservation and will speak about their ongoing research programs,” said professor Christopher Lorentz, director of TMC’s environmental science program and of the school’s Biology Field Station.

The lecture series is part of Thomas More College’s partnership with Newport Aquarium and the WAVE Foundation, which formally began in August 2014 when the school launched its new marine biology degree program, the first of its kind in the state of Kentucky.

Thomas More College Biology Field Station.

Thomas More College Biology Field Station.

Each lecture includes light appetizers and drinks, live animal encounters and a question-and-answer session.

The first three dates of the series have been confirmed, starting on Sept. 9 with the “Ocean Doctor” David E. Guggenheim, a marine scientist and submarine pilot who navigated the first manned submersible dives into the world’s largest underwater canyons inside the Bering Sea.

The second speaker in the series will be Craig O’Connell on Jan. 20, 2016. O’Connell was featured on several Discovery Channel programs during Shark Week 2015 for his research on the electrosensitivity of hammerhead sharks.

Lucy Hawkes is the third confirmed speaker of the lecture series on May 18, 2016. Hawkes is a physiological ecologist whose work focuses on the costs and drivers of migration in vertebrates using emergent technology.

Tickets for each lecture series are $20 for the public, or $15 for Newport Aquarium Annual Passholders and Thomas More College students. Registration for this event is available at wavefoundation.org/education/lecture-series.

Date Guest Speaker Lecture Theme
Sept. 9, 2015 Dr. David E. Guggenheim Lessons from the Deep: What the Oceans are Telling Us and Why it Matters
Jan. 20, 2016 Dr. Craig O’Connell Living with Sharks
May 18, 2016 Dr. Lucy Hawkes Thirty-Four Years of Tracking Sea Turtles: What We Now Know and How We Can Use it in Conservation

For more information on Newport Aquarium, visit NewportAquarium.com or call toll free 800-406-FISH (3474). Visit thomasmore.edu/marine for more information about the marine biology program at Thomas More College.

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Newport Aquarium has showcased thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water since May 15, 1999. Named one of the best aquariums in the U.S. by Travel Channel and USA Today, Newport Aquarium is a Herschend Family Entertainment company and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky jewel attraction is home to: The world’s first and only Shark Bridge; the world’s first Shark Ray Breeding Program; Mighty Mike – the biggest and baddest American alligator outside the state of Florida; the largest and most diverse collection of sharks in the Midwest; and one of the world’s largest and most diverse penguin exhibits. Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee.

Stay Hooked In: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | YouTube

One Aquarium Way | Newport, KY 41071 | 859-261-7444
www.newportaquarium.com

Shark Week to feature beneficiary of WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium

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NEWPORT, Ky. — A beneficiary of the WAVE Foundation, Newport Aquarium’s nonprofit organization, will be on Shark Week programming on Discovery Channel this week.

“There will be some Shark Week appearances that were partly made possible by the WAVE Foundation,” said Dr. Craig O’Connell, co-founder of the O’Seas Conservation Foundation (OCF). “If it wasn’t for (the WAVE Foundation’s) funding, I wouldn’t have been able to follow my passion for shark conservation.”

O’Connell and his work with the OCF will be in the follow Shark Week episodes:

Ninja Sharks (Wednesday, July 8 | 10 p.m. ET)

Shark After Dark (Thursday, July 9 | 11 p.m. ET)

Shark Island (Sunday, July 12 | 8 p.m. ET)

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In 2014, the WAVE Foundation contributed $4,500 to the OCF to assist with shark science and youth education. The funds were used to help study the life history characteristics of the common thresher shark, smooth hammerhead and white shark in the Atlantic Ocean near the New York and New Jersey. WAVE Foundation’s donation was also used to develop a youth education program to provide students with skills to excel in marine biology.

By integrating shark tagging with youth education, this innovative approach has increased the knowledge pertaining to an understudied species and has helped secure our future through the education and motivation of our environmentally conscious youth.

“The funds from the WAVE Foundation have been put to good use,” said O’Connell. “We have made many discoveries, including observing common thresher, white, smooth hammerheads, and huge mako sharks feeding around our longlines. This will yield a complexity of studies that will largely contribute to species conservation!”

O’Connell stated the most important aspect of the WAVE Foundation’s contributions were the marine biology experience gained for his approximate 25 students, who range from 5th to 12th grade.

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“The funds from the WAVE Foundation were used to essentially sponsor these kids and the experience they gained, and the smiles they left, which is something I will forever cherish, so I want to thank you again,” said O’Connell. “This funding has changed my life!”

The WAVE Foundation also contributed to the OCS in 2013 in the amount of $750, which was used to purchase materials necessary for one of O’Connell’s project aimed to decrease the amount of shark mortalities caused by beach nets and produce an eco-friendly alternate solution to netting in the form of magnets.

About WAVE Foundation
The WAVE Foundation is an independent, educational non-profit organization at Newport Aquarium, which strives to excite, engage and educate the community about aquatic life and the importance of conservation. Its programming initiatives exist in three core areas: education, conservation and volunteerism. WAVE provides unique education curriculum and experiences for students of all ages; supports and provides leadership in local, national and global conservation efforts; and has a vibrant volunteer program with over 500 dedicated volunteers.

About O’Seas Conservation Foundation
Established in 2013, the O’Seas Conservation Foundation (OCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that actively participates in wildlife conservation projects all over the world. Founded by Dr. Craig O’Connell and Dr. Nicole O’Connell, OCF was established to conduct local and global conservation engineering, population dynamics, and other field studies focusing on some of the most endangered species on the planet.  However, with a home base in New York, OCF’s key focus is to characterize the shark, skate and ray fauna in local waters to help obtain valuable population dynamics and structure-related data for several critical species.  Besides this, OCF is unique in that it runs summer programs for 6th-12th graders, giving them the opportunity to be part of shark research projects and inspiring them to pursue a career in the field of conservation/marine biology.

For more information on Newport Aquarium, visit NewportAquarium.com or call toll free 800-406-FISH (3474).

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Newport Aquarium, voted the No. 1 aquarium in the country by USA Today’s 10Best.com in 2012, has showcased thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water since 1999. Named a top U.S. aquarium by US City Traveler and Destinations Travel Magazine in 2014, and also by Travel Channel in 2013, Newport Aquarium is a Herschend Family Entertainment company and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee.

Find us on: Facebook.com/NewportAquarium | Twitter: @NewportAquarium
Instagram: @newport_aquarium

One Aquarium Way | Newport, KY 41071 | 859-261-7444
www.newportaquarium.com

Homeschool Days at Newport Aquarium to return March 9-10

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Homeschoolers offered discounted admission, exclusive marine biology classes

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NEWPORT, Ky. – Newport Aquarium is offering discounted admission to homeschool students and educators during its Homeschool Days, March 9-10.

Tickets for Homeschool Days are only $11 per person, a savings of nearly 50 percent off compared to the standard admission price of $23 for adults and $15 for children ages 2-12.

Homeschool Days allow homeschoolers grades K-12 the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of marine life and conservation at Newport Aquarium, one of the top aquariums in the country according to Travel Channel and USA Today’s 10Best.com.

The WAVE Foundation, Newport Aquarium’s nonprofit partner, will offer courses through its Finstititute Classroom Experience to supplement the educational experience of exploring Newport Aquarium’s more than 90 exhibits.

Courses through the Finstititute Classroom Experience – which are available for $4 a person, per class – include:

Serious About Sharks (9:15 a.m. each day): Students receive exclusive access to the Shark Ray Bay Theater, before the aquarium opens to the public, to learn all about sharks in a 30-minute class.

Scales and Tails (10:15 a.m. each day): Students learn about reptiles while experiencing live animal encounters during this 45-minute class.

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Backstage Animal Experiences, where guests get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the aquarium, are also available to Homeschool Days participants at a discounted rate of $5, a 67-percent discount off the standard price.

Homeschool Days tickets must be ordered through a registration form available at NewportAquarium.com. Registration for Homeschool Days must be completed by March 4. Please call 859-815-1423 for additional registration information.

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Newport Aquarium, voted the No. 1 aquarium in the country by USA Today’s 10Best.com in 2012, has showcased thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water since 1999. Named a top U.S. aquarium by US City Traveler and Destinations Travel Magazine in 2014, and also by Travel Channel in 2013, Newport Aquarium is a Herschend Family Entertainment company and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Newport Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee.

Find us on: Facebook.com/NewportAquarium | Twitter: @NewportAquarium

One Aquarium Way | Newport, KY 41071 | 859-261-7444
www.newportaquarium.com