Education and Youth Development through promoting the understanding, appreciation, and protection of aquatic life and habitats.
The Center for Aquatic Sciences was founded in 1989 with the mission of: “education and youth development through promoting the understanding, appreciation and protection of aquatic life and habitats.” In performing this mission, the Center strives to be a responsible member of the community, assisting in its economic and social redevelopment by providing opportunities for education, enrichment and employment.
Education programs include programs for school groups in our on-site classrooms and aquarium auditorium, including inclusion programs for special needs students and those on the autism spectrum. Additionally tours, scout programs, the Deep Sleep overnight program, and teacher professional development workshops all engage visitors in aquarium-based educational opportunities. These on-site programs reached over 12,000 individuals last year. Outreach programs served an additional 9,000 children and adults from New Jersey and Pennsylvania last year. The Center also serves the 900,000 visitors to Adventure Aquarium each year through interpretive exhibit signage, conservation messaging and an interactive kiosk.
The Center also partners with schools in both Camden and Philadelphia to embed programs during the school day and to facilitate quality educational after-school experiences. As part of a team teaching biology and AP environmental science courses, the Center strengthens the in-school experience for the students by developing lesson plans and providing expertise both in the classroom and on field trips. The Center also develops, manages and implements afterschool science education programs with multiple schools as a partner in 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Research and conservation work includes an international program, where the Center has studied and sought to protect the threatened Banggai cardinalfish and its coral reef habitat in Indonesia. This work has resulted in the Banggai cardinalfish being included as an endangered species on IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species, the publication of “The Banggai Cardinalfish: Natural History, Conservation, and Culture of Pterapogon kauderni”, and numerous peer review journal articles. Recently, research has included species closer to home like the Asian snakehead and the horseshoe crab.
The Center’s flagship program is CAUSE (Community and Urban Science Enrichment). CAUSE is a many-faceted science enrichment program for children and youth. The program has been extremely successful, boasting a 100% high school graduation rate and for the last nine years a 100% college enrollment rate (up from 95% in previous years), and has gained local and regional attention as a model for comprehensive, inner-city youth development programs, focusing on intense academics and mentoring for a manageable number of youth.
The mission of the Center for Aquatic Sciences at Adventure Aquarium is Education and Youth Development through promoting the understanding, appreciation, and protection of aquatic life and habitats.
Summer Camps, Overnight Programs, Outreach Programs, Scout Badge Programs, Field Trips, Field Programs, Youth Development Programs, Teacher Professional Development, Research
