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the BREAKWATER 
A newsletter from the Prince William Sound Science Center
March 31, 2020
PWSSC COVID-19 UPDATES
The Science Center is adjusting operations as needed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few of the steps we're taking:
  • Tuesday Night Science Talks are canceled for the remainder of the season; we hope to start them up again in the fall. 
  • Our school-year education programs will follow the closures led by the Cordova City School District and the Governor. 
  • Our Little Dippers nature explorers group has ceased meeting for the time being. 

  • All employees are teleworking from home.

  • Staff returning to Alaska or Cordova from other locations are asked to follow the 14-day quarantine.
  • We recommend that people follow the hygiene practices published by the CDC and AK DHSS.
We know that our community and our state are resilient, and wish to be part of solutions during these challenging times.
OUR NEW HOME
We're excited to announce  McCool Carlson Green   as the architecture firm that was awarded the initial design contract for our new campus. The design team they assembled is multifaceted and includes engineering firms as well as experts in energy systems, landscape architecture, exhibit design, and laboratory design. 

Our staff and facilities committee have been meeting with them regularly and we're excited to co-create our new campus. We plan to release an RFP for design-build services in late spring, which will guide our contractor selection process.
UPDATES ON OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Students observing salmon eggs at Mt. Eccles Elementary last month.
Our community's health and safety is our priority during this challenging time. Because of that, all school-year youth and community education programs are on hold. We are monitoring COVID-19 developments closely and will share educational program updates as decisions are made. 

As far as summer camps are concerned, it's certainly our hope that some programs will come to fruition, but it's still too early to tell. We continue to tentatively plan for summer adventures for youth. Things change rapidly these days, so keep an eye on our social media pages for scheduling updates, as well as science activities to do at home, salmon tank videos, and tips on outdoor explorations that are still doable on your own. 

Please reach out if you are looking for any activities in particular or would like to chat with someone from our education team about age-appropriate science activities to do, indoors or outdoors.
TRACKING HERRING IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
Where are the herring going after they spawn?
Dr. Mary Anne Bishop and her crew from the Science Center have tagged 160 herring in the last two years and have been tracking them with the Ocean Tracking Network. Learn more about the project and find out what she has learned so far in our news article.

Bishop encourages fishers to avoid fishing in and around the arrays. You can find their exact locations on NOAA electronic charts or here. If you accidentally catch a buoy and its attached hydrophone, reel it in and bring it to the Science Center. Please DO NOT CUT the line as the hydrophone and its data will be lost forever!
COPPER RIVER NOUVEAU 2020 POSTPONED
Due to COVID-19, Copper River Nouveau-originally scheduled for June 6-will be postponed.

We are working with local vendors, sponsors, and others to find a way to continue the tradition of  celebrating regional resilience, science, education, community, and wild salmon!

Please stay tuned for future announcements on our website, via emails, and on our social media channels.
COVID-19 RESEARCH WITH ROSETTA@HOME
All of our staff are working from home and we have set up their unused office computers to contribute to COVID-19 research!

You can help too. 

Distributed computing or grid computing projects like Rosetta@home use the computing power of your unused computer to run data calculations. Some of our computers are currently running BOINC to aid the Rosetta@home project out of the University of Washington's Baker Lab. They are modeling COVID-19 proteins to better understand the virus. 

Learn more about how  Rosetta@home is contributing to coronavirus research and how you can help.
The Science Center is committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the long term. 
 
The postponement of our annual gala puts us in a tight spot and we need your help now more than ever. If you believe in our mission and care about what we do, please consider making a donation today. Every dollar helps us stay stable during these uncertain times.

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