September 29, 2025 • 33 mins
Talked with Gabby Barbarite McHenry, Ph.D., Director of Outreach & Engagement Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. They are one of over 50 exhibitors at this years 10th Annual Indian River Lagoon Science Festival. It's going to be from 10am - 3pm on October 25th at 600 N Indian River Drive, Ft. Pierce, FL. The IRL Science Festival is a free event that's designed to bring a variety of hands-on STEAM activities to the public. The goal is to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for everyone at every age. Some of the activities will include:
"● Control underwater remotely operated vehicles with the Smithsonian Marine Station
● Meet a life-sized humpback whale with FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
● Experience the “World of Away” Eco-Art Exhibit with the Oxbow Eco-Center
● Observe a real bee hive with Treasure Coast Beekeepers Association
● Spend the day in the life of a doctor with Little Medical School of the Treasure Coast
● Explore Fort Pierce Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Van to learn about forensic science
● Learn how to care for corals with the Reef Institute
● Discover native plants with UF/IFAS’ St. Lucie County Master Gardeners'"
Listeners can find the complete list, sign up to volunteer, become a sponsor and more at www.irlsciencefest.org.
"● Control underwater remotely operated vehicles with the Smithsonian Marine Station
● Meet a life-sized humpback whale with FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
● Experience the “World of Away” Eco-Art Exhibit with the Oxbow Eco-Center
● Observe a real bee hive with Treasure Coast Beekeepers Association
● Spend the day in the life of a doctor with Little Medical School of the Treasure Coast
● Explore Fort Pierce Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Van to learn about forensic science
● Learn how to care for corals with the Reef Institute
● Discover native plants with UF/IFAS’ St. Lucie County Master Gardeners'"
Listeners can find the complete list, sign up to volunteer, become a sponsor and more at www.irlsciencefest.org.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
iHeart Communities Presents Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective, which dead.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Nap, Good morning, Welcome to Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective.
I'm your host Stev. Now, thanks for spending your weekend
with me. All kinds of great things going on. If
you haven't been in a while, head over to the
Lighthouse Jupiter in the Lighthouse has got all kinds of
cool things going on. They've got yoga the light. Of course,
you have the wonderful museum, check that out anytime during
the week. And of course we're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
(00:28):
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County has a great
exhibition running now through October fifteenth in celebration of that,
and of course the City of West Palm Beach They're
Drink of Anything on October tenth from seven to ten
pm at the City Hall Courtyard in Clematis fun Hispanic Festival.
Come check it out. Authentic street food, of course, live music,
(00:50):
lots of fun and dancing. So come on out and
celebrate with your neighbors. That's going to be a fun one. Oh,
don't forget Wellington Green Mall. It's got all kinds of
cool things going on coming up. On Friday, October tenth,
from seven to eight fifteen pm, they're doing a wine
tasting experience. This is the Fall celebration. One on Saturday
in October eleventh is their eighth annual Pink Party of course,
(01:13):
celebration for breast cancer awareness and things like that. I
definitely check that out. And of course on the fifteenth
of the fun thing in the Grand Court the Mommy
Me Costume and dance party, so always fun things. And
then of course on the thirty first itself for Halloween
they do mal Oween, so it's a fun thing as
a free thing for the family and the kiddos to
check out. Reminder, friends, Ballet Palm Beach has got their
(01:35):
season coming so on October twenty fourth through the twenty
six it is snow White featuring the world premiere of
Firefly Summer. And then of course they are going to
welcome Santa Friday, November seventh of the gardens mall go
to Ballet Palmbach dot org for more details and all
the different programs and events and stuff are listed there
(01:55):
for you. Oh, our friends of the craft is such
a huge season coming up for them, Cravis on Broadway
has The Whiz, Kimberly Kimbo Twas the Night before, This
gonna be the Sirka Solet versions. I definitely want to
see that one Choir of Man Some like It, Hot MJ.
The Musicals Coming, Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical, The Notebook,
(02:16):
The Adams Family, Beetlejuice, so lots of stuff there and
of course their Peaks Speries is always super exciting. Definitely
on see this one. On October ninth. It is Step Africa,
The Migration Reflections on Jacob Lawrence. Where do we sit
on the bus. It's going to be October seventeenth through
the nineteenth. Tonality America will be on November second. It's
(02:38):
really cool. They have Kim's Convenience coming February twenty fifth
through March eighth, so lots of great shows and you
go to Cravis dot org to get more tickets and
information and if you're interested in being an usher, they're
also looking for volunteers, so you can do that while
you're there as well. Don't forget Nort's got a great
exhibition coming up, is starting October twenty fifth, going through
(03:02):
April fifth, and it is art and life in remembrance time,
so we'll be talking more Scott about that next week
to get all the scoop, and of course heading outside.
Environmental Resource has all kinds of cool happening. Saint Lucy.
They've got a really neat thing where you can become
a Saint Lucie Water Champion and this one is Reverse
(03:24):
Osmosis Treatment Plant Tour and that's going to be October
twenty second, So lots of cool things going on there.
Go to Saint Lucy Hikes dot gov and the different
programs and things like that are listed there as well
as all the really cool walks and hikes and paddles
and kayaks through all the different preserves. And also a reminder,
Saint Lucy County Libraries are hosting their Halloween Costume Swap
(03:47):
now through October thirty first, so you can bring a
gently use costume and swap it or you can just
leave one if you don't need it anymore. So that's
a fun thing to do as well. And in Palma County,
Pumpage County Environmental Resources they work with the Pumpache County
Natural Areas, so they got a lot of cool things
(04:07):
going on so they have a Sunset four point three
mile trail run happening Wednesday, October eighth from five thirty
to seven pm and that's at Winding Waters Natural Area.
On the seventeenth it is Florida Native Plant Bingo and
that's from nine am till ten thirty am at Frenchman's
(04:29):
Forest Natural Area. Well, and then they're going to do
a peaceful evening kayak Saturday, October eighteenth from five to
seven pm and that's at Winding Waters Natural Area. And
for the bikers in the group, we have off road
bike ride Wednesday, October twenty second from ten am till
twelve thirty pm at Cypress Creek. So to go to
(04:51):
PBCRM to get more details on that. Speaking of more details,
I want to welcome my guests for today. I have
Gabby barbar Wit Mick Henry So, one of the doctors
there at Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
In morning, Hi, Dev, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Oh hey, thanks for calling in. So I know you
guys are super busy right now with your preparations for
the Indian River Lagoons Science Festival. So before we get
to that tell me a little bit about what you
do at Harbor Branch.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Sure, So I leave the public education programs at FAU
Harbor Branch, and our goal is to share the great
marine science research that we do here every day with
our community, and so we have a lot of great
programs before K through twelve students and for members of
the public who are just interested in learning more about
(05:47):
what we do.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Oh, I love it. And speaking of learning, I came
up and did a really nice boat tour and that
was fascinating. So tell the listeners to night what is
that called again?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It's our Indian Lagoon boat tour. And I'm so glad
that you were able to come up and that you
enjoyed it. We were very excited this year. We were
just voted the best eco adventure on the Treasure Coast
for a boat tour, so it's quickly become one of
our most popular programs. And we have a thirty six
passenger pontoon boat that we basically converted into a floating laboratory,
(06:21):
and on board we have lots of cool technology similar
to what our scientists use when they're out in the
field studying different animals and habitats. And so on the
boat tour, you get to do things like spot wildlife
with binoculars. You get to peek under the surface with
a remotely operated vehicle or basically an underwater drone that
(06:42):
shows you live footage of seagrass beds and oyster reefs
and some of the cool fish that live in the lagoon.
You get to learn about water quality testing and even
some cool machines that our scientists us to do that
year round. And so it's just a really great immersive
and top to box assessment of the Indian River Lagoon,
(07:02):
which is a really important estuary that we have here
in our region.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I thought, I agree, it was so fascinating and like
as like a regular person in the public to find
out how important that estuary is and like kind of
like how the life in the aquatic life and the
estuary can reflect what's happening for us.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
For our world exactly, and learning about real science that's
happening in your hometown and what our researchers are doing
every day to learn more about these things and help
to protect those resources too. And so that's a really
cool thing about our tours. You get to explore with
a scientist next to you, putting everything into perspective and
(07:43):
from iding something in real time to you know, saying,
here's what our scientists do with this information. So it's
a really cool tour. I highly recommend it for anyone
that's interested in getting out on the water.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Oh I would too. And I definitely enjoyed the underwater
robotic drone. That was really cool because you can actually
see the seabad like you said, and the grasses that
they're growing, and they were talking about like the maan
tee like these ones, and you know, it's very fascinating.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It's really cool. And this summer we've seen a lot
of fish, so we saw juvenile goliath groupers on several trips,
and then we've seen some really important recreational game fish
like tarpin and snook, lots of mangrove snapper. So it's
so funny throughout the tour as we see different things,
we see people kind of perk up based on their interests.
(08:31):
So whether you're an avid birder, or you're really interested
in seeing dolphins and manatees, or you're a big time fisher,
there's something for everybody. Oh.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I would definitely agree for them to sign up for that.
Where do they go again?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Sure, you can visit our website at FAU dot edu
slash hbo i and you can find information about our
tours right now. This fall, we're offering them every Friday,
but once we get into the spring, which is our
very busy sea, and we'll be doing them Fridays and
Saturdays in the morning and afternoon. People can also call
our Ocean Discovery Visitors Center at seven seven two two
(09:08):
four to two to two nine three and talk to
one of our educators and get signed up and learn
even more about other programs that we offer as well.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Oh fantastic, And speaking of learning, this one is a
right you guys are participating again this year in the
Indian River Lagoons Science Festival, So tell me about that.
I'm really excited to hear about that one.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
We're so excited about the festival. It's an amazing, family friendly,
free event that we've been hosting for over a decade
here on the Treasure Posts. Actually this year is our
tenth anniversary celebration, so we're extra excited about everything, and
it's going to be held on Saturday, October twenty fifth,
(09:51):
from ten am to three pm in Veterans Memorial Park
in the Riverwalk Center in downtown Fork Pierce, and we
are going to have so many fun things for people
of all ages, celebrating steam so science, technology, engineering, art
and math and so here in the Treasure Coast, you know,
(10:11):
we're kind of like the some people call it the
Research Coasts or the Nature Coast because we've got so
many organizations here that are working on these topics, and
so this event is just a really great opportunity to
bring them all together in a beautiful setting. We're located
right along the Indian River Lagoon. It's an outdoor event
(10:31):
and everyone brings booths with different hands on activities to
teach the community about what they do, why it's so important,
and how it relates to their everyday lives. And so,
like I said, we've been doing this. This will be
our tenth festival, and each year it's so popular. We
have thousands of visitors that come to celebrate science with
(10:52):
us for a day. So we're really looking forward to
welcoming them all back this year on Saturday, October twenty fifth.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Oh, I can't wait to be there. That's so cool.
So obviously you ten years, congratulations as a great milestone.
So tell me a little bit about like how it's
been growing from a small festival, community event to this
you know, bigger one. Now we get thousands and thousands
of people.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Well, it's all really thanks to our community and exhibitors
that make it possible. Also, I'll give a shout out
to our Steering Committee, which is a wonderful group that
we have. They're all volunteers and they represent a lot
of local organizations and so we have educators, scientists and
community leaders that all work leading up to the festival
(11:38):
to organize this event. And we have at least fifty
exhibitors that come each year from all of these different
community organizations, and then of course our community that comes
to participate. So it really is a team event. And
over the years, as the festival has, you know, the
name has become recognizable. People market on their calendars every year.
(11:58):
And you know, it's so funny as an exhibit too,
because I also go on behalf of fa you Harbor Branch.
There's some folks that we see every single year and
they tell us that they look forward to it and
we've watched their kids kind of grow older each year,
coming back for different hands on activities, So it really
has become a staple within our community.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Oh and that's a good good point because, like you said,
you're seeing the kids grow older, and every time they
come back, there's a different exhibitor that gets their attention.
So it's multi age appropriate.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Absolutely, and there's something for everyone whether you're into nature
or science and technology, or engineering or even art. There's
you know, something that connects all of our exhibits together.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Oh, very cool. So speaking of the exhibits, so like
the science and Nature section of course, FAU is going
to be there with your exhibit. Can you tell me
what you're bringing or is it a surprise?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Sure, I can tell you what we're bringing. So we
usually have a really large presence at the festival. I
obviously I'm biased, but it's my favorite event of the year.
And so we will have our Marine Mammal Ambulance and
our rescue team uses that to respond to dolphins and
whales that strand along the Treasure Coast, and so we'll
(13:15):
have the ambulance parked there and people can go inside
and explore it and learn how it operates and even
get to demo lifting a dolphin in and out of
the back with their crane system, which is really cool,
so it's kind of like a rescue simulation. And you'll
also get to meet members of our Marine Mammal Stranding
and Population Assessment team, so the people that are on
(13:38):
call actually working with local dolphins and whales in our area.
And speaking of whales, I'm extra excited to share that
we will be bringing our life size inflatable humpback whale exhibit.
And what this is. If you haven't seen it out
in the community yet, it's quite it's quite a sight.
It's a forty five foot humpback whale, so it's two scale,
(14:01):
so if you are out in the water in a
humpback whales swim by you, it would be just like
what you'd be experiencing with our exhibit, and we can
talk about all of their anatomy. People can even go
inside to see their internal anatomy, and we talk about
how our scientists and marine mammal veterinarians study these whales.
(14:23):
And a lot of people don't realize that here in Florida,
we have about twenty different species of whales that live
in our waters, and some of them live here year
round and others like humpback whales and North Atlantic great whales.
They travel here seasonally and so they're just getting ready
to make their migration down to Florida. They live here
typically from November or December to March, and so our
(14:46):
exhibit helps to bring awareness to the fact that we
do have humpback whales here in Florida. They're an amazing
asset and part of our ecosystems and everything that scientists
that FAU Harbor Branch are doing to protect.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Them, Oh fantastic. I can't wait to check that out. So,
of course, with all kinds of great vendors already, and
there's another little special friend coming this year, can you
tell me who they are and where they'll.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Be, Fau's Marine Lab will have a great exhibit where
they have a variety of interactive hands on activities like
what Sea Turtle are You? Which is a fun game.
They'll have three D models of octopus speaks, sea turtles
and shark vertebrae. And then of course they're going to
have a special appearance from their deep Sea Strawberry squid
(15:32):
mascot that you compose with and take photos, so you
definitely don't want to miss that.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
It's going to be so much fun. I think I'm
a leatherback. How about you? Oh you know what?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I want to be a leatherback too. That's the cool ones.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
See we're already there, scientists, cool folks, all right, cool.
I can't wait to see you there. And of course
one of the other exhibitors is the A. N. Gari Foundation,
So what do they do?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
They do amazing work. They're based out of Palm Beach County,
Angari and they're going to be bringing virtual reality headsets
which will allow participants to basically see a three hundred
and sixty degree panorama of what it looks like to
be under the water, and they'll also show some of
their films, so it'll be a really way to be
transported to the ocean from the festival.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Nice. I like that the VR headsets are going to
be a huge hit. And of course Indian River State
College is going to be there, so I know they
do a lot of stuff with astronomy, biology and of
course ocean oceanography.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
They always have a huge exhibit, so definitely shout out
to their team. They come back every year and they
have a huge group talking about a wide range of
sciences that the college isn't invested in Oh, very cool.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I can't have you seen that. And of course moving
on to like some of the other exhibitors animals and
ecology we've got. Oh, the Treasure Coast beekeepers are coming,
So do they bring a high Yeah, you'll.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Have an opportunity to see a beehive and learn about
their behavior, which is a really neat thing to see
in action. It's a fascinating site. Definitely not something you
see every day.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Oh, definitely. I know friends of mine are interested in
becoming beekeepers, so I'll need to let them know that
they're going to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Stella Mars, the Stella Mars environmental research with becoming a
sea turtle scientist, I've always wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Well, now's your chance. If you come to the Science Festival,
you'll get to participate in rescue simulations and talk about
some of the nests that we have along our coast,
as well as some of the tools that they're scientists
are using to study and protect local sea turtles.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Oh nice, of course. I see the Florida Oceanography Society
is coming, so they what do they usually talk about?
Speaker 3 (17:46):
They'll be bringing their sharks and rays, Q and A,
which is one of my favorite topics. I love talking
about sharks and rays and so you'll get to see
some specimens and play games all to learn about some
of our two see friends and that live here locally.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Oh and this one I think is really cool because
I of course love the dolphins. I think a lot
of people do. The hub World Research Institute does a
dolphin photo identification so they did explain how you figure
out which dolphins.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Which yes, exactly, So just like we have fingerprints that
are unique to us, every dolphin has a different dorsal fin,
so that's the fin on their back, and scientists can
use that to identify individuals and track their movements over time.
And I'll give a plug too if you're very interested
in this and you're into wildlife photography. We have a
(18:37):
program here at FAU Harbor Branch called Dolphin Spotter, and
it's a citizen science initiative where if you take photos
of dolphins and you capture their dorsal fin, you can
send them to us and we can match it with
our database and those of collaborators around the regions try
to understand where that animal has been and support some
of the research that we're doing, So definitely check that
(18:57):
out if you're interested in dolphins and talk.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Oh, I definitely will That sounds so cool. And of
course Savannah's Preserve State Park is coming and I see
the Reef Institute will be there as well. So what
do they do.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Well, they'll be talking about coral care, which is very interesting.
So they grow corals in captivity and they help to
restore some of the local areas where we've seen declines
in corals. So you'll actually get to see what it's
like to keep corals and aquariums and some of the
techniques that they use. And it'll be appropriate for all ages,
whether you're just interested in learning about corals as animals
(19:35):
or maybe even wanting to start keeping corals yourself for fun.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Oh sounds cool. And this next one, I'm interesting. This
one is the Groundwork Sanctuary the Plant Power where you
get to build a seed bomb. Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
How cool is that? Yes, they say they'll be mixing clay,
composts and seeds to create seed bombs, so it'll be messy,
creative eco fun.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
So note to families, it's gonna be messy bring away,
but you'll.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Be supporting our local pollinators, so it'll be well worth it.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Oh. Absolutely. Some of the next vendors I see coming
are in the engineering and tech field, so who's coming
for that?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Well, we love Fort Pierce Westwood Academy. They have so
many great attractor programs for students interested in a lot
of different topics. But they're very well known for their
robotics and their Robotics club will be coming and their
exhibit is called Robots to the Rescue, and you'll actually
have an opportunity to navigate robots through obstacle courses and
(20:36):
even try to build your own.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Oh that sounds excuse me, that sounds like a lot
of fun. I like that. And then of course coding
seems to be very popular with the kids.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Yes, and the young Engineers of the Treasure Coast will
be doing a coding activity and even doing some activities
with legos, so you can kind of build different things
and learn about, you know, some of the techie things
that are scientists and engineers do.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Oh and I love this one. Going back in time
but still here. The club science kids are going to
do building many catapults. I love this.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
That is always a hit. So physics meets play it's
a take home project and you can basically launch catapults.
So anything that we've found over the years with the
Science Festival, anything that involves blowing something up, launching something
into the air, or messy fun is always a hit.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I can see why I'm in and I'm a big
kid science right, love the science. Oh and this one
is I think, to be honest between you and me,
and maybe if you listeners, this one is my absolute favorite.
The Wheels in Motion. Wheels in Motion human powered snow
cone machine. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
So we'll have a lot of really great food vendors
at our event, but this is one that we've had
for the last year and basically there's a life size
like human hamster wheel and people can get inside and
run and they'll grind shaved ice to turn into a
(22:14):
snow cone. So engineering meets exercise for this activity and.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
You get a great treat at the end. I totally
love this as a win win all the way around.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Exactly. It gets to burn some calories and then have
a treat. Well.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I like it, and I think it also really can
help kids connect with like like mechanics of how things work,
and you know you're transferring that energy, you're getting your
shaved dice, you know, all that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, you can see it in real time. That's been
a really popular exhibit. We're really excited that they came
back this year.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Oh awesome. And of course there's always health and medicine
part of the Steam events, so you have a couple
vendors for that this year. Who's coming.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
We have the Little Medical School as a Treasure Coast
and they're bringing their mini medical schools so they'll simulate
a checkup, an exam, been writing prescriptions. So this is
a great way for kids to explore what it's like
to be a doctor and do some cool hands on
activities and even role play.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Oh I like that. Yeah. And then you also have
the Abbess the Aba Centers for Florida.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Exactly, and they'll be bringing a sensory friendly activity, so
they're promoting inclusive education throughout our festival as well.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
That's fantastic. And of course now for the art folks
and creativity, this is where the oxfod Eco Center comes in.
What did they do for this year?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Well, they've been a long standing partner of the festival
and so we love our friends over at oxfod EcoCenter
and Saint Lucie County Environmental Division and they bring their
world of away eco sculptures and so they basically have
worked with lots of different community partners over the years
to create these giant sculptures made out of trash that's
(23:57):
been picked up through things like beach cleanups or recycled
materials or even dumpster diving to grab some cool things
that would make a neat art sculpture. And so they
put on an entire exhibit where you can see these
these masterpieces and they're really something to see. And they
even do scavenger hunts and sometimes they'll build sculptures in
(24:18):
real time.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Oh, very cool. And this all sounds so much fun,
Like does all these vendors sound amazing? So a question
for you, if I want to come and be a
volunteer a volunteer, how do I do that?
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Yes, we love volunteers. They're critical to our festival's success
and anyone sixteen or older can sign up to be
a volunteer. And there's a lot of different jobs that
our volunteers help with, from setting up the event to
greeting guests and helping with the check in for our
exhibitors and lots throughout the day, and so you can
(24:49):
sign up on our website which is Irlsciencefest dot org.
And we are actively accepting volunteers. So if you're looking
to get some service hours for the day or just
be out and kind of helping with a fun community event,
we would absolutely love to have you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Oh very cool. And of course the exhibitors can also
sign up to get a booth as well.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Right, yes, we're still accepting exhibitors, but definitely if you
haven't reserved your spot yet, you'll want to do it soon.
We've got over fifty exhibitors that are registered now and
basically any nonprofit school, research institution, or business is eligible
to exhibit with us. We just asked that you bring
a hands on steam themed event and you can also
(25:35):
register at our website.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Oh cool, And of course there's always food trucks. So
who's coming this year other than the shaved dice guy.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
We've got Waffelini's which has gourmet waffles. We have the
Florida Juice Company that offers a variety of fresh juices.
They're one of my favorites. I probably get two or
three juices that day and then we have Jazeppi's Italian
Treats that has a lot of fun dessert items.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Oh, I love it. And of course you have some
really amazing sponsors and partners this year that are really
helping making the festival happen.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Yes, and that's especially important with our tenth anniversary. We
had a lot of great organizations that came to sponsor
this year. The festival is hosted by the Smithsonian Marine Station,
so we definitely want to acknowledge their contribution and their
team that helps to put it on alongside our steering committee.
We've also gotten some support from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute,
(26:29):
Manite Lagoon and FPL Ego Discovery Center, the Indian Real Lagoon,
National Estuary Program, Remnant Construction, the Estate Trust and Elder
Law Firm, and many many more.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Oh, that's so cool, and I know, like I talked
to Eric from Saint Lucie County last week, they always
help out and participate as well every year for Saint
Lucie and City Saint Lucie County and City for Piers.
So lots of folks really pitching in, which I think
is fantastic. And of course we still have more more
fun vendors to talk. So going back to the arts.
(27:02):
Can't wait to see the oxbow Eco Center thing oxbod
Eco Center presentation this year. But you also have I
think it's really neat. It's Saint Lucy County like as
scenic Highway shells.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Yes, guests can actually paint a seatshell to take home
as a way to learn about lagoon conservation and celebrate
all the great work that's happening here.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Oh, very cool. And of course next one definitely going
to warning MESSI tell me about slime time.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yeah, always a hit, right, So you can visit the
trail Blazer's micro school and you can create slime to
take home.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Oh that's they're going to line out the door if
there was a door. This is outside. But that's so cool.
And of course the libraries come. Saint Lucie County Libry
is going to be there and oh interesting, they're doing
sunflowers and serpents this year.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Yeah, so they'll be doing some nature themes crafts with
a storytelling vibe.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I like that. And it's and it's such a good
example of like the arts and everything is all part
of steam. It's all interconnected.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
And then of course a couple more vendors in the
environment and conservation area. So who do we have coming
for that? We have five minutes.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Okay, We've got the US Coast Guard, which will be
bringing a game to learn about pollution.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Oh nice. And then of course, oh we have Smoky
the Bear. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, the Florida for Service will be there to talk
about fire prevention and they'll be bringing, of course, the
famous Smoky's Bear.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Oh and then tell me about this one. I'm quite
excited about this. It's the IRL Aquatic Preserves drifting around.
What is that?
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yeah, so they regularly do studies of how water moves
around in our local watersheds, and so they'll be inviting
the community to decorate drift cards for a water movement studies.
So you'll actually get to do art and participate in science.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
So they then take your completed project and use it
as a drift I like it. And for the kids
who want to know if they can follow their drift card,
they would just talk to the folks there.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Yes, they can absolutely share how they track those over time.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Oh and I might need to come talk to these folks.
Is Saint Lucie County Mosquito Control fight the bite. They
find me very tasty.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, So if you're into bugs, you can visit the
Saint Lucie County Mosquito Control Booth to learn about mosquitoes.
Or you can do the UFI Fast Bio Control Lab
with their Hungry Hungry insects to learn about some herbivorous
bugs and even meet some live specimens.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Oh, very cool. And talking about pollinators, one of your
other vendors is THEFI. The ufifis master Gardeners, So these
folks are just brilliant. You can come and ask any
kind of gardening question as far as like nato plants
and stuff, and they can holy help you out.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Yes, so definitely stop by to see them.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
And I know they're happy to help people, like do
your zero scrape for your lawn like this native plant
would you better in this part of the yard kind
of thing, which I think is fascinating. And then of
course we also have oh gosh, this is interesting. So
we also have conservational Lines of Saint Lucie County to
help people understand green energy.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, so they'll be sharing information about wind, solar and
geothermal energy through lots of hands on activities.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yeah, and we have all of those going on in Florida,
especially the geothermal heat right now. Yes, it's been a
hot summer. And of course we have Saint Lucie County,
the BOCC Water Quality Division and I like this the
only rain goes down the drain. This is a very
good reminder folks, Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
And talking about water quality and how it's so important here.
And they'll be doing some hands on oart and coloring activities,
so there will be some takeaway opportunities there too.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Oh, very nice. So again, how do people sign up
to be a volunteer or a vendor or just to
get more information about the festival?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You can visit us at our website, which is Irlsciencefest
dot org and there you can apply to be a
volunteer or an exhibitor and just find out general information
about our event, which again is going to be hosted
on Saturday, October twenty fifth, from ten am to three
pm at Veterans Memorial Park in the Riverwalk Center in
(31:29):
downtown Fort Pierce, right alongside the beautiful Indian River Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Oh, I love it. And they can also follow you
on social media correct.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Yes, absolutely, you can follow us on Facebook at irl
Science Fest and on Instagram, and we'll be posting lots
of updates on our exhibitors and anything else you need
to know about the festival. There. We even have a
Facebook event created if you want to go ahead and
click that you're going, so you can get notified if
we have any updates.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Oh, definitely sign up for that, folks. It makes it
so much fun. I love it can congratulations again on
your ten year anniversary for the festival. I can't wait
to see it this year, and of course also before
we go, you're always open to getting more sponsors as well.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Correct, Yes, absolutely so. If you're interested in sponsoring our festival,
either this year or in the future, please reach out
to us. It's a really great opportunity to support a
local event that isn't possible without the help from our community,
so we really appreciate that that our sponsors contribute well.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Doctor Gabby, thank you so much for calling in and
sharing all the information with us. I can't wait to
see the event this year.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Thank you so much, and I hope everyone will join
us as we celebrate ten years of the Ani Revilla
Good Science Festival on Saturday, October twenty fifth.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
And If you need more information, reach out to me
Palm Beach Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com and I'm happy
to forward on the details and don't forget you always
download the shows a podcast on our iHeartRadio app. Hope
everybody has a wonderful weekend. I'm dev Nev and this
has been my perspective. Remember life is good, so be
your healthiest and let's get out there and live it.
(33:02):
Until next week, enjoy.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
iHeart Communities, the community engagement arm of the station, champions
critical issues and causes in the area of health and wellness,
social impact, education, literacy, and music and art. Join us
next week from Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective
iHeart Communities Presents Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective, which dead.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Nap, Good morning, Welcome to Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective.
I'm your host Stev. Now, thanks for spending your weekend
with me. All kinds of great things going on. If
you haven't been in a while, head over to the
Lighthouse Jupiter in the Lighthouse has got all kinds of
cool things going on. They've got yoga the light. Of course,
you have the wonderful museum, check that out anytime during
the week. And of course we're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
(00:28):
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County has a great
exhibition running now through October fifteenth in celebration of that,
and of course the City of West Palm Beach They're
Drink of Anything on October tenth from seven to ten
pm at the City Hall Courtyard in Clematis fun Hispanic Festival.
Come check it out. Authentic street food, of course, live music,
(00:50):
lots of fun and dancing. So come on out and
celebrate with your neighbors. That's going to be a fun one. Oh,
don't forget Wellington Green Mall. It's got all kinds of
cool things going on coming up. On Friday, October tenth,
from seven to eight fifteen pm, they're doing a wine
tasting experience. This is the Fall celebration. One on Saturday
in October eleventh is their eighth annual Pink Party of course,
(01:13):
celebration for breast cancer awareness and things like that. I
definitely check that out. And of course on the fifteenth
of the fun thing in the Grand Court the Mommy
Me Costume and dance party, so always fun things. And
then of course on the thirty first itself for Halloween
they do mal Oween, so it's a fun thing as
a free thing for the family and the kiddos to
check out. Reminder, friends, Ballet Palm Beach has got their
(01:35):
season coming so on October twenty fourth through the twenty
six it is snow White featuring the world premiere of
Firefly Summer. And then of course they are going to
welcome Santa Friday, November seventh of the gardens mall go
to Ballet Palmbach dot org for more details and all
the different programs and events and stuff are listed there
(01:55):
for you. Oh, our friends of the craft is such
a huge season coming up for them, Cravis on Broadway
has The Whiz, Kimberly Kimbo Twas the Night before, This
gonna be the Sirka Solet versions. I definitely want to
see that one Choir of Man Some like It, Hot MJ.
The Musicals Coming, Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical, The Notebook,
(02:16):
The Adams Family, Beetlejuice, so lots of stuff there and
of course their Peaks Speries is always super exciting. Definitely
on see this one. On October ninth. It is Step Africa,
The Migration Reflections on Jacob Lawrence. Where do we sit
on the bus. It's going to be October seventeenth through
the nineteenth. Tonality America will be on November second. It's
(02:38):
really cool. They have Kim's Convenience coming February twenty fifth
through March eighth, so lots of great shows and you
go to Cravis dot org to get more tickets and
information and if you're interested in being an usher, they're
also looking for volunteers, so you can do that while
you're there as well. Don't forget Nort's got a great
exhibition coming up, is starting October twenty fifth, going through
(03:02):
April fifth, and it is art and life in remembrance time,
so we'll be talking more Scott about that next week
to get all the scoop, and of course heading outside.
Environmental Resource has all kinds of cool happening. Saint Lucy.
They've got a really neat thing where you can become
a Saint Lucie Water Champion and this one is Reverse
(03:24):
Osmosis Treatment Plant Tour and that's going to be October
twenty second, So lots of cool things going on there.
Go to Saint Lucy Hikes dot gov and the different
programs and things like that are listed there as well
as all the really cool walks and hikes and paddles
and kayaks through all the different preserves. And also a reminder,
Saint Lucy County Libraries are hosting their Halloween Costume Swap
(03:47):
now through October thirty first, so you can bring a
gently use costume and swap it or you can just
leave one if you don't need it anymore. So that's
a fun thing to do as well. And in Palma County,
Pumpage County Environmental Resources they work with the Pumpache County
Natural Areas, so they got a lot of cool things
(04:07):
going on so they have a Sunset four point three
mile trail run happening Wednesday, October eighth from five thirty
to seven pm and that's at Winding Waters Natural Area.
On the seventeenth it is Florida Native Plant Bingo and
that's from nine am till ten thirty am at Frenchman's
(04:29):
Forest Natural Area. Well, and then they're going to do
a peaceful evening kayak Saturday, October eighteenth from five to
seven pm and that's at Winding Waters Natural Area. And
for the bikers in the group, we have off road
bike ride Wednesday, October twenty second from ten am till
twelve thirty pm at Cypress Creek. So to go to
(04:51):
PBCRM to get more details on that. Speaking of more details,
I want to welcome my guests for today. I have
Gabby barbar Wit Mick Henry So, one of the doctors
there at Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
In morning, Hi, Dev, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Oh hey, thanks for calling in. So I know you
guys are super busy right now with your preparations for
the Indian River Lagoons Science Festival. So before we get
to that tell me a little bit about what you
do at Harbor Branch.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Sure, So I leave the public education programs at FAU
Harbor Branch, and our goal is to share the great
marine science research that we do here every day with
our community, and so we have a lot of great
programs before K through twelve students and for members of
the public who are just interested in learning more about
(05:47):
what we do.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Oh, I love it. And speaking of learning, I came
up and did a really nice boat tour and that
was fascinating. So tell the listeners to night what is
that called again?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It's our Indian Lagoon boat tour. And I'm so glad
that you were able to come up and that you
enjoyed it. We were very excited this year. We were
just voted the best eco adventure on the Treasure Coast
for a boat tour, so it's quickly become one of
our most popular programs. And we have a thirty six
passenger pontoon boat that we basically converted into a floating laboratory,
(06:21):
and on board we have lots of cool technology similar
to what our scientists use when they're out in the
field studying different animals and habitats. And so on the
boat tour, you get to do things like spot wildlife
with binoculars. You get to peek under the surface with
a remotely operated vehicle or basically an underwater drone that
(06:42):
shows you live footage of seagrass beds and oyster reefs
and some of the cool fish that live in the lagoon.
You get to learn about water quality testing and even
some cool machines that our scientists us to do that
year round. And so it's just a really great immersive
and top to box assessment of the Indian River Lagoon,
(07:02):
which is a really important estuary that we have here
in our region.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I thought, I agree, it was so fascinating and like
as like a regular person in the public to find
out how important that estuary is and like kind of
like how the life in the aquatic life and the
estuary can reflect what's happening for us.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
For our world exactly, and learning about real science that's
happening in your hometown and what our researchers are doing
every day to learn more about these things and help
to protect those resources too. And so that's a really
cool thing about our tours. You get to explore with
a scientist next to you, putting everything into perspective and
(07:43):
from iding something in real time to you know, saying,
here's what our scientists do with this information. So it's
a really cool tour. I highly recommend it for anyone
that's interested in getting out on the water.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Oh I would too. And I definitely enjoyed the underwater
robotic drone. That was really cool because you can actually
see the seabad like you said, and the grasses that
they're growing, and they were talking about like the maan
tee like these ones, and you know, it's very fascinating.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It's really cool. And this summer we've seen a lot
of fish, so we saw juvenile goliath groupers on several trips,
and then we've seen some really important recreational game fish
like tarpin and snook, lots of mangrove snapper. So it's
so funny throughout the tour as we see different things,
we see people kind of perk up based on their interests.
(08:31):
So whether you're an avid birder, or you're really interested
in seeing dolphins and manatees, or you're a big time fisher,
there's something for everybody. Oh.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I would definitely agree for them to sign up for that.
Where do they go again?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Sure, you can visit our website at FAU dot edu
slash hbo i and you can find information about our
tours right now. This fall, we're offering them every Friday,
but once we get into the spring, which is our
very busy sea, and we'll be doing them Fridays and
Saturdays in the morning and afternoon. People can also call
our Ocean Discovery Visitors Center at seven seven two two
(09:08):
four to two to two nine three and talk to
one of our educators and get signed up and learn
even more about other programs that we offer as well.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Oh fantastic, And speaking of learning, this one is a
right you guys are participating again this year in the
Indian River Lagoons Science Festival, So tell me about that.
I'm really excited to hear about that one.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
We're so excited about the festival. It's an amazing, family friendly,
free event that we've been hosting for over a decade
here on the Treasure Posts. Actually this year is our
tenth anniversary celebration, so we're extra excited about everything, and
it's going to be held on Saturday, October twenty fifth,
(09:51):
from ten am to three pm in Veterans Memorial Park
in the Riverwalk Center in downtown Fork Pierce, and we
are going to have so many fun things for people
of all ages, celebrating steam so science, technology, engineering, art
and math and so here in the Treasure Coast, you know,
(10:11):
we're kind of like the some people call it the
Research Coasts or the Nature Coast because we've got so
many organizations here that are working on these topics, and
so this event is just a really great opportunity to
bring them all together in a beautiful setting. We're located
right along the Indian River Lagoon. It's an outdoor event
(10:31):
and everyone brings booths with different hands on activities to
teach the community about what they do, why it's so important,
and how it relates to their everyday lives. And so,
like I said, we've been doing this. This will be
our tenth festival, and each year it's so popular. We
have thousands of visitors that come to celebrate science with
(10:52):
us for a day. So we're really looking forward to
welcoming them all back this year on Saturday, October twenty fifth.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Oh, I can't wait to be there. That's so cool.
So obviously you ten years, congratulations as a great milestone.
So tell me a little bit about like how it's
been growing from a small festival, community event to this
you know, bigger one. Now we get thousands and thousands
of people.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Well, it's all really thanks to our community and exhibitors
that make it possible. Also, I'll give a shout out
to our Steering Committee, which is a wonderful group that
we have. They're all volunteers and they represent a lot
of local organizations and so we have educators, scientists and
community leaders that all work leading up to the festival
(11:38):
to organize this event. And we have at least fifty
exhibitors that come each year from all of these different
community organizations, and then of course our community that comes
to participate. So it really is a team event. And
over the years, as the festival has, you know, the
name has become recognizable. People market on their calendars every year.
(11:58):
And you know, it's so funny as an exhibit too,
because I also go on behalf of fa you Harbor Branch.
There's some folks that we see every single year and
they tell us that they look forward to it and
we've watched their kids kind of grow older each year,
coming back for different hands on activities, So it really
has become a staple within our community.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Oh and that's a good good point because, like you said,
you're seeing the kids grow older, and every time they
come back, there's a different exhibitor that gets their attention.
So it's multi age appropriate.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Absolutely, and there's something for everyone whether you're into nature
or science and technology, or engineering or even art. There's
you know, something that connects all of our exhibits together.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Oh, very cool. So speaking of the exhibits, so like
the science and Nature section of course, FAU is going
to be there with your exhibit. Can you tell me
what you're bringing or is it a surprise?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Sure, I can tell you what we're bringing. So we
usually have a really large presence at the festival. I
obviously I'm biased, but it's my favorite event of the year.
And so we will have our Marine Mammal Ambulance and
our rescue team uses that to respond to dolphins and
whales that strand along the Treasure Coast, and so we'll
(13:15):
have the ambulance parked there and people can go inside
and explore it and learn how it operates and even
get to demo lifting a dolphin in and out of
the back with their crane system, which is really cool,
so it's kind of like a rescue simulation. And you'll
also get to meet members of our Marine Mammal Stranding
and Population Assessment team, so the people that are on
(13:38):
call actually working with local dolphins and whales in our area.
And speaking of whales, I'm extra excited to share that
we will be bringing our life size inflatable humpback whale exhibit.
And what this is. If you haven't seen it out
in the community yet, it's quite it's quite a sight.
It's a forty five foot humpback whale, so it's two scale,
(14:01):
so if you are out in the water in a
humpback whales swim by you, it would be just like
what you'd be experiencing with our exhibit, and we can
talk about all of their anatomy. People can even go
inside to see their internal anatomy, and we talk about
how our scientists and marine mammal veterinarians study these whales.
(14:23):
And a lot of people don't realize that here in Florida,
we have about twenty different species of whales that live
in our waters, and some of them live here year
round and others like humpback whales and North Atlantic great whales.
They travel here seasonally and so they're just getting ready
to make their migration down to Florida. They live here
typically from November or December to March, and so our
(14:46):
exhibit helps to bring awareness to the fact that we
do have humpback whales here in Florida. They're an amazing
asset and part of our ecosystems and everything that scientists
that FAU Harbor Branch are doing to protect.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Them, Oh fantastic. I can't wait to check that out. So,
of course, with all kinds of great vendors already, and
there's another little special friend coming this year, can you
tell me who they are and where they'll.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Be, Fau's Marine Lab will have a great exhibit where
they have a variety of interactive hands on activities like
what Sea Turtle are You? Which is a fun game.
They'll have three D models of octopus speaks, sea turtles
and shark vertebrae. And then of course they're going to
have a special appearance from their deep Sea Strawberry squid
(15:32):
mascot that you compose with and take photos, so you
definitely don't want to miss that.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
It's going to be so much fun. I think I'm
a leatherback. How about you? Oh you know what?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I want to be a leatherback too. That's the cool ones.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
See we're already there, scientists, cool folks, all right, cool.
I can't wait to see you there. And of course
one of the other exhibitors is the A. N. Gari Foundation,
So what do they do?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
They do amazing work. They're based out of Palm Beach County,
Angari and they're going to be bringing virtual reality headsets
which will allow participants to basically see a three hundred
and sixty degree panorama of what it looks like to
be under the water, and they'll also show some of
their films, so it'll be a really way to be
transported to the ocean from the festival.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Nice. I like that the VR headsets are going to
be a huge hit. And of course Indian River State
College is going to be there, so I know they
do a lot of stuff with astronomy, biology and of
course ocean oceanography.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
They always have a huge exhibit, so definitely shout out
to their team. They come back every year and they
have a huge group talking about a wide range of
sciences that the college isn't invested in Oh, very cool.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I can't have you seen that. And of course moving
on to like some of the other exhibitors animals and
ecology we've got. Oh, the Treasure Coast beekeepers are coming,
So do they bring a high Yeah, you'll.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Have an opportunity to see a beehive and learn about
their behavior, which is a really neat thing to see
in action. It's a fascinating site. Definitely not something you
see every day.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Oh, definitely. I know friends of mine are interested in
becoming beekeepers, so I'll need to let them know that
they're going to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Stella Mars, the Stella Mars environmental research with becoming a
sea turtle scientist, I've always wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Well, now's your chance. If you come to the Science Festival,
you'll get to participate in rescue simulations and talk about
some of the nests that we have along our coast,
as well as some of the tools that they're scientists
are using to study and protect local sea turtles.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Oh nice, of course. I see the Florida Oceanography Society
is coming, so they what do they usually talk about?
Speaker 3 (17:46):
They'll be bringing their sharks and rays, Q and A,
which is one of my favorite topics. I love talking
about sharks and rays and so you'll get to see
some specimens and play games all to learn about some
of our two see friends and that live here locally.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Oh and this one I think is really cool because
I of course love the dolphins. I think a lot
of people do. The hub World Research Institute does a
dolphin photo identification so they did explain how you figure
out which dolphins.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Which yes, exactly, So just like we have fingerprints that
are unique to us, every dolphin has a different dorsal fin,
so that's the fin on their back, and scientists can
use that to identify individuals and track their movements over time.
And I'll give a plug too if you're very interested
in this and you're into wildlife photography. We have a
(18:37):
program here at FAU Harbor Branch called Dolphin Spotter, and
it's a citizen science initiative where if you take photos
of dolphins and you capture their dorsal fin, you can
send them to us and we can match it with
our database and those of collaborators around the regions try
to understand where that animal has been and support some
of the research that we're doing, So definitely check that
(18:57):
out if you're interested in dolphins and talk.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Oh, I definitely will That sounds so cool. And of
course Savannah's Preserve State Park is coming and I see
the Reef Institute will be there as well. So what
do they do.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Well, they'll be talking about coral care, which is very interesting.
So they grow corals in captivity and they help to
restore some of the local areas where we've seen declines
in corals. So you'll actually get to see what it's
like to keep corals and aquariums and some of the
techniques that they use. And it'll be appropriate for all ages,
whether you're just interested in learning about corals as animals
(19:35):
or maybe even wanting to start keeping corals yourself for fun.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Oh sounds cool. And this next one, I'm interesting. This
one is the Groundwork Sanctuary the Plant Power where you
get to build a seed bomb. Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
How cool is that? Yes, they say they'll be mixing clay,
composts and seeds to create seed bombs, so it'll be messy,
creative eco fun.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
So note to families, it's gonna be messy bring away,
but you'll.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Be supporting our local pollinators, so it'll be well worth it.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Oh. Absolutely. Some of the next vendors I see coming
are in the engineering and tech field, so who's coming
for that?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Well, we love Fort Pierce Westwood Academy. They have so
many great attractor programs for students interested in a lot
of different topics. But they're very well known for their
robotics and their Robotics club will be coming and their
exhibit is called Robots to the Rescue, and you'll actually
have an opportunity to navigate robots through obstacle courses and
(20:36):
even try to build your own.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Oh that sounds excuse me, that sounds like a lot
of fun. I like that. And then of course coding
seems to be very popular with the kids.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Yes, and the young Engineers of the Treasure Coast will
be doing a coding activity and even doing some activities
with legos, so you can kind of build different things
and learn about, you know, some of the techie things
that are scientists and engineers do.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Oh and I love this one. Going back in time
but still here. The club science kids are going to
do building many catapults. I love this.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
That is always a hit. So physics meets play it's
a take home project and you can basically launch catapults.
So anything that we've found over the years with the
Science Festival, anything that involves blowing something up, launching something
into the air, or messy fun is always a hit.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I can see why I'm in and I'm a big
kid science right, love the science. Oh and this one
is I think, to be honest between you and me,
and maybe if you listeners, this one is my absolute favorite.
The Wheels in Motion. Wheels in Motion human powered snow
cone machine. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
So we'll have a lot of really great food vendors
at our event, but this is one that we've had
for the last year and basically there's a life size
like human hamster wheel and people can get inside and
run and they'll grind shaved ice to turn into a
(22:14):
snow cone. So engineering meets exercise for this activity and.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
You get a great treat at the end. I totally
love this as a win win all the way around.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Exactly. It gets to burn some calories and then have
a treat. Well.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I like it, and I think it also really can
help kids connect with like like mechanics of how things work,
and you know you're transferring that energy, you're getting your
shaved dice, you know, all that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, you can see it in real time. That's been
a really popular exhibit. We're really excited that they came
back this year.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Oh awesome. And of course there's always health and medicine
part of the Steam events, so you have a couple
vendors for that this year. Who's coming.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
We have the Little Medical School as a Treasure Coast
and they're bringing their mini medical schools so they'll simulate
a checkup, an exam, been writing prescriptions. So this is
a great way for kids to explore what it's like
to be a doctor and do some cool hands on
activities and even role play.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Oh I like that. Yeah. And then you also have
the Abbess the Aba Centers for Florida.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Exactly, and they'll be bringing a sensory friendly activity, so
they're promoting inclusive education throughout our festival as well.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
That's fantastic. And of course now for the art folks
and creativity, this is where the oxfod Eco Center comes in.
What did they do for this year?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Well, they've been a long standing partner of the festival
and so we love our friends over at oxfod EcoCenter
and Saint Lucie County Environmental Division and they bring their
world of away eco sculptures and so they basically have
worked with lots of different community partners over the years
to create these giant sculptures made out of trash that's
(23:57):
been picked up through things like beach cleanups or recycled
materials or even dumpster diving to grab some cool things
that would make a neat art sculpture. And so they
put on an entire exhibit where you can see these
these masterpieces and they're really something to see. And they
even do scavenger hunts and sometimes they'll build sculptures in
(24:18):
real time.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Oh, very cool. And this all sounds so much fun,
Like does all these vendors sound amazing? So a question
for you, if I want to come and be a
volunteer a volunteer, how do I do that?
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Yes, we love volunteers. They're critical to our festival's success
and anyone sixteen or older can sign up to be
a volunteer. And there's a lot of different jobs that
our volunteers help with, from setting up the event to
greeting guests and helping with the check in for our
exhibitors and lots throughout the day, and so you can
(24:49):
sign up on our website which is Irlsciencefest dot org.
And we are actively accepting volunteers. So if you're looking
to get some service hours for the day or just
be out and kind of helping with a fun community event,
we would absolutely love to have you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Oh very cool. And of course the exhibitors can also
sign up to get a booth as well.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Right, yes, we're still accepting exhibitors, but definitely if you
haven't reserved your spot yet, you'll want to do it soon.
We've got over fifty exhibitors that are registered now and
basically any nonprofit school, research institution, or business is eligible
to exhibit with us. We just asked that you bring
a hands on steam themed event and you can also
(25:35):
register at our website.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Oh cool, And of course there's always food trucks. So
who's coming this year other than the shaved dice guy.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
We've got Waffelini's which has gourmet waffles. We have the
Florida Juice Company that offers a variety of fresh juices.
They're one of my favorites. I probably get two or
three juices that day and then we have Jazeppi's Italian
Treats that has a lot of fun dessert items.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Oh, I love it. And of course you have some
really amazing sponsors and partners this year that are really
helping making the festival happen.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Yes, and that's especially important with our tenth anniversary. We
had a lot of great organizations that came to sponsor
this year. The festival is hosted by the Smithsonian Marine Station,
so we definitely want to acknowledge their contribution and their
team that helps to put it on alongside our steering committee.
We've also gotten some support from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute,
(26:29):
Manite Lagoon and FPL Ego Discovery Center, the Indian Real Lagoon,
National Estuary Program, Remnant Construction, the Estate Trust and Elder
Law Firm, and many many more.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Oh, that's so cool, and I know, like I talked
to Eric from Saint Lucie County last week, they always
help out and participate as well every year for Saint
Lucie and City Saint Lucie County and City for Piers.
So lots of folks really pitching in, which I think
is fantastic. And of course we still have more more
fun vendors to talk. So going back to the arts.
(27:02):
Can't wait to see the oxbow Eco Center thing oxbod
Eco Center presentation this year. But you also have I
think it's really neat. It's Saint Lucy County like as
scenic Highway shells.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Yes, guests can actually paint a seatshell to take home
as a way to learn about lagoon conservation and celebrate
all the great work that's happening here.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Oh, very cool. And of course next one definitely going
to warning MESSI tell me about slime time.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yeah, always a hit, right, So you can visit the
trail Blazer's micro school and you can create slime to
take home.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Oh that's they're going to line out the door if
there was a door. This is outside. But that's so cool.
And of course the libraries come. Saint Lucie County Libry
is going to be there and oh interesting, they're doing
sunflowers and serpents this year.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Yeah, so they'll be doing some nature themes crafts with
a storytelling vibe.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I like that. And it's and it's such a good
example of like the arts and everything is all part
of steam. It's all interconnected.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
And then of course a couple more vendors in the
environment and conservation area. So who do we have coming
for that? We have five minutes.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Okay, We've got the US Coast Guard, which will be
bringing a game to learn about pollution.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Oh nice. And then of course, oh we have Smoky
the Bear. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, the Florida for Service will be there to talk
about fire prevention and they'll be bringing, of course, the
famous Smoky's Bear.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Oh and then tell me about this one. I'm quite
excited about this. It's the IRL Aquatic Preserves drifting around.
What is that?
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yeah, so they regularly do studies of how water moves
around in our local watersheds, and so they'll be inviting
the community to decorate drift cards for a water movement studies.
So you'll actually get to do art and participate in science.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
So they then take your completed project and use it
as a drift I like it. And for the kids
who want to know if they can follow their drift card,
they would just talk to the folks there.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Yes, they can absolutely share how they track those over time.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Oh and I might need to come talk to these folks.
Is Saint Lucie County Mosquito Control fight the bite. They
find me very tasty.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, So if you're into bugs, you can visit the
Saint Lucie County Mosquito Control Booth to learn about mosquitoes.
Or you can do the UFI Fast Bio Control Lab
with their Hungry Hungry insects to learn about some herbivorous
bugs and even meet some live specimens.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Oh, very cool. And talking about pollinators, one of your
other vendors is THEFI. The ufifis master Gardeners, So these
folks are just brilliant. You can come and ask any
kind of gardening question as far as like nato plants
and stuff, and they can holy help you out.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Yes, so definitely stop by to see them.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
And I know they're happy to help people, like do
your zero scrape for your lawn like this native plant
would you better in this part of the yard kind
of thing, which I think is fascinating. And then of
course we also have oh gosh, this is interesting. So
we also have conservational Lines of Saint Lucie County to
help people understand green energy.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, so they'll be sharing information about wind, solar and
geothermal energy through lots of hands on activities.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yeah, and we have all of those going on in Florida,
especially the geothermal heat right now. Yes, it's been a
hot summer. And of course we have Saint Lucie County,
the BOCC Water Quality Division and I like this the
only rain goes down the drain. This is a very
good reminder folks, Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
And talking about water quality and how it's so important here.
And they'll be doing some hands on oart and coloring activities,
so there will be some takeaway opportunities there too.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Oh, very nice. So again, how do people sign up
to be a volunteer or a vendor or just to
get more information about the festival?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You can visit us at our website, which is Irlsciencefest
dot org and there you can apply to be a
volunteer or an exhibitor and just find out general information
about our event, which again is going to be hosted
on Saturday, October twenty fifth, from ten am to three
pm at Veterans Memorial Park in the Riverwalk Center in
(31:29):
downtown Fort Pierce, right alongside the beautiful Indian River Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Oh, I love it. And they can also follow you
on social media correct.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Yes, absolutely, you can follow us on Facebook at irl
Science Fest and on Instagram, and we'll be posting lots
of updates on our exhibitors and anything else you need
to know about the festival. There. We even have a
Facebook event created if you want to go ahead and
click that you're going, so you can get notified if
we have any updates.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Oh, definitely sign up for that, folks. It makes it
so much fun. I love it can congratulations again on
your ten year anniversary for the festival. I can't wait
to see it this year, and of course also before
we go, you're always open to getting more sponsors as well.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Correct, Yes, absolutely so. If you're interested in sponsoring our festival,
either this year or in the future, please reach out
to us. It's a really great opportunity to support a
local event that isn't possible without the help from our community,
so we really appreciate that that our sponsors contribute well.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Doctor Gabby, thank you so much for calling in and
sharing all the information with us. I can't wait to
see the event this year.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Thank you so much, and I hope everyone will join
us as we celebrate ten years of the Ani Revilla
Good Science Festival on Saturday, October twenty fifth.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
And If you need more information, reach out to me
Palm Beach Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com and I'm happy
to forward on the details and don't forget you always
download the shows a podcast on our iHeartRadio app. Hope
everybody has a wonderful weekend. I'm dev Nev and this
has been my perspective. Remember life is good, so be
your healthiest and let's get out there and live it.
(33:02):
Until next week, enjoy.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
iHeart Communities, the community engagement arm of the station, champions
critical issues and causes in the area of health and wellness,
social impact, education, literacy, and music and art. Join us
next week from Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective
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