A new exhibit at the Alaska SeaLife Center offers an interactive way for guests to learn how the organization’s researchers study Alaska’s oceans.

The science exhibit begins by informing guests how their exhibit tickets directly support scientific discovery at the center, according to a Tuesday press release.

“This summer we are highlighting the newest horizons of science that our research team is exploring–specifically the ones related to using technology to understand animals in their natural habitats,” Dr. Amy Bishop, assistant science department head, said.

The displays will be updated regularly, but this summer, the exhibit highlights research projects investigating habitat use and the survival of Steller sea lions and Pacific sleeper sharks.

The exhibit is interactive and provides hands-on opportunities to better understand sensors, telemetry tags and processes that help local researchers know where animals are and where they’re going. The exhibit also includes a thermal imaging camera, and visitors can see a thermal image of their body on the large screen. The same sensor is also used to study animal health and monitoring ocean temperatures, the release said.

The exhibit will be updated regularly to reflect the most recent science occurring at the center.

Visitors to the exhibit are encouraged to write questions to the center’s researchers, which will be answered later on the center’s blog or Facebook page. The center is open until 9 p.m. daily in Seward.

The new exhibit at the Alaska SeaLife Center focuses on the center’s ongoing research, Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center)