MEDIA CONTACT: Cara C. Perry
772-873-3339, ccarlton@fau.edu

FAU and Harbor Branch Partner to
Offer Semester By the Sea Program in Spring 2006

FORT PIERCE, FL (January 5, 2006)- There is still time to sign up for Semester by the Sea, a semester-long immersion into a unique variety of hands-on marine science courses offered through Florida Atlantic University and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. All courses are accredited by FAU and take advantage of Harbor Branch's unique resources and staff. Semester by the Sea courses are for students with a minimum of an associates degree who have completed certain pre-requisites. Classes begin January 9, and registration ends January 17.

FAU courses at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution this spring include:

* Marine Science
* Marine Biodiversity
* Marine Ecology
* Functional Biology of Marine Animals
* Marine Microbiology/ Molecular Biology
* Advanced Marine Microbiology/ Molecular Biology (graduate-level course)

The Fort Pierce Harbor Branch site borders the Indian River Lagoon that facilitates activities such as seining, sieving, snorkeling and boat trips. Students also gain exposure to a variety of local and coastal habitats, including sea grass meadows, mangrove forests, salt marshes, inter-tidal mudflats, sandy shores, beach communities and near-shore reefs. Harbor Branch's on-site teaching facility, the Johnson Education Center, is equipped with classrooms, teaching labs, a computer lab and a 350-seat auditorium with sophisticated audio-visual capabilities.

For Semester by the Sea registration information, call the FAU Office of Student Services at 772-873-3301.

-FAU-