Imagine...
It is 2009 and a group of fourth grade students are entering the John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. Just past the atrium, they come upon a large aquarium teeming with marine life. Fish are swimming in and out of a replica of a sixteenth-century shipwreck. Intermingled with the fish are nautical archaeologists in scuba gear laying grids over the wreck and preparing to record its dimensions. Students from the University of West Florida’s Shipwreck Archaeology class are volunteering as docents on this day and are positioned outside the aquarium where they explain to the curious fourth graders that the math and science they are learning in the classroom are applicable to excavating and recording an underwater archaeological site. The university students invite their young visitors to observe a real-time video of an archaeology dig taking place at that moment on Santa Rosa Island or on a shipwreck in Pensacola Bay. Parents accompanying the students hear about opportunities to dive with archaeologists in workshops sponsored by the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Headquartered on site, the Florida Public Archeology Network coordinates archaeology for the general public in the State of Florida and offers the general public programs, educational exhibits, locations maps of archaeological sites open to the public and the opportunity to be involved in ongoing projects locally and across the state.

The Ocean Aquarium

• An anticipated 300,000 visitors annually will be greeted by the three story, 135,000 gallon LAMAR Ocean Aquarium. This feature will be the focal point of the State of Florida Maritime Museum.
• The Ocean Aquarium will support educational programs in the marine sciences and underwater archaeology.
• Educational programs will promote the need to preserve our underwater resources, educating children and adults on how they affect our maritime and coastal resources today and how they can ensure their preservation in the future.
• An interactive exhibit will allow visitors to view aquarium pump and filtration systems, demonstrating the fragility of our marine ecosystem.
• Interactive educational programs will encourage students and visitors to explore science and math as they learn about the mysteries of the sea.

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