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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will open the
23,000 square foot Sant Ocean Hall to the public on Saturday, September
27. If you're traveling to the Washington, DC area, you should make some
time to see it!

In the meantime, the press conference to announce the opening will be
webcast tomorrow (Wednesday, September 24) at 9:15.

The link is: http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/press.html 

Bill

Bill Watson 
Chief of Onsite Learning 
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
(202) 633-1127
[log in to unmask]

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*Information about the Sant Ocean Hall*

The Sant Ocean Hall is the first phase of the Museum's more expansive
ocean initiative. Its core message is "The Ocean is a Global System
Essential to all Life - Including Yours!" As the centerpiece of the
museum's unparalleled marine collection - the largest in the world with
more than 80 million specimens - the Hall is the only exhibition in the
country devoted exclusively to a global view of the ocean.

The Sant Ocean Hall illuminates the best of Smithsonian marine science,
its scientists and collections. It is also celebrates the collaboration
and multidisciplinary contributions of many individuals throughout this
institution, NOAA, and many of the nation's leading conservation and
marine organizations.

Some highlights of the Hall are:

- 45-foot-long North Atlantic right whale modeled after "Phoenix," a
female whale in the wild, hanging from the Hall's ceiling.

- 24-foot long female giant squid not seen anywhere else in the U.S. and
suspended in 1,200 gallons of a special, nontoxic, clear fluid developed
by 3M.

- 674 specimens - more than you'll see in any other similar exhibit in
the world

- 6-foot-tall prehistoric shark jaws and a giant spider crab from Japan.

- Ancient animal fossils more than 500 million years old, including a
whale fossil unearthed in Egypt and never displayed before.

- A 1,500-gallon tank featuring an Indo-Pacific coral reef with more
than 1,000 live specimens including fish, corals, crustaceans and
mollusks.

- Breathtaking high-definition, video experience "Ocean Odyssey"
projected on the surrounding upper walls and virtually immersing
visitors in a unique underwater experience. 

- NOAA's 3-dimensional animated globe "Science on a Sphere" displaying
dynamic images of the Earth's marine life and interactions of the global
ocean.

- Worldwide updates on the latest ocean topics broadcast live from the
interactive "Ocean Today" news kiosk.

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