<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000'>Penguins, Antarctica, and Climate Change Focus of Free School Vacation Week Event at the MBL<br><br>MBL scientist Hugh Ducklow to discuss Antarctic research followed by screening of award-winning film “March of the Penguins” <br><br>MBL, WOODS HOLE, MA — Antarctica is warming. Ice is melting and ecosystems are changing. What’s a penguin to do? And it’s not just penguins. In some parts of Antarctica, the numbers of seabirds, seals, whales and other animals that rely on food in the ocean around Antarctica are getting smaller and smaller. Why are these animals being forced to change their habits? Why must they struggle to survive? <br><br>The MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) Associates invite families to discover more about this scientific detective story at a school vacation week event titled “Aren’t Penguins Cool? Penguins and the Warming of Antarctica” on Wednesday, April 22 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM in the Speck Auditorium located inside the Rowe Laboratory on the corner of Water and MBL Streets, Woods Hole. The event is free and open to the public.<br><br>Dr. Hugh Ducklow, director of the MBL’s Ecosystems Center and chief scientist at the Palmer Station, Antarctica will give a presentation for grade school children and their parents about the research being done in Antarctica to learn more about the ocean ecosystem and the animals that live there. Dr. Ducklow’s talk will be followed by a screening of the Academy Award-winning, G-rated film "March of the Penguins," which chronicles the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica.<br><br>The event is open to children grades 3 through 8. Families are welcome and all children must be accompanied by adults. Free parking will be available at the MBL’s Bar Neck Road lot on Bar Neck Road, Woods Hole (across from the Woods Hole Yacht Club).<br><br>For more information or directions, contact the MBL Associates Office at 508-289-7281 or the MBL Communications Office at 508-289-7423 or e-mail comm@mbl.edu.<br><br>—###—<br><br>The MBL is a leading international, independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to discovery and to improving the human condition through creative research and education in the biological, biomedical and environmental sciences. Founded in 1888 as the Marine Biological Laboratory, the MBL is the oldest private marine laboratory in the Americas. For more information, visit www.MBL.edu.<br><br>The MBL Associates are a group of individuals and businesses that support the scientific mission of the MBL through their gifts to the Annual Fund. The Associates sponsor educational and research programs for the MBL and raise funds for special projects. In addition, they operate the MBL Associates Gift Shop, located on Water Street in Woods Hole, the profits from which support scientific fellowships.<br></div></body></html>