School and Group Programs
Lab Spaces
Lab time is an important part of the learning experience at Headlands Institute. Our labs are designed to strengthen the impact of outdoor investigations by incorporating technology and allowing students to make discoveries not easily made in the field setting. Lab activities generally last for 1 hour.
Marine Lab
Our state-of-the-art intertidal marine lab is home to urchins, sea stars, crabs, and more than 15 other species. Topics commonly explored in the marine lab include physiology, adaptations, and food chains. The lab is designed to give students an experience which will deepen their understanding of the intertidal habitat and help them reflect upon their relationship to the ocean.
The lab consists of a 12-foot-long habitat tank and an investigation bench where students can look closely at tidepool creatures during their investigations of the animals. A high powered digital microscope allows students to watch sea stars' tube feet in action, urchins feeding, and more.
Students also discover displays featuring scientists from around the world and ocean products representing over 30 different cultures which support a broader understanding of how different people from across the globe relate to and utilize the ocean.
Skins and Skulls Lab
In the Skins and Skulls Lab, students have the opportunity to see and touch pelts, bones, and feathers. The lab also includes over 50 taxidermied animal sepcies native to the Marin Headlands. Common activities in the Skins and Skulls Lab include practicing observation skills, investigating animals' physical adaptations, field sketching, and identification of pelts and skulls.
Microscope Lab
The microscope lab is used for a number of scientific investigations, depending on the area of study selected. Compound and stereo microscopes are used for different investigations and a video microscope allows instructors to project interesting specimens on a screen for all students to see.
Students may study and identify macro-invertebrates they collected from Rodeo Pond, plankton from the ocean and lagoon, or other biotic or abiotic specimens they collect while hiking in the Marin Headlands.
