Residents and tourists alike this weekend will be able to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

The annual Marine Science Day will be held there this coming Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. and admission is free.

Included in the events will be hands-on experiments, boat expeditions and special tours of the facility.

Station spokesperson Kathleen Frith said the event was their "way of inviting the people of Bermuda to come down and learn about the things we do here''.

She described the day as being for "all ages'' and said, for the event, the main hall of the Biological Station would be turned into a "big science fair''.

"In the hall, we'll have a whole number of hands-on activities,'' she said.

"There'll be various displays and exhibits, including video footage from the Jason Project.'' Ms Frith added that there would be special Internet displays with which guests would have the opportunity of putting their pictures on the net.

Also scheduled for the day are various tours which cover different aspects of the Biological Station's research.

"One tour will involve looking at oceanography and at the ways in which air and water interact. This will include learning about global climate change and how hurricanes are formed,'' Ms Frith said.

She added: "There will be computers which visitors will be able to track hurricane models on.'' According to Ms Frith, the oceanography tour would also include experiments on aquiculture, which was, basically, farming under the sea.

"We have scientists who've been looking at ways of farming scallops under the water and we'll include something on this,'' she said.

Another tour would be centred on the theme of molecular marine biology.

Ms Frith explained: "This tour will include looking at examples of coral symbiosis and various medicines that come from the sea.'' Visitors will be able to look at bacteria under a microscope and even come face to face with spiny lobsters, which are currently being studied at the station.

Additionally, there will be a tour of the Biological Station's research vessel Weatherbird II and also mini expeditions in smaller craft where visitors will get the opportunity of collecting specimens from the water and coming back to the lab to examine them.

Also open, according to Ms Frith, would be the station's coral labs in which people would get the chance to learn about the Island's reef system and what is being done to protect it.

There would also be numerous activities for younger people.

Ms Frith said: "For the kids, as well as all our other exhibits of course, there'll be an environmental art tent in which they'll be able to make things like glass jewellery.'' Children attending the event will have the opportunity of taking part in some fun science experiments where, as Ms Frith explained, "they can do things like make their own slime or create volcanic eruptions''.

She added: "We'll also have all the basic Bermudian kids activities like a bouncy castle, face painting, a really funny marine themed puppet show and, of course, Dotty the Clown.'' Ms Frith said people should park at Kindley Field Park, on the other side of Ferry Reach to the station, and come across on the complementary water shuttle service that will run periodically.

For more information on Marine Science Day contact Ms Frith on 297-1880 or look up the Biological Station's web site at www.bbsr.edu.

Sea exploration: Visitors to last year's Marine Science Day at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research take a mini-expedition into St. George's Harbour. The annual event is held by the Station to give residents and tourists an educational and fun glimpse of marine biology research in action.