Bermuda's party lovers can have a good time and help the environment next Saturday.

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is throwing a fun-filled Beach Party at Tucker's Point Beach Club on June 28. Proceeds from the tickets will benefit BIOS' century-old marine research and educational programmes.

In an effort to encourage younger people within the Bermudian community to become involved in the various activities of the Institute a limited number of tickets will be available at a reduced price.

"Our hope is to reach people of all ages with special emphasis on the next generation.

They will inherit the Island, its rich traditions and amazing beauty," said Dr. Anthony Knap, President and Director of BIOS.

"BIOS is one of the oldest non-profits on the Island, established in 1903. Yet, it's future is dependent on ensuring that those who love Bermuda, will look after it. By hosting the Beach Party we hope to inform a new younger audience and encourage them to become more involved with the work that is being carried out at BIOS."

Vanessa Shorto, BIOS Community Outreach and Events Officer said: "The Beach Party will be a less formal evening than our usual events and will take a different format, which should be great fun. A limited number of tickets at a reduced price have been designated for individuals under 35 to make the evening more affordable."

The evening will start at 7 p.m. with exotic drinks and steel pan music. Dinner will be served from various stations for a more casual atmosphere.

There will be music and dancing throughout the evening and a silent auction with many different items up for sale, including a biking trip through Vietnam, a week's stay in a privately-owned house in St. Barts, four mezzanine tickets on the 35 yard line for Superbowl XLII, a science cruise aboard the UNOLS fleet ship and BIOS research vessel the Bank of Bermuda Atlantic Explorer, as well as a day of research tagging sharks. There will also be science displays set up for a glimpse into the work being carried out at BIOS. "Island Invasion: 400 Years of Change", will focus on the lion fish invasion," said BIOS Education Officer JP Skinner. "It will also describe our efforts to manage the growing populations, native plant restoration and the effect of shipwrecks on coral health over the centuries.

"And Dr. Andreas Andersson will display a creative pollution experiment using Bermuda's second favourite mode of transportation, the scooter.

"Energy production from burning of fossil fuels, oil and coal, for example, results in a release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. A substantial fraction of this carbon dioxide is taken up by the oceans and changes the acid-base balance of surface seawater making it more acidic, a process know as ocean acidification."

Scientists from BIOS will demonstrate this process and its potential consequences to marine calcifying organisms by diverting the exhaust from a scooter into a seawater tank.

The resulting changes in seawater chemistry may have severe effects on marine organisms including corals, coralline algae and vermetid mollusks responsible for the characteristic 'boiler' reefs of Bermuda, as well as Homotrema rubrum, the single cell organisms responsible for the pink color of Bermuda's beaches.

The evening will change tempo at 11 p.m. with a full cash bar and move closer to the beach with a bonfire and live music. Contact Vanessa Shorto on 297-1880, ext. 204 or e-mail at vanessa.shorto@bios.edu">vanessa.shorto@bios.edu.