Students are invited to stop by the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) booths at the 18th Annual State Scientist Day on Wednesday, May 24. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the west steps of the Capitol. DFG personnel will present unique exhibits about oil spills, wildlife observation, and California's amazing biodiversity.

"This year we are striving to educate kids about how science is part of their everyday lives," said Bobbie Winn, DFG's State Scientist Day coordinator.

DFG's Office of Oil Spill and Prevention and Response will conduct a modified Geo Cache exercise in which participants will locate and track down an animal in need of rescue using GPS receivers. The exercise models an actual oil spill response effort.

Hands-on activities like track identification, species adaptations and a habitat-matching challenge will task student "wildlife detectives" to turn their observations into inferences about the state's diverse species. Students will learn the latest fish population monitoring techniques with a fish tagging demonstration, and also how an electro-fishing boat works. The ever-popular mobile fish exhibit will show the differences between California's native and non-native fish.

DFG's participation is just one part of State Scientist Day, an annual event held by the California Association of Professional Scientists. This year's theme is "Science Surrounds You." For more information, please visit http://www.capsscientists.org/.