NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute Teams Up With Westin Resorts to Give Guests the Vacation of a Lifetime

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – So you’ve watched The Discovery Channel and thought to yourself: “What those researchers are doing looks really cool, I’d love to do that, too.”

Well, here’s your chance.

Nova Southeastern University and NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute are working together with the Westin Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale to provide a once-in-a-lifetime vacation opportunity.

Thanks to a special vacation package, visitors will receive an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of NSU’s Oceanographic Center and NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute to learn more about shark conservation and the outstanding work being done by NSU faculty and researchers.

“This is a great opportunity for visitors to our area to see the outstanding work being done at NSU’s Oceanographic Center,” said Richard Dodge, Ph.D., the center’s dean. “Preservation and conservation go hand-in-hand with education, and this program will provide the opportunity to learn about these majestic animals.”

This new program takes vacationing at the beach to a whole new level. Participants will learn more about NSU’s shark-tagging research and then get to hit the water to help researchers. While on board, participants will help put fishing equipment together, they will bait the hooks used to catch the sharks and will place the gear in the water.

Once a shark is caught and brought safely on the boat by the NSU research team, guests will be able help measure and tag the animal, collect samples of tissue and take photos before the shark is released back into the ocean.  Some of the possible sharks that may be tagged include nurse, blacktip, spinner, sandbar, blacknose, lemon, Atlantic sharp nose, tiger, bull, mako and great hammerhead.

The new, two-night shark tagging experience will be offered during select weekends throughout the summer starting July 25-27, 2014. For more information on pricing and package details, those interested should call 954-467-1111 or visit Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach

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About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 26,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

About NSU’s Oceanographic Center: The Oceanographic Center provides high-quality graduate education programs (i.e. master’s, doctoral, certificate) in a broad range of marine science disciplines. Center researchers carry out innovative, basic and applied marine and research programs in coral reel biology, ecology, and geology; fish biology, ecology, and conservation; shark and billfish ecology; fisheries science; deep sea organismal biology and ecology; invertebrate and vertebrate genomics, genetics, molecular ecology, and evolution; microbiology; biodiversity;  observation and modeling of large scale ocean circulation, coastal dynamics, and ocean atmosphere coupling;  benthic habitat mapping; biodiversity; histology; and calcification. For more information, please visit http://www.nova.edu/ocean