The Marine Science Institute is a non-profit organization that offers interdisciplinary hands-on science and environmental education programs to students of all ages throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. Founded in 1970, our innovative programs represent over three decades of experience. Our waterfront campus sits on the southern shore of the San Francisco Bay.

Our main program takes place on our 90-foot research vessel, the Robert G. Brownlee, where students spend 4 hours discovering the multitude of life in the San Francisco Bay. They rotate through several hands-on stations and use real scientific equipment to take water samples, collect and identify plankton, sample the mud and invertebrates at the bottom of the Bay, and catch and identify an assortment of fish.

Land-based programs offered include a shoreside program, outreach programs (which take live fish, sharks and other marine organisms to classrooms), tide pool expeditions and ocean labs. During the summer, week-long summer camps are offered to kids ages 4 and up.