CAMBRIDGE — The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory invites the public to a free Open House on Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located along the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the laboratory is renowned for its study of marine ecosystems.

The theme for this year’s event is “Explore the Bay.” It features exhibits by the laboratory’s scientists of their investigations in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal areas along the Atlantic Coast. This year, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science celebrates 90 years of leading the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

“This is the best day of the year for the community to learn about the science of the Bay. Everyone at the lab is on deck to explain their research with activities and displays that make it easy to understand,” said Horn Point Laboratory Director Mike Roman.

• See underwater vehicles that can follow a school of fish or take the temperature of the ocean when big storms travel up the coast.

• See an animation of the travels of oyster larvae as they move from the reef where they spawned to their new, permanent home reef.

• Match up a DNA sequence to microscopic creatures important to the food chain.

• Get up close with a sturgeon whose ancestors date to the Jurassic period.

• Meet and talk to graduate students about their environmental career goals.

• At the children’s activity booth, create animals that live in the water with thumb print art. Play games that teach fun facts about the Bay.

For more information, visit umces.edu/hpl/openhouse2015 or contact Liz Freedlander at lfreedlander@umces.edu. The Horn Point Laboratory campus is located 2020 Horn Point Road on Route 343 outside of Cambridge.