LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE INTERACTIVE OCEAN JOURNEY Imagine diving thousands of feet into the ocean off Palm Beach County in a state-of-the-art submersible, without ever having to leave your computer! That's what students at the Academy of Environmental Science and Technology at Forest Hill High School will do on Thursday, Feb. 24, thanks to a new interactive CD-ROM set called "Sea Profiles". The virtual-reality ocean exploration will begin at 10am. The media is invited to visit and interact with the class as students take their first trips using this exciting new educational tool. One of the most comprehensive two-CD sets of its kind ever produced, the "Sea Profiles" project was two years in the making at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc., where the Media Lab, using a grant from Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises' Ocean Fund, put together an ocean journey that can literally take people to places in our oceans they've never imagined. "Sea Profiles" focuses on the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Florida, and is organized into four main sections; - The Physical Ocean, which explores currents, weather, and geology. - Ecosystems and Habitats presents inshore, seashore, open ocean, and benthic communities. - Migrations, following the path of whales, sea turtles, and other marine animals. - The sections on Research Projects and Research Methods cover a broad range of actual ocean science studies and the specially-designed tools, like HBOI's Johnson Sea-Link submersibles, used to gather samples and data. The Academy is providing computer equipment and a projector so everyone will be able to fully explore the interactive "Sea Profiles" CD, and copies of the CD will be available to the media. You can also visit www.seaprofiles.com to view samples from the program. In addition, BETA-tape broadcast-quality copies of video used in the production of the "Sea Profiles" interactive CD will be made available to anyone requiring it. For furzther information, contact Cheryl Jorandby at the Academy of Environmental Science and Technology at (772) 540-3027, or HARBOR BRANCH, Director of Public Relations, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc., (772) 465-2400 ext.206. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to the exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of mankind.