Gov. Jay Inslee and Mrs. Inslee visited the Science and Math Institute (SAMi), this week, but the group never entered a building. Instead, students shared some of their hands-on learning projects and experiences at the Point Defiance Marina and in Point Defiance Park.

The governor got a look at the C.O.R.E. Project currently housed at the Point Defiance Marina, where unassuming net pens contain 50,000 juvenile Chinook salmon, delivered in early May by the Puyallup Tribe. The governor and first spouse received a lesson from students on feeding and caring for the salmon and a demonstration of the underwater cameras used for observations. Read more about the C.O.R.E. project on our website.

Students in SAMi’s field studies class took the governor and first spouse on a short walk into Point Defiance Park, where they explained how to identify plant species and the connection to understanding the overall health of the forest. Throughout the visit, students’ knowledge and passion for environmental sciences was evident.