FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Support Marine Science Research

Rosenstiel School graduate students hold annual auction

VIRGINIA KEY, FL (September 28, 2005) — Gourmet dinners, romantic getaways to luxury hotels, and even dinners cooked by students reputed to be good cooks in their own right—these are just some of the items up for auction at the Rosenstiel School's Marine Science Graduate Student Organization annual auction to raise funds for graduate student research. This year's auction will be held Friday, Oct. 7, and the $5 admission price includes food, beer, door prizes and admission to a rummage and plant sale, a silent auction, and a live auction that begin at 4:30 p.m. The event will be held at Rosenstiel School's Walton Smith Commons on Virginia Key with the following schedule:

• Rummage & Plant Sale begins at 4:30 p.m.
• Silent auction begins at 5 p.m.
• Live auction begins at 6 p.m.

Auction items include a variety of goods and services, including flower and plant arrangements from Plants In Design, a Todd Jones autographed Marlins baseball, tickets to Miami Hurricane's men's basketball, beginner classes at the Yoga Institute of Miami, bartending services, shark photography, kiteboarding lessons, German lessons, a semester of baked goods, hand-tied fly fishing “flies,” gift certificates to the Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne Doubletree Hotels, meals at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Duffy's Tavern, Rusty Pelican, Mangoes, Big Cheese, Titanic and New Chinatown, a one-week stay at a Sun Valley, Idaho, vacation condo, computer consulting, sailboat cruises and fishing outings, passes to the zoo, a chance to swim with the dolphins at Miami Seaquarium, manicures, pedicures, hair care, and much, much more.

All proceeds go to the Marine Science Graduate Student Organization and the Rosenstiel School Student Travel Fund. Each year, these organizations fund travel for graduate students to attend scientific conferences to present their research, provide interest-free loans, and host student activities. For more information, contact MSGSO at msgso@rsmas.miami.edu.

Rosenstiel School is part of the University of Miami and, since its founding in the 1940s, has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions.

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Media Contact: Ivy Kupec, Communications Director
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
305.421.4704 (office), 305.984.7107 (mobile)
ikupec@rsmas.miami.edu

CALENDAR OF EVENT ITEM:
UM ROSENSTIEL SCHOOL ANNUAL AUCTION. Friday, Oct. 7, starting at 4:30 p.m. at Rosenstiel School Commons on Virginia Key. Event includes rummage and plant sale at 4:30 p.m., silent auction at 5 p.m., live auction at 6 p.m. to support graduate students' research. The $5 admission includes food, beer, and door prizes. Auction items range from fine dining at local restaurants and romantic getaways to luxury hotels to student-donated fishing outings, shark photography, German lessons, and home-made French dinners. For more information, contact the school's Marine Science Graduate Student Organization at msgso@rsmas.miami.edu.