PUNTA GORDA — In an era of limited field trips and diminished education funding, students are one step closer to receiving hands-on training from one of the most renowned marine research organizations in Florida.

The Mote Marine Laboratory is striving to get kids out of the classroom and into the surrounding Charlotte Harbor waterways for the purpose of teaching marine biology by highlighting local ecosystems. Mote educators will be housed in office space donated by Regions Bank while plans for a proposed aquarium in Punta Gorda take shape.