Imagine telling your students that today, they are an anglerfish. Not just learning about anglerfish — actually being one, flashlight in hand, hunting for a mate in the dark, flashing your species-specific bioluminescent signal while hoping the creature across from you speaks your language. The Problem that needs to be Solved Before I get into the chaos and the …
Read more “Deep Sea Speed Dating: A Lesson in Mating in the Deep”
Last weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA) annual conference, and honestly? It did not disappoint. From hands-on workshops to keynote speakers that left the whole room buzzing, this year’s conference was a reminder of why I love this community so much. Walking into a Whale Let’s …
Read more “FMSEA 2026: Connecting the Dots from Educators to Estuaries”
There’s something so magical about getting up in the morning and knowing you’re going to do something fun, educational, and good for the planet. This weekend the Marine Science Club and I went out to Robinson Preserve to go paddle, sight see, and clean up the mangroves! For this wonderful adventure, we went to Robinson …
Taking a group of high schoolers on a field trip is always a bit of a gamble. You never quite know what’s going to land, what’s going to get eye rolls, or what’s going to spark that lightning bolt of curiosity you’ve been chasing all semester. Mote SEA? There were almost zero eye rolls. And …
Thanks to the support of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program Mini Grant, our students had the opportunity to step beyond the classroom and into the field aboard the research vessel R.V. Hogarth. This experience transformed abstract concepts into real-world science, giving students direct exposure to the tools, techniques, and professionals working to understand and protect Tampa …
Read more “From Source to Sea: Bringing Students onto the Bay”
Christmas time means lots of things to different people, but to us it means it’s FISHMAS! And this year we celebrated in style at the Christmas in Cortez Festival put on by our friends at the Florida Maritime Museum! Set in the heart of historic Cortez the festival was full of Christmas cheer, local agencies, …
This week we returned to one of our favorite field sites — Emerson Point Preserve — with a new group of curious student scientists, a new location (The Point!!), and several awesome stations planned! After months of in the classroom labs and activities, we were so excited to explore a real estuary and get our feet wet! This place …
As an educator who’s passionate about bringing real-world science into the classroom, I was thrilled to attend the recent teacher preview event at the brand-new Mote Science Education Aquarium (aka Mote SEA). This impressive facility, built by the renowned marine research outfit Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, opens a fresh chapter in marine science education for Florida—and I’m …
When you think of essential ecosystems, especially in Florida, what do you think of? Usual responses are beaches and coral reefs, the typical tourist pamphlet places. But there’s some ecosystems arguably more crucial to our economy, lifestyle, and overall environment. If you’ve heard from me before you can probably already guess where this is going… …
It’s the first outing of the new school year and we had one of the best gatherings ever! We went into the outing full of questions about weather, water quality, and how many planned on coming but came out with nearly twenty kids, a great collection of juvenile critters, and so so much fun! The …