If you’ve spent any time looking for ocean-themed lessons online, you already know the problem. On one end, you find beautiful, cartoon-bright resources that mention sharks and coral reefs but don’t actually teach students how scientists work. On the other end, you find real science — actual research papers, tagging datasets, taxonomic keys — that …
Every summer, Oceanography Camp for Girls (OCG) brings together dozens of young women for three intensive weeks of hands-on marine science at the University of South Florida. This year I once again had the privilege of serving as a science mentor across all three weeks — seining in the field, leading lab rotations, running ecosystem …
There is a particular kind of professional recalibration that happens when a science teacher steps onto a research vessel. Not the novelty of it — after a while, the gear becomes familiar, the salt air becomes background — but the thinking it demands. Being on the water with real instruments, real data, and real organisms forces you to reconnect with science as a process rather than a product, …
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 …