Raising funds for anything can be a challenge but raising funds for a group of less than 30 people or a class that has no school district funding can be daunting. Having funds is vital for supporting the hands-on experiences that get students involved and excited about the marine world. Being able to be creative …
The world continues to spin and change no matter what we do, so why do we as educators keep the same curriculum and strategies throughout the year? Why don’t we more regularly focus on the now, on the current (pun intended) events that make students interested and engaged in the material? My goal as an …
Welcome to Boston, home of some amazing science educators and home base of the 2024 National Marine Educators Association Conference! For my second year at this conference, I was so excited to get to see the friends I made last year and experience the beauty that is Boston Harbor! Much like last year, I was …
In the quest to inspire young minds and foster a deeper understanding of marine science, inviting guest speakers to a marine science club can be a transformative experience. By bringing in experts from various fields, students gain unique insights, firsthand knowledge, and an appreciation for the vast world beneath the waves. I have used my …
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In the realm of marine science education, dissections have long stood as a cornerstone of hands-on learning. They offer students an invaluable opportunity to explore the anatomy, physiology, and intricate workings of marine organisms, providing a depth of understanding that textbooks and lectures alone can’t achieve. I have long found that dissections be a necessary …
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Engaging students in the ideas behind the types of coral reefs, their zonation, and the processes that make them so special can be challenging. The Building a Coral-Reef activity is a great way to ensure students learn the concepts needed and remember the processes that are acting on coral reefs. And it doesn’t hurt that …
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“What is an estuary?” I make a point of asking my students this every year in mid-September and typically get a room full of blank stares and some really weird answers. I’ve gotten “where the sewage water is” to “deep, deep, deep, deep sea” and everything in between, but mostly just lots of blank stares. …
Imagine walking into a room where everyone is interested in what you have to say, and you in turn are thoroughly engaged in whatever everyone else has to say. It’s a weird feeling, that you belong somewhere, and everyone can provide something wonderful to add to your career. This was my first ever National Marine …
Read more “NMEA 2023 – Strait to Sound: Gathering at the Salish Sea”
Welcome to the Reef Down in Key Largo, about six miles offshore, there lies a reef of beautiful clear water, with many fish flitting around, sea fans waving in the current, and a happy me drifting about. This beautiful place is well known as Molasses Reef.
How It All Started Shark tagging can be highly sensationalized, and most people know the gist of what shark tagging is and a basic idea of why it’s done. Shark Week typically shows at least one show every 2 hours that involves someone tagging a shark for research purposes, giving most people that baseline understanding …