NMEA
NEWSLETTE
R
SPRING 2025 | | |
JOIN US
Your NMEA membership opens the door for you to network with like-minded professionals all over the world, working to advance marine science education.
JOIN OR RENEW NOW >
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A Message to Our NMEA Community
What a year 2025 has been so far. We know that many in our incredible membership are facing challenging times, and we want you to know how much we value you and the inspiring work you do. While the world around us continues to change, NMEA remains steadfast in our commitment to our mission and values. We are here to support one another, to expand our reach to new audiences, and to share our love for the ocean with everyone.
A testament to our collective passion is our new
Strategic Plan. We were fortunate to work with the incredible team of Christy and Sonia at Local Concepts, who helped us engage with our members to better understand what you value most about NMEA. Through their efforts, we heard stories of invaluable networking opportunities, inspiring sessions, and—most importantly—the deep connections formed within our community. The results of this work are now available
on our website . Our next step is implementing these goals, and we invite you to
get involved! Visit our
member portal to explore our various committees, join one that resonates with you, and help shape the future of NMEA with us.
Speaking of getting involved,
nominations are now open for the 2025 NMEA Elections! The positions available are:
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President-Elect (three-year commitment)
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Secretary
- Four
Director positions
If you’d like to nominate someone—or if you're interested in learning more—please reach out to Lindsay at
lpatterson@georgiaaquarium.org .
Finally, we’re counting down the days to our
annual conference in Lafayette, Louisiana , this June! When we announced this year’s theme,
“enGULFed in Change: Roux-ted in Resiliency,” we had no idea just how fitting it would be. I cannot wait to see everyone, enjoy some incredible food, and—most of all—spend time with my people. When the world feels a little chaotic, it’s comforting to be surrounded by friends and our ocean helpers. This is where we’ll be, and I hope you’ll join us!
See you soon, | | |
NMEA 2025 CONFERENCE: enGULFed in Change: Roux-ted in Resiliency
Since our winter update, SAME has been busy with an on-site visit to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in mid-January scoping out all the spaces and places for the upcoming NMEA Conference.
We've had amazing responses for proposals, awards, and scholarships. Our Concurrent Sessions committee and abstract reviewers have been working hard behind the scenes, making sure we've got the best presentations possible. Notifications about proposal acceptance will go out soon (if not already)! Logistics information for lodging and transportation will be up on the website soon and we will also send information out via email, so keep an eye out for that.
Our evening events will be full of fun tunes celebrating the culture and music of Louisiana.
Speaking of events, the Banquet & Auction night planning is underway! Can you guess our theme? We're also asking folks to submit auction items for the live auction, silent auction, and bag raffle. You can find more info about Auction items
here .
Students will be encouraged to submit proposals for the Student Day, which will be integrated into the conference on Tuesday, July 1, 2025! Be on the lookout for the call for proposals in your inbox, social media, and our website.
Finally, we've got just a few more big-ticket items to square away before setting registration prices, but as soon as we know we will post them. If you have any questions, please email
nmea2025@marine-ed.org .
NMEA 2025 CONFERENCE WEBSITE > |
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NMEA
@ NSTA
The annual
NSTA National Conference on Science Education will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from March 26-29, 2025. As part of the conference, NMEA will be hosting two events to showcase the importance of marine and aquatic education and ocean literacy.
NMEA WHALE OF A SHARE-A-THON
Friday, March 28th - 2pm-4pm
We are excited to be hosting our
Whale of a Share-a-Thon—an opportunity for NMEA members to share take-home resources and hands-on activities with conference participants. Visit the NMEA Whale of a Share-a-Thon in the NSTA exhibit hall to discover how you can become involved in ocean and freshwater initiatives from local and national organizations to promote ocean and climate literacy.
NMEA TRACK OF SESSIONS
The NSTA Conference is a great time to showcase NMEA members’ work, especially activities, research, and programs that address the
Ocean Literacy Principles
. We are excited to once again host an
NMEA Track of Sessions related to marine and aquatic education—a series of presentations all in one location and all by NMEA members. Look for more information about the NMEA Track of Sessions soon!
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CURRENT: SPOTLIGHT
Will Climate Change Alter the Swimming Behavior of Larval Stone Crabs?: A Guided-Inquiry Lesson
Volume 39 - Issue 2 - 2024 |
DOI: 10.5334/cjme.117
Examining climate threats to the ocean such as warming and ocean acidification, this high school level guided-inquiry lesson challenges introductory marine biology and oceanography students to determine how future ocean pH and temperature projections could impact the swimming behavior of Florida stone crab larvae. A subset of data from experiments that assess how Florida stone crab larvae respond to gravity when reared in end-of-century ocean conditions are included in this lesson.
READ MORE HERE >
Do you have an amazing lesson to share?
Submit it to
Current! | | |
USA BLUE SCHOOLS
USA Blue Schools
is in our second year of full implementation after our pilot period. During the 2023-24 school year, 19 schools completed their action projects, shared their results and earned their USA Blue Schools flags. Read all about these inspiring schools
on our website and in our
Annual Report .
Interested in joining our network? All K-12 schools in the United States and its territories are welcome to join. Register at our website, and you’ll be invited to our next network meeting, which will take place on
March 11th at 7PM Eastern. Network meetings are a chance to connect with other Blue Schools and learn from their successes, get ideas from inspiring guest speakers, and get your questions answered.
This spring, we are planning three separate student webinars with scientists and advocates. Be on the lookout for these invitations, open to all! The first event will be on March 23rd at 10AM Eastern. Please see the flyer and registration link below.
Questions about USA Blue Schools? Please reach out to Meghan Marrero at
mmarrero3@mercy.edu .
LEARN MORE ABOUT USA BLUE SCHOOLS > | | |
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
In 2024, NMEA was thrilled to provide opportunities to support our student members through the inaugural
NMEA Student Scholarship and Student Conservation Grants to support the next generation of marine science educators and conservation leaders. We’re excited to introduce our 2025 awardees and look forward to continuing to feature their work over the coming weeks:
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NMEA Student Scholarships | | |
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Maura Glovins is a graduate student at Scripps Institute of Oceanography where she is working with the Aburto Lab to create a local outreach program that will provide San Diego students with the tools to become conservation leaders and drive change in their communities. The NMEA Scholarship supported Maura in participating in the AAUS Scientific Diving Course at Scripps, helping deepen her understanding of the use of diving in research and conservation, enabling her to better prepare students for their own diving experiences and encourage critical thinking about the role of diving and ocean recreation in conservation. Maura shared, “
I am deeply grateful to NMEA for their financial support and the invaluable resources, such as the Practitioners Guide to Ocean Literacy and regional SWMEA meetings, that have informed my own teaching.”
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Nicolette Stamos is a sophomore at the University of New England majoring in Marine Biology. She has been a NMEA student member since 2019 when she attended her first NMEA student Conference at the University of New Hampshire in Durham NH. She presented on oyster propagation in Gloucester Harbor which she has been volunteering her time to help with since 2017. That conference in 2019 helped to launch Nicolette's passion for marine science and presenting to the public. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, Nicolette plans to pursue a master’s degree. Currently her undergraduate programs at UNE are helping her to explore her options to find a maritime specific field, where she can thrive and make a difference in the marine community.
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Student Conservation Grant | | |
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The NMEA Student Conservation Grant supported NMEA member
Cash Daniels, who led an innovative conservation project in St. Augustine, FL, working with his peers and government officials to clean plastic pollution and trash from historic wells in the city that have been in place since the 1600’s. This project also educated the city, as well the public on waste and the importance of managing and keeping our environment clean. | |
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Georgia Association of Marine Education (GAME)
GAME Conference
November 14 - 16 on Jekyll Island
Changing Climate, Changing Coastlines: Navigating the Future with Hope and Resilience | | |
Great Lakes Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science (GLEAMS)
Member Event: Great Lakes Inspirations
Thursday, March 27, 2025
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Virtual via Zoom
We are bringing back our March Member share out! We are expanding beyond only books this year to encompass any media or highlight on a Great Lakes resource that you want to bring more attention to!
The theme this year will be broad and can be anything that connects to the Great Lakes or aquatic science. Do you have a documentary you think more teachers should know about? A Great Lakes scientist not enough people know about? Now is your chance to share with the broader GLEAMS Membership!
Submit Ideas Here
For more information and to Register, visit
GLEAMS | | |
Oceania
Hawaiʻi Blue Schools Hui
Funding is available to become a Hawaiʻi Blue School! Are you interested in joining like-minded educators to protect your local ahupuaʻa and marine ecosystem and inspire the next generation of stewards? For more information see the
Hawaiʻi Blue Schools website .
Applications are due March 31, 2025 and are open to any K-12 Institution in Hawaiʻi.
Curious? Questions? Come to our
Zoom
Q&A
at 4:30 pm on Monday, March 10.
APPLY BY MARCH 31 > |
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Massachusetts Marine Educators
(MME)
MME High School Marine Science Symposium
The Massachusetts Marine Educators and the Northeastern University Marine Science Center are excited to announce that the annual Boston High School Marine Science Symposium will take place on
Thursday, March 6th, 2024.
This annual event at Northeastern University in Boston provides the opportunity for high school students and their teachers to join dozens of local experts as they share their knowledge, skills, and passion for marine science-related research and practice.
The symposium will feature exhibitors and hands-on workshops on topics including marine mammals, water pollution, marine genomics and evolutionary biology, climate change, communication, and many more.
MME Annual Conference
Save the Date for the MME Annual Conference!
Where: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth
When: May 3rd, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Theme: Species Shifts in a Warming Ocean
Please email
gsimpkins@whoi.edu for more information
MME Member-Sponsored Events
MME members also have sponsored several education events:
Lecture and Meetup in Marblehead, Wed Feb 19: the second
Underwater in Salem Sound Lecture Series was presented by Salem Sound Coastwatch at the Marblehead Abbot Library. Presenters explored the wonders of coastal waters and described how we can become stewards of our shared marine environment.
Other MME partner events include outdoor education sessions at Crane Estate in Ipswich MA, a Teacher Professional Development at New England Aquarium on right whales on March 22, and many educational activities sponsored by Buzzards Bay Coalition. |
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Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME)
Virtual Speaker Series
Please join us for our next
NAME virtual speaker series on
Monday, March 10, 2025, 7:30 PM PT:
Eelgrass as Teacher with
Nikki Wright
SeaChange Marine Conservation Society, a community conservation not for profit organization on Vancouver Island in British Columbia has chosen native eelgrass (Zostera marina) as the medium for young people at all grade levels to learn about the rich diversity of life within these emerald underwater gardens. This “show and tell” presentation is the story of my experiences with eelgrass as a teacher for exploring seagrass communities for Grades 1-6 and is applicable for other marine educators in the “NAME” community.
You will need to register in advance for this meeting . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting. Contact us at
info@pacname.org for more info.
REGISTER NOW > |
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NMEA is proud to have a diverse group of Institutional Members. We are happy to share the following news and events from our member institutions. | | |
ANGARI Foundation
Ocean Expert Ecxhange
ANGARI Foundation and the University of Florida's Scientist in Every Florida School initiative invite you to join them for a spring
Ocean Expert Exchange! Their next live webinar on March 13th will feature Mike Lloret of Florida Power & Light Company who will discuss his research and conservation efforts on the American crocodile at the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant in Southeast Florida. Then, on April 10th, they will be joined by Lindy Knowles of Bahamas National Trust who will share his work to establish, monitor and manage marine protected areas.
Ocean Expert Exchange livestream events are free, open to audiences of all ages and stream live via Zoom (pre-registration required) and YouTube. Audience questions are encouraged, and complementary educational resources are curated for educators hoping to dive deeper into the subject matter with their students. Details and registration info for upcoming events, along with recordings and resources from past events, are available at
https://angari.org/oceanexpertexchange .
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Bow Seat Ocean Awareness
2025 Ocean Awareness Contest
Submissions are OPEN for the 14th annual
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest –
Connections to Nature, Looking Inside, Going Outside. The 2025 Contest encourages students to explore the natural world and their place in it through the lenses of generational knowledge, human health, urban environments, resiliency, and more.
Submit works of visual art, creative writing, poetry, spoken word, music, dance, film, and multimedia for a chance to win cash awards of up to $1,000 and to join the world’s largest environmental youth community for the creative arts! The Contest is free to enter and open to students worldwide, ages 11-18. Submit by June 9, 2025. | |
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Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
2025 EARTH Educator Workshop
Applications are now open for the 2025 EARTH educator workshop, which will be held
July 28 to August 1, 2025 in Newport, Oregon. All application materials should be completed and submitted by March 7, 2025. Workshop information, lessons, and application procedures can be found on the
EARTH website .
Research vessels – ships serving as floating laboratories for ocean-going scientists – are vital tools for observing and understanding this critical ecosystem. During this workshop, educators will work with active researchers to explore current science and research projects that demonstrate the use of data collected by ships, floats, gliders, buoys, and other marine technologies, as well as topics that relate to ocean and climate sciences. The educators are given time to develop their own curricula using the knowledge from these explorations and their own experiences to create classroom lessons tied to the abilities of their own students as well as current education standards and pedagogy. The teachers also develop connections with each other and with the researchers that can assist them in expanding their classroom reach across the country.
Workshop costs, including housing and food, are covered for all participants, and each participant will receive a travel allowance and stipend. For more information and to apply, visit
mbari.org/earth . |
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Vicki Osis, long time prominent marine educator with Oregon Sea Grant program at Oregon State University and NMEA Past President, has passed away.
Vicki started out at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center as a teacher, spending a summer as a research intern under the National Science Foundation. She returned to work with Don Giles, the center's original marine educator in 1971. She went on to oversee the graduate teacher summer classes, year-round teacher workshops, K-12 school group activities, scouting merit badge training and a series of marine science day camps during the summer. Throughout her career, Vicki helped shape Sea Grant's marine education program into a nationally recognized resource and
was celebrated as one of HMSC’s pivotal heroes .
Vicki retired in 2004 and spent her later years pursuing educational endeavors of her choosing, gardening, and enjoying her grandkids.
Vicki was also a board member of both NMEA and NAME for many years, serving in a variety of capacities, and helped lead NMEA through some lean years. Many members of the NMEA community remember Vicki fondly, especially those in the Past Presidents Circle, who keep in touch across the miles and years via email.
READ MORE ABOUT VICKI > | | |
Remembering Lindsey Fields
Beloved Butler biology instructor died in flight to D.C. | Wichita Eagle (kansas.com)
Lindsey Fields, a beloved Butler Community College instructor, passionate science education advocate, and president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, was among the victims of American Airlines Flight 5342. She was traveling to D.C. to advocate for excellence in life science education. Lindsey was a friend to NMEA and our members. | | |
Research Associate Technician Internship
Billion Oyster Project
Position Title: Research Associate Technician Internship
Hiring Organization: Billion Oyster Project
Location: Governors Island New York, NY
Website:
http://www.billionoysterproject.org/
Type of Opportunity: Internship
Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
Contact Name: Agata Poniatowski
Contact Phone: 631-579-9184
Email Address:
aponiatowski@billionoysterproject.org | | |
Marine Education Fellowships
University of Georgia Marine extension and Georgia Sea Grant
Position Title: Marine Education Fellowships
Hiring Organization: University of Georgia Marine extension and Georrgia Sea Grant
Location: Savannah (Skidaway Island), Georgia
Website:
http://gacoast.uga.edu
Type of Opportunity: Full-time Employment
Application Deadline: March 10, 2025 | | |
Camps Assistant
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Position Title: Camps Assistant
Hiring Organization: Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Location: Port Townsend, WA
Website:
https://ptmsc.org/work-for-us/
Type of Opportunity: Seasonal Employment
Application Deadline: March 16, 2025 | | |
Education Specialist II - Marine biologist
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Position Title: Education Specialist II - Marine biologist
Hiring Organization: Los Angeles County Office of Education
Location: Southern CA Long Beach or San Pedro harbor areas
Website:
http://www.outdoorscienceschool.org/msfl
Type of Opportunity: Part-time Employment
Application Deadline: March 21, 2025 | | |
Seasonal Positions at Sea Turtle Camp
Position Title: Seasonal Positions at Sea Turtle Camp
Hiring Organization: Sea Turtle Camp
Location: North Topsail Beach, NC
Website:
http://seaturtlecamp.com/employment/
Type of Opportunity: Seasonal Employment
Application Deadline: May 23, 2025 | | |
Education Manager
Western Flyer Foundation
Position Title: Education Manager
Hiring Organization: Western Flyer Foundation
Location: Monterey and Moss Landing
Website:
http://www.westernflyer.org/
Type of Opportunity: Full-time Employment
Posting Date: January 24, 2025 | | |
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