Upcoming WebinarS
October 14, 2026 • 7:00pm ET
Applying the Ocean Literacy Framework in Your Practice
Diana Payne, Catherine Halversen, Sarah Schoedinger
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
Have you ever wondered or been asked…
“If I have to teach about (insert concept X,Y, or Z), how can these tools help me do that? I want to teach about the ocean, how do these tools help me figure out what to teach at a grade appropriate level?”
This month’s NMEA webinar will answer these questions so you can feel confident in applying the core components of the Ocean Literacy Framework in your teaching practice or helping others to do so.
Hosted by Sandra Bilbo, Director of Arts and Environmental Education, Walter Anderson Museum of Art and NMEA Director and Digital Media and Outreach Committee Co-chair.
Diana Payne is an Associate Professor and Education Coordinator with Connecticut Sea Grant, based at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. She chairs NMEA's Ocean Literacy committee and Ocean Decade Working Group. An international expert in Ocean Literacy, she currently serves as Co-Chair of the IOC UNESCO Ocean Literacy Group of Experts, has presented at numerous international events, and served as a Fulbright scholar.
Catherine Halversen is an emerita Senior Program Director at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California Berkeley where among other things she served as Director of Marine, Activities, Resources & Education (MARE), Communicating Ocean and Climate Sciences, and Reflecting on Practice. Her work focuses on developing and disseminating in-person and virtual professional learning programs and instructional materials for formal K–12 and informal educators, STEM university faculty, and undergraduate students. She has been involved in the Ocean Literacy Campaign since its inception and serves as a Vice Chair of the NMEA Ocean Literacy Committee.
Sarah Schoedinger is the founder of Thalassa Strategies LLC and a former senior education program manager with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sarah was co-founder and co-lead of NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program, which funded numerous effective, scalable, educational approaches for helping people of all ages take an active role in improving ecosystem health and increasing climate resilience in their communities. Sarah is a Past President of NMEA and has been a leader in a global campaign to increase Ocean Literacy, starting with the development of the foundational Ocean Literacy Framework. She continues to support NMEA and promote Ocean Literacy as a vice-chair of NMEA's Ocean Literacy Committee and a member of the Ocean Decade Working Group.
November 2, 2026 • 7:00pm ET
Building a Global Youth Movement to Protect and Restore Our Ocean Planet
Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski
Associate Director of Education Programs, EarthEcho International
Co-Chair, Student Engagement Committee, NMEA
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
EarthEcho International invites educators to connect their students with opportunities to explore, understand, and take action for our water planet—all year long. Through EarthEcho Academy, teachers can access free, on-demand courses and classroom-ready lessons, including our new Exploring the Blake Plateau series, launching September–December 2026. Students will explore a remarkable deep-sea coral ecosystem off the southeastern U.S., connect with ocean scientists and careers, and participate in live virtual events this fall.
Teachers can also engage students as community scientists through the EarthEcho Water Challenge. Students can test their local waterways, contribute water quality data to a global database, and connect their observations to the health of aquatic ecosystems around the world. Learn how your school can become a Water Challenge Partner and how Water Challenge test kits can support hands-on water science in your classroom.
Join us to discover free, flexible resources that bring water science, ocean exploration, and meaningful student action into your classroom.
Illustration by Wesley Allsbrook
Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski has been designing innovative marine science programs since 2002. An active FMSEA member, she co-chaired the 2016 NMEA conference and has held multiple Board positions, including President. As EarthEcho International’s Associate Director of Programs, Kasey leads initiatives to enhance classroom and community science experiences, fostering ocean literacy and student-led action. She lives in Bradenton, FL with her husband and rescue Huskies, Mako and Phoenix. In her free time, she enjoys reading and being outdoors - hiking, paddling, and camping.