NMEA is excited to feature multiple opportunities at the 2026 National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) National Conference in Anaheim, California!
Our Marine Education Pathway will offer a curated series of presentations designed to highlight innovative approaches in ocean and aquatic science education. The ever-popular Whale of a Share-a-Thon will showcase NMEA members and chapters sharing engaging lessons, hands-on activities, and classroom-ready resources with hundreds of educators right on the exhibit floor. And you can also find NMEA in the Exhibit Hall all week, where we’ll be connecting with participants, sharing resources, and spreading the word about NMEA and ocean literacy.
Themed “Growing Together: Collective Insights for Lifelong Learning,” NSTA 2026 will bring together educators from across the country for four days of collaboration, inspiration, and professional growth. Be sure to make NMEA part of your conference experience!
Highlight Your Session!
Are you presenting at NSTA 2026? If your session features marine or aquatic science resources, we’d love to help amplify your work! Send us the details of your session, and NMEA will include it in our highlights so other attendees can find and support your presentation.
Please remember that all session proposals must be submitted directly to NSTA by October 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. Once your session has been accepted, share the details with us so we can help spread the word. You can find the NMEA session sharing form in the Forms tab in the NMEA Member Portal.
NMEA Marine Education Pathway
Friday, April 17 | 8:00–11:40 AM
Join us for a specially curated Marine Education Pathway at NSTA 2026! This focused block of programming brings together three hand-selected presentations designed to deepen your understanding of ocean and aquatic science education.
Pathways are curated tracks that help you maximize your conference experience by highlighting sessions connected to a specific theme. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, informal educator, or researcher, this pathway offers fresh ideas and practical strategies to bring marine science to life for your learners.
NMEA Whale of a Share-a-Thon
Friday, April 17 | 2:00–4:00 PM
How it Works
Each participating NMEA member or chapter will have a 6 foot (banquet/rectangle) table, easel and chair.
Participation in the Share-a-Thon is free, but individual NSTA registration (full conference or Friday-only) is required.
Spaces will be available on a first-come basis. Registration information is below.
Why Participate?
Connect with hundreds of educators in a high-traffic area of the NSTA exhibit hall.
Share your work and raise visibility for your projects, lessons, or organization.
Help advance ocean and aquatic literacy by putting engaging, hands-on resources directly into the hands of teachers.
Submitting Share-a-thon (SAT) session proposals
Presenters must submit their SAT session proposals using this special URL by November 30, 2025.
Presenters will need to either sign in to their NSTA account or create a free NSTA user account to submit proposals.
Presenters must submit the proposal with the exact title, takeaways, and brief description that they would like attendees to see. These fields are displayed in the session browser and app. No changes will be made to these fields after proposal submission.
Presenters should pay close attention to character limits in the submission form (extra characters will be removed from these fields if they are over the limit).
Presenters should choose the appropriate SAT Session type from the dropdown. This is important so NSTA can schedule sessions and group SAT sessions appropriately in the Exhibit Hall.
