On a typical work week, you’ll find me at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), hosting student groups or teaching teachers for our work for Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant. But, not this week. Instead, I’m up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, learning about their programs and sharing what we do back home.
Ocean STEAM Powered Women (O-STEAM) is a week-long program for 10 female high school students with an interest in coastal science and oceanography. The selected young scientists are learning about bioacoustics, specifically as applied to marine mammals.
During the week, the fellows, as they are known, are working with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant Educator Grace Simpkins and Research Scientist Laela Sayigh to build and deploy hydrophones (underwater microphones), learn to interpret and analyze spectrograms (sound recordings), and explore marine careers by talking with a wide variety of females working in a variety of capacities in oceanographic and marine engineering fields. I am building and learning right along with them and am also sharing my science journey with them.
As Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) blog readers will know, Discovery Hall Programs is one of three entities (the Marine Education Center at The University of Southern Mississippi and the Environmental Studies Center in the Mobile County Public School System being the other two) that conduct educational activities for MASGC. DISL’s education group, Discovery Hall Programs (DHP), has an active decade-old STEM education program for students in grades 5-12 focused on ROVs, remotely operated vehicles.
Expanding our STEM offerings
My goal in spending a week with the WHOI Sea Grant program is to bring the exciting field of bioacoustics to the students and teachers we interact with through our MASGC educational activities. DHP has been interested in expanding our STEM offerings for K-12 students while also integrating and amplifying MASGC and DISL research. And the field of bioacoustics is growing, from the field of soundscape ecology and discussions of using soundscapes as a measure of ecosystem health to the melding of art and science though music, such as the work of organizations like KV265.
The Sea Grant Education Network
The Sea Grant programs I’ve mentioned so far are part of a network of 34 Sea Grant programs across the United States. Each does some form of education work, either through full-time educators or staff members who conduct some education and outreach activities as part of their responsibilities. Collectively, these individuals are known as the Sea Grant Education Network (SGEN).
SGEN members meet informally virtually throughout the year and more formally at annual Sea Grant meetings. We take these opportunities to learn from each other, share best practices and stay current on Sea Grant research, coastal issues and education pedagogy. As in many fields, the time available never seems to be enough.
Sea Grant Educator Network Exchange Program
In 2022, with an effort led by Lake Champlain Sea Grant, several individuals within the SGEN community took the opportunity to request funding from the National Sea Grant Office to support this building of capacity and organizational excellence among the SGEN community. The effort was funded and is now known as the Sea Grant Educator Network Exchange program. The exchange program supports educator time and travel costs for individuals in SGEN to visit and participate in one of another Sea Grant’s program education activity.
And there are lots of programs to choose from! Sea Grant education activities range from experiential education programs for K-12 students, such as O-STEAM, to online courses for recreational anglers about sustainable practices. Different Sea Grant programs also offer professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, library programs, workforce development activities of many kinds including internships, fellowships and research experiences, and so much more.
Follow O-STEAM social media
If you are interested in learning more about the O-STEAM program, follow WHOISeaGrant on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram this week!
Meet the author
Tina Miller-Way, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Education
Tina Miller-Way serves as the assistant director for education for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) and is a former chair of the national Sea Grant Education Network. She has... Read more
Phone: 251-861-2141 ext. 2257
Email: [email protected]