Through its education partners, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium offers a variety of opportunities for K-12 students. In "normal" times (pre-pandemic), the collective efforts of these partners, Discovery Hall Programs at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), the Marine Education Center at the University of Southern Mississippi (MEC) and the Environmental Studies Center of the Mobile County Public School System (ESC), reach more than 30,000 K-12 students with educational experiences at their facilities.
Tracy Jay, director of the ESC, spoke about opportunities at her center in last week’s blog. Our primary goals in these efforts are to increase the environmental literacy of the next generation of leaders and to contribute to the preparation of an environmentally literate workforce that has the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions.
But what do these future employees need to know? What are the jobs of tomorrow and what knowledge and skills will be needed? While much has been written about this, the consensus is that we are unable to predict the jobs of the future. However, we can identify some of the skills that will be needed. Students, the future employees, need to be able to think critically, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, integrate creativity and use technology. These skills have come to be known as 21st Century skills.
These 21st Century skills are embodied in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. Both Alabama and Mississippi have recognized the value of STEM education for our region. Alabama’s Roadmap to STEM describes the need for STEM education and the current STEM landscape in the state laying out a set of recommendations to achieve excellence in STEM education for all of Alabama’s students. Mississippi has been expanding access to STEM education for K-12 students through a variety of programs at the university level and through state-funded education initiatives.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab offers ROV STEM education
Given this regional need, MASGC’s education partners have integrated STEM programs into our education efforts. DISL has developed a robust STEM education program that focuses on ROVs, or remotely operated vehicles. In the field class, “ROVing the Gulf,” student teams work together to build, test and fly an ROV.
This process allows students to experience the engineering design process, practice their communication skills and, critically, work as a team! Interestingly, assessment data from more than 2,000 students has shown that participation in this class helps to reduce the gender gap in learning with females making greater strides than their fellow male students.
To share the value of ROVs as a STEM education tool with educators, DISL has developed a new ROV loaner program. Teachers can check out a classroom kit and build ROVs with their students in their classrooms.
DISL also hosts two regional student ROV competitions, SeaPerch and MATE, which are international in scope. In these competitions, student teams design, construct, test (and retest) their own unique ROV and then come to DISL to challenge themselves and other student teams at carrying out specific tasks or missions. Winners at these regional events go on to compete in the international competitions. Evaluations of MATE and SeaPerch competitions have shown that participation increases student interest in STEM, awareness of STEM careers, self-confidence and significantly those critical 21st Century skills.
Other classes include drifters, designer plankton
Over the past decade, the STEM program at DISL has expanded to include additional STEM classes focused on constructing current drifters, developing geospatial mapping skills, analyzing waves and building designer plankton! DISL also hosts professional learning opportunities for educators, an overnight tech-focused camp for students and Saturday ocean exploration days for families. Participants may learn to solder, program, 3D print, build and use a sensor or use apps to track ocean organisms. DISL has also shared our ocean STEM enthusiasm at many STEM outreach events. Look for us at the Southern Educational Robotics Conference at Auburn University in early October and at the STEAMFest 2021 event in Huntsville, Alabama, at the end of October!
MASGC education partners have integrated STEM education into their efforts to continue to meet the needs of our stakeholders — the many students, educators and lifelong learners in our communities. But more importantly, we love working with people and seeing that spark of enjoyment and accomplishment when they create something new! You can read more about DISL’s STEM program here.
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
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