Through an innovative program, MSU-SEAS, or Science and Education at Sea, public and homeschooled students experience a hands-on marine excursion, learning positive behavioral practices that promote sustainable choices in safeguarding the Gulf of America’s marine ecosystem.
“We believe an engaged and informed public is a great partner in the effort to protect the Gulf of Mexico’s environment,” said Jonathan Harris, Northern Gulf Institute outreach director. “By giving students access to this kind of learning, NGI and the Mississippi Aquarium is making its research relevant to the students who will become the stakeholders and citizens of the future.”
The sixth- through 12th-grade students and NGI faculty and staff sail to the National Park Service Barrier Islands, where students are immersed in hands-on activities that include the collection of marine scientific data, water quality samples, and seafloor sediment, and the identification of various marine species, as well as invasive aquatic plants.
Program organizers and education experts said another program priority is to practice one of the main tenets of modern educational theory, the concept of experiential learning, in which students are engaged when they learn by doing.
“The idea is that through exposure to real-life scientific sampling techniques and locally relevant lesson content, we can remove the shadow of classroom learning and spark an interest in the sciences that will impact not only their future educational choices, but also their life-long interest and hopefully their career pathways,” he said.
MSU faculty and team members also serving as MSU-SEAS teachers include Jamie Dyer, an associate NGI director and professor of meteorology and climatology, and Gray Turnage, an NGI invasive aquatic species researcher and assistant extension professor.
NGI and the Mississippi Aquarium offer the program up to four times annually to regional students.
The Northern Gulf Institute, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Institute managed by MSU, is a partnership of six complementary academic institutions and NOAA addressing important national strategic research and education goals. For more information, please visit www.ngi.msstate.edu
The Mississippi Aquarium, a premier institution, delivers an awe-inspiring entertainment experience which supports animal research and conservation, inspires learning and instills a passion for the aquatic world. For more information, please visit https://www.msaquarium.org/
For more information about the MSU-SEAS Program, please contact NGI Outreach Director Jonathan Harris at jharris@ngi.msstate.edu.
