Plenary Session #1 • Saturday, July 26 • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Plenary Session #2 • Sunday, July 27 • 9:00 – 10:00 am
Taylor Chapple, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center
Shark Infested Waters: Why That’s a Good Thing
Sharks are an iconic global species with a reputation often based on fiction. Dr Chapple from the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University, the leading shark research lab in the Pacific Northwest, has studied sharks for over 20 years. He will share the BFL’s research on sharks in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe, replacing fiction with fact.
Concurrent Session #1 • Friday, July 25 • 1:00 – 2:00 pm (50 min sessions)
Cedar and Sea: How to take our concepts to the classroom
Eli Schenk, Field Educator, Columbia River Maritime Museum
The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon has a bustling education program, sharing knowledge and stories to all ages, on and off campus. The Museum In The Schools outreach program takes museum-related STEAM subjects into K-5th grade classrooms across 9 counties in Oregon and Washington.
This last school year, we were spotlighting our new Native-American exhibits, “Cedar and Sea” and “This Is Our Place” with a new program about Western Red Cedar trees and their connections with people and nature, both on shore and in the water.
Join Eli Schenk (Field Educator) for an interactive presentation on this amazing tree, how it affects our climate, and how climates are affecting it.
Note: If you are allergic to Western Red Cedar, this presentation exposes visitors to freshly-sanded wooden blocks of Western Red Cedar.
Education: Forest to Sea
Decoding Coastal Change: A Hands-On Look at Climate Impacts Through Data
Heather Armstrong, STEAM Integration Specialist, Southern Oregon STE(A)M Hub / SOESD
Emily Coleman, STEAM Integration Specialist, Southern Oregon STE(A)M Hub/ SOESD
How is climate change transforming our coastal environments—and how can students use data to understand these changes for themselves? In this interactive, hands-on workshop, we’ll dive into visual datasets that reveal the story of a changing coastline. Educators will explore strategies for helping students analyze and interpret visual data related to climate impacts on coastal dynamics. From shifting habitats to changing ocean conditions, we’ll focus on how to engage learners in making sense of complex environmental changes through graphs, maps, and other place-based visualizations. Working in small groups, participants will explore sample datasets that reflect real-world environmental changes—such as rising temperatures, sea level shifts, altered precipitation patterns, or species range movements—and practice a step-by-step process for:
- Observing and describing key patterns and trends
- Interpreting what those patterns might mean in an ecological or climate context
- Communicating findings through clear, evidence-based explanations
Together, we’ll discuss how these data reasoning skills support students’ climate literacy, data fluency, and critical thinking across disciplines—from science and environmental studies to writing and social science. While the focus will be on coastal systems in the Pacific Northwest, the strategies can be adapted to a wide range of learning environments and age groups.
This session is ideal for both classroom and outdoor educators of grades 3-6 who want to bring real-world relevance into the classroom and empower students to connect local observations with global climate conversations. Whether you work in schools, nature centers, field programs, or after-school settings, you’ll explore strategies for helping students connect local observations to broader climate conversations—bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor learning experiences.
STEAM Education
Ocean Literacy: The Foundation for the Success of the Ocean Decade
Teresa Kennedy, Professor, STEM Education and Oceanography, University of Texas at Tyler
Josh Searle, Ardi Kveven, Everett Community College
Greg Barord,
Jennifer Magnusson, GO-BGC
“Ocean Literacy: The Foundation for the Success of the Ocean Decade” is a three-volume series dedicated to enhancing global understanding and sustainable engagement with the Ocean. Recognized as an Endorsed Ocean Decade Activity by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at UNESCO, this series is scheduled to be published in 2025 by Springer Nature and builds on two foundational publications: Restoring Society’s Relationship with the Ocean: The Challenge 10 White Paper (Glithero et al., 2024) and the Ocean Decade Manual for Non-Governmental Organizations (Kennedy et al., 2024).
Each volume uniquely addresses critical aspects of Ocean Literacy:
- Volume I: Transforming Education, Research, and Engagement establishes the groundwork for Ocean Literacy in formal and informal education, providing essential strategies and knowledge for educators, learners, researchers, and policymakers (21 chapters; 90 authors; 19 countries, including 9 U.S. states).
- Volume II: Fostering Community, the Blue Economy, and the Arts explores community initiatives, economic strategies, and creative arts as powerful tools for sustainable Ocean engagement (21 chapters; 57 authors; 19 countries, including 8 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.).
- Volume III: Accelerating Communication, Technology, and Global Initiatives highlights technological solutions, innovative communication methods, and international collaboration to advance Ocean Literacy globally (21 chapters; 117 authors; 25 countries, including 7 U.S. states).
All chapters provide clear findings, actionable recommendations, and extensive resources. Collectively, they address the Ocean Decade’s societal outcomes and challenges, effectively bridging scientific insights, public awareness, and practical action. Contributions from 248 unique authors from 41 countries were rigorously reviewed by over 75 international experts through a double-blind peer-review process, ensuring high academic standards. This diversity underscores a global commitment to nurturing an informed, Ocean-literate society.
This presentation highlights key insights from the three-volume series, with selected authors showcasing strategies in education, community engagement, technological innovation, and global collaboration to support the UN Ocean Decade goals.
Advocacy and Outreach
Concurrent Session #2 • Friday, July 25 • 3:00 – 4:00 pm (50 min sessions)
Multi-disciplinary Salmon Education in the Outdoors
Nathan Zabel, Education Program Manager, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA)
Do you teach about salmon, aquatic environments, or watersheds? Join the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) in this interactive session, where participants will put themselves into the “fins” of salmon and model their lifecycle through an engaging outdoor activity called “Hooks and Ladders.” This activity connects to a larger suite of NSEA curriculum that will be made available to participants and embraces multiple disciplines and standards, drawing connections to science and the Next Generation Science Standards, mathematics, creative writing, and the John McCoy Since Time Immemorial Standards. This activity will be done outside, and participants will gain skills and resources to teach students outdoors while also uncovering the benefits of outdoor play and learning, and how this can lead to increased engagement. The session will have room for collaboration, culminating in a chance for participants to discuss related knowledge, resources, or opportunities to collaborate.
Education: Forest to Sea
Land – sea conservation strategies – Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve
Paul Englemeyer, Ten Mile Creek Sanctuary Manager, Oregon Bird Alliance
Join Paul to discuss conservation efforts on the central Oregon coast – discussion will include CP Marine Reserve, Globally Significant Important Bird Area for the Murrelet and salmon restoration efforts here in the MidCoast Watersheds.
Education: Forest to Sea
Nature Journaling at Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center
Anna Rogers, Education Director, Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center
Natalie Schaefer, Executive Director, Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center
Nature Journaling is a powerful teaching method that integrates science, writing, math, art, and social emotional learning. Engage in a nature journaling lesson where you make scientific observations, ask questions, and draw connections across disciplines. You’ll also have the opportunity to hear about Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center, a 450-acre nature preserve on the Yaquina River that promotes education while working to restore coastal forest habitat. Yakona uses nature journaling in all of its elementary and middle school field trips. Limited to 20 participants.
STEAM Education
Whole Being Teaching with Camp-In-A-Box
Leigh Lubin, Marine Education Specialist, Alaska Sea Grant
Coastal Connections Camp (CCC) is a Camp-In-A-Box model that trains community leaders to lead high quality summer programming. CCC follows a Whole Being Teaching concept that meets the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical needs of middle school youth. The week-long experience creates connections to place, self, and peers all while building science, critical thinking, confidence, and local understanding. Each day includes outdoor exploration, hands-on science, art, team building, and personal resilience skills. It’s exhilarating, exhausting, and it establishes a deep connection to coastal environments. (Can be adapted to the first week of the school year.)
Advocacy and Outreach
Concurrent Session #3 • Saturday, July 26 • 1:30 – 2:00 pm (30 min sessions)
Teach high school students STEM through the lens of the ocean
Lindsey Carroll, Marine Education Coordinator, Oregon Sea Grant/ Oregon State University
Keenan Sanderson, Head Coach, Ketchikan National Ocean Science Bowl, Tsunami Bowl
Are you a high school teacher looking for a fun and creative way to teach students marine science, geology, geography, biology, chemistry, or math? Are you interested in offering students the chance to practice essential workforce development skills, including team work, communication, adaptability, resiliency, problem-solving, and more? Consider forming a team to compete in the National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), an academic competition that promotes STEM literacy using the ocean as a teaching tool. During this session, a regional coordinator from the Salmon Bowl (Oregon’s Regional Bowl) and a coach from the Tsunami Bowl (Alaska’s Regional Bowl) will introduce the NOSB and share how participation can help educators meet science education standards, encourage excitement and enthusiasm for ocean literacy and stewardship, as well as increase student exposure to a variety of professionals working in STEM careers. Presenters will share the essentials about team formation and offer critical training resources and guides for new teams and coaches to utilize as they get started. Then, to finish off the session, participants will be quizzed on their ocean science knowledge as we simulate real NOSB gameplay.
Education: Forest to Sea
Improving access to ocean and coastal data: How the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems serves the Pacific Northwest
Rachel Wold, NANOOS Education and Outreach, University of Washington, Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS)
The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), the regional association of U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS) for the Pacific Northwest, developed its NANOOS Visualization System (http://nvs.nanoos.org/) to provide users with a rich interface to access observations, forecasts, and satellite overlays from a wide range of ocean and coastal assets in a user-friendly format. NANOOS has also developed a wide variety of user-specific products and educational materials centered on regional priorities. Examples include online tsunami evacuation/inundation maps, forecast products developed for commercial and recreational albacore tuna fishers, real-time water quality information optimized for shellfish growers, blended tide, current, weather conditions forecasts for mariners, and informational “theme pages” for issues of regional interest, such as ocean acidification, hypoxia, and HABs, with direct links to data, educational content, and regional activities. A variety of lesson plans, some using real-time data, and learning resources are also available and being used and evaluated by teachers at various levels.
STEAM Education
Foam Free Waters
Sarah Wolf, Surfrider Foundation – Oregon Chapter
Learn more about the Foam Free Waters campaign, which is seeking a federal ban on polystyrene floats in aquatic infrastructure. Polystyrene continues to be a dominant form of plastic pollution that we collect during shoreline cleanups, and this is because polystyrene is commonly used in aquatic infrastructure. In this session, we can provide an overview of the campaign, and why polystyrene (and plastics more broadly) are a coastal, marine, climate, human health and environmental justice issue.
See more at https://surfrider.ca/foamfreewaters.
Advocacy and Outreach
Concurrent Session #4 • Saturday, July 26 • 2:15 – 2:45 pm (30 min sessions)
Working Waters: Live Tank Tech Training & Seafood Butchery
Maggie Michaels, Education & Food Systems Consultant, Oregon Coast Visitors Association/Oregon Ocean Cluster
Marcus Hinz, Director, Oregon Coast Visitors Association
This session introduces educators to the pilot programs we have completed in Seafood Butchery and Live Tank Tech training. Our goal is to talk less and show more about what these programs look like in classrooms, including giving attendees time to browse some of the online portions of supportive curriculums we have co-created with industry experts and educators. We’ll also take time to answer educators’ questions about integrating these projects into their scope and sequence and clarify the next steps for those who want to dive in deeper.
Education: Forest to Sea
The Plight of the Albatross: Creating Connections to Encourage Environmental Stewardship
Melissa Kilgore, Biology Faculty, Lane Community College
This presentation examines two labs developed for a non-majors, 100-level biology course but can be modified and adapted to fit other levels of education. The first lab introduces students to albatross, their life history, and migratory patterns. Students utilize a tracking data portal to examine albatross flight and feeding patterns. The lab focuses on primary productivity and how far albatross travel to feed their offspring. The second lab introduces students to albatross boluses and the Great Garbage Patch to encourage students to connect their lives to the garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Students complete basic data quantification to look for patterns of garbage components in an albatross bolus. The exercises scaffold to build connections beginning with albatross trying to feed their offspring and ending with the impact of how our plastic entering the ocean contributes to the ultimate plight of the albatross. Discussions will focus on modifying and expanding the labs for different audiences. Handouts of the labs will be provided to participants.
STEAM Education
Explore creative outreach strategies that make an impact for the ocean and communities: 25 years of community education
Kendra Nelson, Communication Manager, SeaChange Marine Conservation Society
Public education through outreach is an essential tool for communicating research and conservation work. However, it can be a challenge to come up with engaging outreach programs and materials, especially now with social media as another avenue to reach the public. Effective communication strategies that encompass both online and in-person opportunities are the key to making the most impact. SeaChange Marine Conservation Society uses a multi-faceted approach to educate and engage community members with marine science and conservation work. Through collaboration with artists, municipalities, First Nations, and other organizations, we broaden our reach to increase our educational impact. From creating online infographics, hosting events, leading outdoor educational programs, creating informative conservation signage, and installing educational displays, there are so many creative ways to increase awareness for the marine world! Join this presentation to learn some of the strategies SeaChange employs for community outreach.
Advocacy and Outreach
Concurrent Session #5 • Saturday, July 26 • 3:00 – 4:00 pm (50 min sessions)
The Story of Life as Told by Water
Kathy Chambliss, Education Coordinator, Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative
The Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a thriving and sustainable future for the Cascade Head Biosphere Region on the Oregon Coast. As part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, the Collaborative brings together scientists, artists, educators, and local communities to advance environmental stewardship, sustainable tourism, and climate resilience. Through research, education, and creative engagement, the Collaborative works to ensure that nature has rights, art illuminates science, and research drives action to protect and sustain this unique coastal ecosystem.
In this presentation, we’ll share an overview of the three Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) we offer to local youth in first/second grades, third/fourth grades, and fifth/sixth grades. Our programs, collectively known as The Story of Life as Told by Water, support learning goals by bringing the outside world into the classroom with engaging videos to spark inspiration, and hands-on activities to build knowledge and encourage further inquiry. Each program culminates with an unforgettable day in the field for students, teachers, and parents at the incredible UNESCO Cascade Head Biosphere Region. These place-based programs that unfold throughout a child’s elementary education offer them the opportunity to develop deeply connected relationships with Place—their Place on the planet— and inspire an ethic of lifelong stewardship. This presentation will wrap up with the opportunity for participants in this workshop to make their own small Gyotaku print, a signature activity we complete with all of our students to commemorate their connections to the unique plants and creatures with whom we share our watery world.
Education: Forest to Sea
Trailcams, Drones and Hydrophones Oh My!
Ardi Kveven, Executive Director, Ocean Research College Academy/Everett Community College
Josh Searle, Research Facilitator, Ocean Research College Academy
Come learn about how the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) engages students in collecting data from the forest to the sea. Join ORCA founders Ardi Kveven and Josh Searle as they share how they use a variety of tools to facilitate student questions about their place (the Salish Sea). From tracking river otters in the estuary with trail cameras to flying a drone over gray whale feeding pits and tracking the soundscape of the estuary, ORCA students utilize a variety of software tools (Rstudio, ArcGIS and Ravenpro) to create visualizations of big data streams. We will share how we facilitate student questions, support students with technological tools and provide opportunities for them to share their work with a broader audience.
STEAM Education
Marine Debris Interruptions: Students find solutions to prevent trash in the ocean
Cait Goodwin, Special Projects Coordinator, Oregon Sea Grant
Have you ever found a piece of plastic litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this session, Oregon Sea Grant will share free 5E lessons that help students in grade 4 and up learn the life story of select types of marine debris. Focusing on one marine debris object commonly found on Oregon beaches, the students research its original purpose, user, and life cycle, and then propose targeted solutions that will prevent that item from ending up as trash in the ocean. Join us as we sort mysterious debris items, explore data, and brainstorm solutions!
Advocacy and Outreach
