Students Experience Ship Island as Outdoor Science Lab
July 24, 2024
The MSU-SEAS project provides middle and high school students with experiential learning about the natural systems on Ship Island, south of the Mississippi coast. Photo provided by MSU-NGI.
Middle and high school students embarked on a marine science data-collecting excursion this summer, turning the beaches of Ship Island, which are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, into an outdoor science laboratory and fostering a personal appreciation for marine life and the environment.
"We're showing them the natural systems," said Dr. Jamie Dyer, Associate Director of the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI). "It's one thing to read in a book how climate change impacts these systems. But to come out and feel it, touch it, and see it . . . it puts what those students learn into context. Not only does it help them remember it, but it also helps them understand how these systems interact."
NGI's Director of Education and Outreach Jonathan Harris leads the Mississippi State University (MSU) Science and Education at Sea (SEAS) Program in partnership with the Mississippi Aquarium and Ship Island Excursions operating out of Gulfport, MS. Now in its 4th year, the program seeks to foster interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as personal commitment towards sustainable choices in safeguarding the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem.
"You learn better when you're not sitting in a classroom with a textbook, in front of a blackboard," said Harris. "Kids are more likely to believe what you're telling them if they can actually experience it."
The idea behind this program is that through exposure to real-life scientific sampling techniques and locally relevant lesson content, the experience sparks an interest in students for the sciences and improves the public's knowledge about their environment.
"We believe an engaged and informed public is a great partner in efforts to protect the Gulf of Mexico's environment," said Harris. "By giving students access to this kind of learning, NGI and the Mississippi Aquarium are making its research relevant to students who will become the stakeholders and citizens of the future."
Positive STEM-related experiences at these grade levels have the potential to influence students' long-term education and career choices and contribute to a skilled workforce that industry and research institutions rely upon.
The Northern Gulf Institute is a NOAA Cooperative Institute with six academic institutions located across the US Gulf Coast states, conducting research and outreach on the interconnections among Gulf of Mexico ecosystems for informed decision making.
The NGI Education and Outreach Program supports the missions of NOAA and partner organizations in the Gulf of Mexico region to develop an engaged and educated public who are better able to make scientifically informed decisions and to develop a workforce pipeline for STEM careers.
