Current Log: Volume 37, Issue 2, Summer 2023

Oregon Sea Grant is proud to be sponsoring this issue of Current, which highlights some of the many education programs and partnerships we support. With funding from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University, Oregon Sea Grant has provided marine science and STEM outreach and education programs for millions of residents and visitors over the last 50 years. We do this by engaging public audiences with exhibits and presentations in the Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center, providing hands-on marine science programs for youth and families, and sharing lessons and teaching strategies through educator workshops and curriculum development. As our audiences have grown and changed, and as new coastal and ocean issues have emerged, we have adapted our strategies and pivoted programming to meet stakeholder needs.

In addition to increasing environmental literacy in the audiences we serve, we strive to embed career-connected-learning in our programs, to help illuminate STEM careers and pathways for future marine professionals. These efforts include targeted programs that we have created like Growing Engineers and Marine Scientists (GEMS), as well as STEM research experiences for high school students and grant-specific outreach and education for the many marine researchers with which we collaborate. Some of these collaborations, their outcomes and impacts, are highlighted in the articles in this issue.

Over time, we have also increased efforts to reach more diverse audiences, partnering with minority-serving organizations and those that target first-generation college students. Throughout the years, we have learned that we are far more effective and impactful when we collaborate with others to leverage resources and expertise. Furthermore, the many collaborative efforts that we engage in provide new and innovative learning opportunities for not only students and educators, but also for our partners and ourselves.

I hope you enjoy this issue and find inspiration and ideas from the articles within. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about our projects and programs or are interested in future collaboration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Crews,
Oregon Sea Grant Marine Education Manager