Restoring and sustaining our marine and coastal resources requires not only sound science, but also an informed and engaged citizenry. Florida Sea Grant seeks to increase marine literacy among people of all ages, and offers a variety of programs and resources in marine and environmental sciences. In 2008, Florida Sea Grant extension faculty conducted educational activities for a broad range of audiences (right).

This page describes the programs and offerings related to K-16 formal and nonformal education. Additional information is also provided about Florida Sea Grant's industry training, graduate education, and adult education opportunities.

K-16 Marine Education

Florida Sea Grant faculty provide marine education programs to formal educators who teach pre K-16 students and to nonformal educators in aquaria, environmental ed centers, and museums.

Florida Sea Grant faculty also work closely with Florida 4-H Marine and Aquatic Education and their volunteers in the development and delivery of marine science educational programs.

These programs range from developing teacher training workshops such as those available through the Florida Center for the Central Gulf of Mexico COSEE, to working directly with youth at such events as state and county marine camps, kids' fishing days, coastal beach clean-ups, dune restoration projects, state marine ecology contests, and field trips to local coastal sites. In most cases, these activities involve both classroom activities and field experiences with hands-on exposure to the marine habitats.

Through these programs, it is Sea Grant's goal that Florida's young people will not only learn more about the state's marine resources, but also be stimulated to explore future careers in the marine and coastal sciences so they have the skills and expertise to deal with the future issues that face Florida.

Industry Education

Teaching industry requires science-based information that is highly technical in nature and specifically targeted so businesses can better manage operations, develop new product lines, cut costs, increase revenues, or respond to regulatory changes. The annual University of Florida Shrimp School is organized by Florida Sea Grant and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. A new Oyster School is modeled after the Shrimp School and held in Apalachicola to provide key retailers in the U.S. seafood industry with comprehensive and practical training for marketing raw oysters from harvest to table.

One of Sea Grant's most successful industry education programs is organized in conjunction with the National Seafood HACCP (pronounced HASS-ip) Alliance to promote training to ensure the safe and sanitary processing and importing of seafood. HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, describes a series of food-preparation procedures that is becoming the world standard for food safety. Federal regulations now require all US seafood processors, importers and distributors to implement a HACCP system.
     HACCP training is offered as a traditional 3-day course, or as a special one-day support course taught for individuals that complete an established Internet course developed by Alliance members at Cornell University. How to find the next scheduled HACCP course.

Graduate Education

Sea Grant’s support for graduate education includes various scholarship and fellowship opportunities,as well as traditional research assistantships, funded from both public and private sources.

Moreover, Florida Sea Grant seeks to diversify and broaden the experiences of its graduate students, and in some cases, undergraduates to meet the increasing need for real-world solutions to today’s resource management problems. Sea Grant’s multidisciplinary approach gives students scientific knowledge with interdisciplinary perspectives; they use multiple contexts to solve problems; and they learn to communicate complex ideas. Over time, this support has produced substantial results. Please visit the graduate education area at this link for more information about how many Florida Sea Grant scholars have assumed professional roles in education, resource management and business. They have indeed positively influenced the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources — in Florida, nationally, and internationally. Their performance affirms Florida Sea Grant’s role in the training of future scientists as part of its total commitment to science serving Florida’s coast.

Adult  Education

Managing Florida's marine and coastal resources for sustainability grows increasingly more complex each day. Providing knowledge about Florida's coasts to citizens is a key role of Florida Sea Grant's marine extension service. Many coastal communities have a member of the Sea Grant extension service based in their county's IFAS Extension office. Programs and offerings include:

Florida Master Naturalist Program -- Frequently, Sea Grant extension faculty lead Master Naturalist courses, the highly popular curriculum that use science-based information and interpretive techniques to promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Florida's natural world among Florida's citizens and visitors. Topics include freshwater wetlands, coastal systems, and upland habitats. The current course schedule is available at this link.

"I submitted an article, with photographs, to Florida Wildlife magazine. This is the first time that I submitted a story to any magazine and surprisingly, it was accepted and published in their May/June 2009 issue. I hope that my story, "The Black-necked Stilt in a Florida Wetland Habitat", will encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy nature. The training that I received in my FMNP classes gave me the confidence to pursue this endeavor. I thank my Instructors for their encouragement to share my photos of nature with others." (course graduate)

County-based Extension Newsletters -- Many Sea Grant extension agents offer free electronic subscriptions to their newsletters.

• Aqua-Notes --  the Sea Grant Newsletter for Northeast Florida.
• Marine Scene -- the Sea Grant Newsletter for Manatee County and Southwest Florida 
• Educating with Extension -- the Sea Grant Newsletter for Monroe County
• Panhandle Outdoors -- Natural Resources in the Panhandle newsletter
• Southwest Florida Latino Environmental Education Network -- Available in English and Spanish