MBARI seeks to inspire and engage the next generation of ocean explorers, who will bring innovative new solutions to challenges in ocean science and engineering. Teacher training workshops provide a direct conduit to students. 

On July 27–31, MBARI Senior Education and Research Specialist George Matsumoto hosted the 2026 EARTH workshop, welcoming 25 educators from the US, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore to our research facilities in Moss Landing, California, to learn about innovative marine research and datasets that can provide a foundation for novel lesson plans.

Presentations by MBARI staff and invited researchers introduced teachers to a wide range of research and perspectives, from sequencing ctenophore genetics and programming machine learning models to crafting engaging storytelling and facilitating play for learning. Tours of MBARI facilities and our flagship research vessel gave educators the opportunity to experience ocean careers firsthand.

Workshop participants then broke into small groups to develop lesson plans and educational resources designed to engage students over a range of ages and achieve diverse learning outcomes. From a hands-on modeling activity to match environmental DNA sequences to choreographing a dance activity inspired by deep-sea animal movements, these curricula highlight the many ways ocean science, engineering, and data can be incorporated into the classroom. 

Matsumoto launched the EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypothesis) curriculum and workshop series in 2003. The program convenes workshops that connect marine researchers directly with teachers, bringing real ocean data into the classroom. Lesson plans developed by workshop participants are freely available on MBARI’s website, providing tools that educators can put into practice in their classrooms and informal learning settings well beyond the workshop. 

By turning ocean data into lessons students can understand and use, the EARTH program helps to make ocean science and engineering more accessible and sparks the curiosity that grows the next generation of ocean explorers.