RV Taani under construction

The 2025 workshop was held July 28 to August 1, 2025 in Newport, Oregon, co-hosted by MBARI (with funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation) and Oregon State University (with funding from the US National Science Foundation via the Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV) project*, which is leading the design and construction of the next class of ocean-going research vessels). Additional support was provided by Oregon Sea Grant. 

Research vessels – ships serving as floating laboratories for ocean-going scientists – are vital tools for observing and understanding this critical ecosystem. During this workshop, educators worked with active researchers to explore current science and research projects that demonstrate the use of data collected by ships, floats, gliders, buoys, and other marine technologies, as well as topics that relate to ocean and climate sciences. The educators were given time to develop their own curricula using the knowledge from these explorations and their own experiences to create classroom lessons tied to the abilities of their own students as well as current education standards and pedagogy. The teachers also developed connections with each other and with the researchers that can assist them in expanding their classroom reach across the country.

*These outreach and education efforts are supported by the U.S National Science Foundation (NSF) under cooperative agreement No. 1333564 Award: OCE-1748726. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Why Attend the EARTH 2025 Workshop?

Teachers involved in this EARTH workshop will:

  • Cultivate relationships with local researchers and like-minded educators that can lead to future collaborations
  • Explore available resources from supporting organizations, such as OSU and MBARI, and develop institutional connections that can aid in future lessons
  • Participate in field experiences at institutions that highlight local environment and culture, watershed management, and coastal and marine research.
  • Receive a Certificate of Participation that provides evidence of 40 hours of professional development that can be used toward continuing education or certificate renewal
  • Develop new curriculum resources that use real science and authentic data to teach science content and process and address their needs and the needs of their students

Applications are now closed for the 2025 workshop. Please check back for information about the 2026 workshop in late fall 2025.

Date

July 28 - August 1, 2025

Location

Newport, Oregon

Co-Host
Oregon Sea Grant logo
Oregon State University logo
National Science Foundation logo
EARTH 2025 group photo
EARTH 2025 participants at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon

Schedule

Lesson Plans

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Contour Chart

Floating with PUPCYCLE

This activity allows students to incorporate data visualization skills to explore some of the data used to identify highly productive regions. Students will compare BGC-Argo Float data (e.g., chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen) to Satellite data (e.g., chlorophyll)

pH scale

Graphing pH

Students will explore the topic of ocean acidification. They will construct, analyze and interpret a pH graph.

Global map of average Sea Surface Temperature (SST).

Graphing Temperature

Students will construct, analyze, and interpret real data from a profiling float in the ocean. Students will explore ocean temperature trends and climate change.

Abstract spectrogram

Making the Invisible Visible

Students will be analyzing the spectrogram of an ocean soundscape and create their own spectrogram with a song of their choice.

Float deployed from RV Polarstern PS129 2022

Our Ocean is Trending

Students will learn how to access data from GO-BGC floats in order to analyze and compare properties such as dissolved nitrates, oxygen and chlorophyll levels.

Phytoplankton

Profiling Phytoplankton

Students will learn about different phytoplankton and what impacts their distribution by building a water column representing the Southern Ocean.

Presenters

Dan Hellin

Dan Hellin

Director,
PacWave

PacWave Ocean Data Systems

Sean Ryan

Testing Manager,
PacWave

PacWave Ocean Data Systems

Presentation

Brett Hembrough

Marine Operations Manager, PacWave – Oregon State University

PacWave Ocean Data Systems

Presentation | Handout

Ethan Roth

Ethan Roth

Director of Marine Operations,
OSU RCRV

Sarah Henkel
Marnie Zirbel

Marnie Zirbel

Research Facilities Coordinator
HMSC, OSU

An Estuary In Real Time: Hatfield’s Coastal Monitoring Station

Presentation

Shimeng (Jasmine) Zhu

Shimeng (Jasmine) Zhu

2025 MBARI Intern; Grad Student (MIIS)

Science Communication for Adopt-A-Float

Jeff Benson

Jeff Beeson

Assistant Professor,
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS), Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resource Studies (CIMERS), NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)

Beyond Bubbles: How Scientists Map and Explore Methane Seeps

  • GMRT MapTool — Interactive global multibeam bathymetry viewer developed by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Useful for visualizing seafloor features.
Anna Hughes

Anna Hughes

PhD student,
Oregon State University

Carbon cycling on the Oregon-Washington Shelf: What we can learn from a decade of the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s Coastal Endurance Array

Bill Chadwick

Research Associate,
CIMERS, Oregon State University

Axial Seamount: The Hidden Active Volcano in the Pacific Northwest