I don’t specifically remember the first time I went to the beach. I remember the plane rides and car rides it took to get to the beach, but I don’t remember what I first thought about it. I assume I loved it, which is what prompted me to want to become a marine scientist, but other than the adventures to the beach, I didn’t have any other exposure to the marine science world. I’m from Utah, a state that was covered by the ocean millions of years ago but is states away from the coast today. When I first arrived in Georgia last September to begin my Marine Education Fellowship at UGA’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium, it was my first time being in Georgia, living on a coast, and being in a marine science-centered environment. The amount of information I was taking in those first few months was overwhelming.
As a Marine Education Fellow, I support teaching and outreach efforts throughout Chatham County. Coming into this fellowship with minimal marine science knowledge, it was daunting to think about going to different schools and events and talking about a coast I was just getting familiar with, but the beauty of outreach is that you are often interacting with students who don’t know much about the coast either. The foundational training I received at the beginning of my fellowship allowed me to digest important subject matter that I could turn around and share with new audiences. It has been really rewarding to bring bits and pieces of information about the coast to students and see their excitement as they engage in hands-on activities, an experience I wish I had as a kid.
One of the main outreach programs we do each year is a program called CrabEcology. CrabEcology uses live animals and small group activities to teach third graders about the physical and behavioral characteristics of different crab species and where they can be found. The program covers topics such as coastal habitats, sand and mud studies, animal adaptations and Georgia’s blue crab fishery. The students also learn about the crabbing industry here in Georgia and the size regulations crabbers must follow when collecting crabs. While Chatham County is located on the Georgia Coast, many of the students we meet through this program have never been to the beach before, and if they have, they don’t know much about crabs.
During these programs, the third graders love to pretend to have crab claws, use microscopes to look at crab larvae, touch and study marsh mud, and hold hermit crabs, spider crabs, and marsh crabs. Outreach programs like CrabEcology expose students from all over the county to the animals and environments in their own backyard.
HuxleyAnn teaches a group of campers on a salt marsh exploration.
In addition to CrabEcology, I’ve been able to participate in a variety of other outreach programs that introduce people to different topics, like the impacts of marine debris or how people study the coastal environment. Every outreach program I’ve done has left a smile on my face and makes me that much more excited for the next event. I learn so much from interacting with students from a variety of different backgrounds and hope my excitement about the coast inspires them to be passionate about our coastal resources.
It is fulfilling to know that one outreach event might change someone’s view of science or the ocean and spark a new interest that may stay with them for their whole lives. I look forward to continuing to connect with new audiences and share our work with the broader community throughout the remainder of my fellowship.