Outreach Programs

All programs utilize UCSB undergraduates and graduate students as informal science educators. Content utilizes a platform of current and on-going marine science research developed around a framework that focuses on teaching grade-specific concepts associated with the California Department of Education State Science Standards, NOAA Ocean Literacy Principles and the Environmental Principles and Concepts.

Other Outreach Programs Administered by MSI:

Family Science Night

"Family Science Night" provides support for local schools through education and outreach that highlights the role and resources of UCSB and MSI to local and regional communities.

Marine Science 4 Scouts

Developed in collaboration with the local and regional Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts of America (GSA), this program consists of specifically aligned marine science content that supports BSA/GSA Oceanography Merit Badge fulfillment.

Floating Lab

The Floating Lab Program provides students the opportunity to reflect on and interpret their science content knowledge through an environmental educational experience. Specifically, middle school students—many of whom have never been to the beach or boarded a boat—are able to explore the Santa Barbara Channel, gaining an unparalleled glimpse into the complex and fascinating underwater world directly off the Santa Barbara coast. These cruises take place on the Condor Express. The three- to five-hour trips consist of a 1.5-hour voyage to view the Santa Barbara watershed from an “ocean view” and whale watching. Once anchored, students rotate through several education stations. Stations explore issues of “humans and the sea”, “marine biology”, “navigation systems” and “oceanography”.

LTER Schoolyard

The Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) education program is organized around a theme of watershed ecology. This thematic approach allows for an integrated program that includes K-12 students, K-12 teachers, undergraduate and graduate students. A highlight of our Schoolyard program is collaboration with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) that brings inner-city students to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley for an extensive science education experience.

The program includes a student and family visit to the university campus, a weekend camping trip in the Santa Ynez River Valley, a weeklong residential program at UCSB, and trips to a local watershed and restoration site. These field experiences are interwoven with watershed ecology lesson plans that are based on SBC LTER research. Undergraduate and graduate students serve as docents and provide extensive mentoring. In addition, our program docents and UCSB and community college counselors provide continuous support to LACC students and their families throughout the year.

This program also serves as a cross-site education research program led by KBS SLTER and in collaboration with the SGS and BES Schoolyard programs to examine learning about the water cycle in middle and high school-aged students. In 2008, the program began work with the UCSB Office of Academic Preparation to provide services to Santa Barbara Junior High School and Goleta Valley Junior High School.

Science of MPAs

The Science of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) education program is organized around a theme of temperate marine ecology. Similiar to the Schoolyard, this thematic approach utilizes the science, conservation and policy, developed through PISCO, of marine protected areas, that informs an intergrated program for K-12 students, K-12 teachers, undergraduate and graduate students. This program supports larger, collaborative, education programs such as: Tech Trek, through the American Association of University Women (AAUW); Kids In Nature (KIN), through the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER).