Summer Marine Biology Programs for
Young People and Educators

Since the Ocean Matters...

95 percent of the earth's available living space is marine
Phytoplankton in the ocean contributes 80% of our earth's oxygen
The sea regulates the earth's temperature and weather
97 percent of the earth's water is from the ocean
Of the 40 or so phyla of plants and animals known, only about half live on land, while the majority of that 40 phyla are represented in a single coral reef in the Indo-Pacific sea.
In 1997, 64 million metric tons of fish and shellfish were harvested from oceans and 29 million metric tons from aquaculture for human consumption. Another 29 million metric tons were processed for animal feed. Added to this is the farming of macro-algae such as seaweeds for both medicinal, cosmetic, and food products.
Coastal ecosystems act as pollution filtration systems for fresh water sources and also store and cycle nutrients and help protect shorelines from erosion and storms. The mangroves and marshes of the coast are also nurseries for open ocean fish.
Scientists are only now beginning to discover some of the medicinal and biotech applications of marine flora and fauna -- discoveries that might one day help unlock the mysteries to many diseases.

"The program gave me more self-confidence and a higher self-image -- the ability to say, 'Yes, I can do this' -- by giving me a challenge I didn't think I could handle and letting me prove to myself that I could handle it, and do it well."

-- Katherine, an Ocean Matters student

Visit the Earthlybooks Environmental Resource Center to find out how to help save our seas.

Our Educational Philosophy

"What we must do is encourage a sea change in attitude, one that acknowledges that we are part of the living world, not apart from it."

--Dr. Sylvia Earle, Sea Change

Studying at the ocean The marine biologists/educators at Ocean Matters believe that all students can meet high academic standards -- as long as they have support and a desire to do so. The program is academically rigorous in order to give students a realistic view of college-level study in marine biology so that they might "try on for size" a career in science. Unlike in college, however, you will be supported throughly to succeed in your studies -- through one-on-one study sessions with faculty, intensive writing seminars, and other special tutoring sessions.

Ocean Matters classes are hands-on and interactive, a 'heads-under' approach (as one student described it) where your studies center around daily dives on the reef. You will not be required to regurgitate information, but rather synthesize what you're learning and form your own questions from observations you've made in the field, then design methods to answer those questions.

Diver with a rich assortment of gorgonians, sponges and other forms of marine life. Barbareta Island, Bay Islands, Honduras. Depth 80 feet. Our educational goals for you during the program include to:

explore a career in marine sciences
develop the tools of inquiry-based research science
apply peer-reviewed research science to an ecosystem
develop a working knowledge of the scientific method
identify reef flora and fauna to species level
understand and apply complex theories of reef biology and ecology
learn how to write a scientific paper
learn about marine science research methodology
learn to work together effectively as a group
present your research to scientists and the media.

"The program opened my eyes to many things, but most of all, to nature. I gained a new appreciation for the earth as a whole. I realized more fully how diverse and precious it is."

-- Isabel, an Ocean Matters student

Summer Marine Biology Programs for Young People and Educators

Since the Ocean Matters...

Summer Marine Biology Programs for
Young People and Educators