Author: Kristan Reynolds
Date: July 30, 2026
Science outreach plays a vital role in making marine science and conservation accessible to the public. That’s why rather than just conducting research, one of our missions at the Florida Atlantic University Marine Lab is to share our discoveries and their implications through the Glenn W. and Cornelia T. Bailey Marine SEA Scholars (Science, Education, and Arts) program. After a record-breaking year of 42 outreach events in 2025, the SEA Scholars kicked off the 2026 outreach season strong. We’re excited to share some highlights from our biggest recent events!
On February 7, 2026, our GW&CTB SEA Scholars packed their wagon full of marine curiosities and interactive materials and traveled to the eco-discovery center Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach, Florida. ManateeFest 2026 marked the 10th anniversary of Manatee Lagoon and brought the community together to celebrate Florida’s environmental conservation.
Brooke Grieshop, a SEA Scholar since Fall 2025 and an undergraduate Biology major at Florida Atlantic, attended the event and was excited to share her knowledge with the community.
“For me, outreach means getting to share the experiences and knowledge that I have gained personally with my community so that we can all have a better understanding of how to protect some of our favorite sea life, like sea turtles!” Grieshop said.
During the event, Grieshop gathered visitors of all ages around the outreach table with a fun interactive game: our “Plinko” board. The game asks, “Which Sea Turtle Are You?” This outreach activity draws people to the table by letting them drop a ball down the board (sort of a low-tech pinball game) to discover which of the three sea turtle species that regularly nest in South Florida they are: a leatherback, loggerhead, or green turtle.
“The Plinko board allows me to very easily tie in our other outreach materials by showing the participant an accurate 3D digital model of a leatherback, a loggerhead skull, or a green sea turtle shell,” Grisehop said. “I can also give them fun facts and a sea turtle trading card that they can take with them and share their newly gained knowledge with others.”
The event welcomed over 10,000 visitors who learned, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., how marine research helps us better understand ocean life and inform conservation efforts.
After appreciating the manatees and other Lake Worth Lagoon inhabitants at Manateefest, our team took a trip to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida, where TurtleFest was underway. On February 21 and 22, the center welcomed over 15,000 guests to learn about ocean conservation through interactive educational exhibits and marine life.
Kristan Reynolds, a SEA Scholar since Spring 2025 and graduate student in Communication Studies at Florida Atlantic, attended her second TurtleFest and enjoyed talking with community members about marine conservation.
“It was such a huge event,” Reynolds said. “Knowing that this many people care about sea turtles and marine life makes me happy, especially when we can share information about these animals to help protect them.”
During the event, the SEA Scholars also handed out Marine Lab swag, including temperature-based, color-changing pencils.
“I loved handing out the pencils because it’s a great way to teach about temperature-dependent sex determination in sea turtles,” Reynolds said. “When the pencil is cold, it’s blue, but when it’s hot, it changes color.” This visual helps visitors grasp that sea turtle sex is determined by changing nest temperatures, with cooler nests producing more males and warmer nests producing females. Or, to help everyone remember: ‘hot chicks and cool dudes!’
Through interactive tools like these, SEA Scholars continue to make marine science engaging and accessible to the public, encouraging visitors to take an active interest in what scientists have learned, and how that information is used for conservation.
Between April 23 and April 26, our SEA Scholars attended a conference for the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA), that was held at the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, Florida. This conference brought together marine science educators and professionals from across the state for keynote and seaside sessions featuring leading voices in ocean science, interactive professional development workshops, networking opportunities, and dynamic exhibitor showcases. SEA Scholar Kristan Reynolds, and FAU graduate students Colleen Hecker, Cheyne Springbett, and Miranda Manross, were among the presenters. So was Marine Lab Research fellow (and SEA Scholar) Dr. Chelsea Bennice who co-chaired the conference, alongside FMSEA past-president Dr. Gabby McHenry from FAU Harbor Branch. Dr. Bennice was also nominated for the 2026 John Beakley "Marine Science Educator of the Year" Award .
Jonathan Chavez, a then undergraduate Biology student at Florida Atlantic and SEA Scholar since Summer 2025, attended FMSEA as an exhibitor. He shared the Marine Lab’s outreach materials with educators and attendees. “It was really interesting to see which materials resonated the most with other educators,” Chavez said. “The coloring sheets and infographics with all the turtle information were a big hit throughout the whole event, and it was rewarding to see people engaged with what we had put together.” Our new “Shell Yeah!” sticker debuted at the conference, allowing attendees to take home a reminder of what they learned from us.
While SEA Scholars typically play a role as educators, Chavez also had the opportunity to step back into a learning role and engage with other marine educators at FMSEA. “Interacting with other marine science educators gave me a clearer picture of how many projects are happening throughout Florida,” Chavez said. “The educators I spoke with were very passionate about their work and eager to share their knowledge with me.”
Over the three-day conference, SEA Scholars and FAU Marine Lab scientists connected with 125 marine science educators from across Florida, sharing outreach materials, virtual resources, and discussing new ways to make marine science more engaging and accessible in classrooms and community programs.
On June 7, we kept our outreach close to home at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s World Ocean Day celebration! SEA Scholars carried gear just a couple yards and up a handful of stairs from the FAU Marine Lab to the main building of the nature center. Among tables of other ocean stewards, we taught visitors all about the many marine creatures we study right next door!
This was the first outreach event for our new summer SEA Scholars: Cloudy Nonome, an undergraduate Health Science student with a background in theatre performance, and Miranda Manross, a graduate Biology student studying octopus, who ‘took like fish to water’ in their new outreach roles!
Nonome’s unique skillset – including experience with filmmaking and photography – made him the perfect candidate to capture the excitement and joy of the day by creating a video of the outreach event. “The best part about filming this event is being able to share a piece of this experience with other people. I hope it helps make our research feel more approachable and inspires people to care more about the ocean!”
And who better to help World Ocean Day guests find the octopus on their scavenger hunt, than an octopus researcher like Miranda? (See if you, too, can spot an octopus – big or small – in the video). “There is no better feeling than telling someone an interesting fact about octopuses and seeing their eyes light up with excitement! Having the ability to share my passion with others is my favorite part of SEA Scholars,” Manross explained.
We are proud of our new SEA Scholars diving headfirst into World Ocean Day and rising to the occasion as impressive Marine Lab ambassadors.
Just over a week later, on June 15 to June 19, Marine Lab Research Fellow Dr. Chelsea Bennice and Biology graduate student, Samantha Trail, headed to Jupiter, Florida for the American Association of University Women (AAUW)’s Tech Trek! Tech Trek is a STEM summer camp for middle school girls aimed at providing engaging STEM curricula, female mentors in STEM fields, and clearer ideas of perspective paths towards STEM careers. Chelsea and Sam led the marine biology course during the week.
From sea turtle nest excavation simulations and seagrass “snow (sediment) globes,” to dissections of various marine phyla and Gyotaku (fish print) t-shirts, our SEA Scholars might still be catching their breath from all the science fun that ensued that week! As a former middle school science teacher, Trail enjoyed seeing the joy of discovery as the girls explored marine biology during the course. “Watching students have those rewarding ‘aha!’ moments, serves as a kind reminder just how lucky I am to search for those ‘aha!’ moments as a career. It was rewarding to facilitate those moments at Tech Trek and watch the wonder grow within our group throughout the week.”
The third day of camp culminated with Women’s Professional Night, which gave campers an opportunity to chat with a variety of STEM experts. Dr. Marianne Porter from the Florida Atlantic Biomechanics (FAB) Lab was a panel speaker and Dr. Chelsea Bennice attended to share her career with girls during the dinner.
On the last day of class, Dr. Bennice gathered up an impressive group of women in diverse marine biology fields to talk about their careers, how they got there, and answer questions from the young campers. Many of those marine biologists are current FAU Marine Lab students, staff, and alumni. Speakers included sea turtle scientist and veterinarian Dr. Samantha Kuschke, sea turtle scientist and FAU Marine Lab coordinator Emily Turla, shark scientist Olivia Schuitema, shark and ray scientist Jordan Waldron, octopus scientist Natasha Ahrweiler, education manager at Manatee Lagoon Rachel Shanker (FAU Biology alumna), and Emma Rigolo, SCUBA Instructor and Photo Pro at Pura Vida dive shop (also a FAU Biology alumna). Throughout the week, the FAU Marine Lab inspired many students to further explore marine biology. Look out, world; future marine biologists are heading your way!
With much of the year still ahead, the SEA Scholars are excited to continue sharing marine science with the community through outreach events. To explore more of our work, visit our virtual resources and upcoming events on the FAU Marine Lab website. And, of course, please visit the FAU Marine Lab to see what science is going on!
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