K-12 Outreach

Hopkins Ocean Literacy Program

With funding from the Stanford K-12 initiative, researchers from Hopkins Marine
Station are teaching 3rd-5th grade students from underserved communities surrounding Monterey Bay about the oceans, marine conservation, and sustainability through hands-on, outdoor learning experiences.  The project is a collaboration between Hopkins, the Stanford School of Education, the Stanford Institute of Design, and the Hilton Bialek Habitat in Carmel. Graduate students and Postdocs from Hopkins are working with Habitat staff to develop and implement the curriculum we call the Ocean HEROES Program (Hopkins/Habitat Early Researchers and Ocean Environment Scientists).  The curriculum and web-based teaching tools will be made available to all teachers on the Habitat web site.

Sacramento River Discovery Charter School

The 7th and 12th graders at this school enjoy an annual field trip to the Monterey area. Their adventures include tidepooling, kayaking, whale watching, hiking Pt. Lobos, and a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Hopkins. The students usually go to MBA in the morning, then come to Hopkins in the afternoon, where graduate student volunteers lead them in exploring invertebrates, pressing algae, and other activities.

Upward Bound

Part of the federally supported Upward Bound program, this event brings a group of high school students to Hopkins every summer for an afternoon of marine biology. They move between different stations (inverts, pressing algae, etc.), supervised by graduate student recipients of Myers Grants.

Boys and Girls’ Club Visit (2007)

The East Palo Alto Boys and Girls Club (mostly 7th and 8th graders) visited Hopkins for a day in 2007. Graduate students gave ten-minute presentations about their research, including activities such as dressing a kid in SCUBA gear. After lunch, the visitors went to the Aquarium (tickets donated by MBA). We hope there will be future visits!

Sea Urchin Embryology, Virtual Urchin, Fish & Environment

Sea urchins provide a fascinating model for investigating core biological principles, applying the scientific method, investigating environmental problems, and learning to use the tools of lab biology. The drama of fertilization and development is explored in laboratory modules using sea urchin eggs. An extensive website, developed in the Epel Lab provides classroom activities and lab support for teachers. Virtual Urchin complements the Sea Urchin Embryology project to include on-line laboratory sessions (virtual labs) that engage students in scientific inquiry and develop key laboratory skills. The modules include microscopy, fertilization and development, urchin anatomy, and environmental investigations and engage students in an interactive lab experience. Both projects are sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The Inquiry-2-Insight project (I-2-I, sponsored by the Wallenberg Global Learning Network) is a collaboration between the Epel Lab at Hopkins and Sweden's Sven Loven Marine Center of Goteborg University. Biologists and educators are developing environmental activities and pairing high school biology classes at Seaside High School and Gullmargymnasiet in Sweden in a social networking exchange to investigate environmental problems and solutions.  This pairing allows students to see the problems of climate change from an international vantage point, motivates learning and leads to a new view of global environmental problems and solutions

Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science

The Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science (MAOS), based at Monterey High School, is a magnet public school program that draws on motivated students throughout the county.  During their annual visit to the Station, students in this program learn about the teaching and research being done at Hopkins and are offered the opportunity to do internships under the mentorship of a Hopkins scientist.

To inquire about organizing outreach events, please contact Melissa Haber (mhaber at stanford dot edu).