Alliances
NOAA's Ocean Exploration Program is developing alliances with aquariums and science centers to offer professional development to teachers in the use of Learning Ocean Science through Ocean Exploration. These one-day long professional development offerings and associated follow-ups help build regional cadres of ocean exploration teacher leaders. Our NOAA Ocean Exploration Education Alliances are listed here.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Recognized as one of the nation's leading aquariums, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is located along the banks of the Mississippi River in the historic FrenchQuarter. A visit to the Aquarium spans the world of the Caribbean Sea, the mysterious Amazon Rainforest and the waters that give New Orleans its lifeblood: the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.
Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific opened in Long Beach (CA) in 1998. Long Beach is the most ethnically diverse large city in the United States and is located in one of the most highly urbanized coastal areas in the world. The nation’s two largest container ports are in the Aquarium’s backyard. The Aquarium has worked to create a vision that responds to these local and regional societal and environmental platforms. It strives to be the first aquarium dedicated to conserving and building Natural Capital (nature and nature’s services) by building Social Capital (the bonds between and among people). It does this by combining cultural festivals and scientific programming with engaging and educational exhibits for its more than 1.2 million visitors per year, including nearly 200,000 participants in school programs. The Aquarium on Wheels program also delivers the Pacific to schools and community events. The three main galleries explore the sunny waters of Southern California and Baja, the cold seas of the Northern Pacific, and the colorful Tropical Pacific. The Aquarium also features an Open Ocean exhibit, Shark Lagoon, Lorikeet Forest aviary, and hands-on discovery labs. As a free-choice learning institution, the Aquarium offers a variety of lectures, panel discussions, and courses for adults through its Aquatic Academy, as well as educational programs for children of all ages. The Aquarium’s Marine Conservation Research Institute is the focal point for the Aquarium’s research and conservation programs and is known for its Aquatic Forum that brings together scientists, decision-makers, and diverse stakeholders in forums to explore and evaluate alternative strategies for dealing with major coastal and marine issues facing California.
The Dauphin Island Sealab
Founded in 1971 by the State Legislature, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) is Alabama’s marine science education and research institution. Located on the eastern tip of Dauphin Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, the DISL is surrounded by Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound and the waters of the Gulf, making it perfectly situated for a wide range of marine science activity. Serving 21 four-year colleges and universities of Alabama through its college summer courses and graduate programs of University Programs (UP), DISL’s educational mission also includes Discovery Hall Programs (DHP) which encompasses K-12 field programs, teacher-training, and public outreach. DHP also includes the Estuarium, the public aquarium of DISL which focuses solely on the Mobile-Tensaw Estuary system.
The research programs of the DISL range from biogeochemistry to oceanography to paleoecology. Although most research focuses on the near-shore and estuarine processes of Mobile Bay, field sites of its internationally-renowned faculty include Antarctica, Panama, Belize and other countries. DISL’s Coastal Policy Center offers local government, industry and agency decision makers a range of coastal zone management services. One of the area’s major players in coastal zone management is the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, which falls within the DISL’s numerous programs.
Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium opened on November 23, 2005 as the world’s largest aquarium, featuring 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe. There are 60 habitats at the Georgia Aquarium with 12,000 square feet of viewing windows. The acrylic used in the windows weighs a total of 328 tons. The largest habitat holds 6.2 million gallons of water and was specially designed to house whale sharks along side ten of thousands of other animals that typically live along a coral reef and out to the open ocean. The Georgia Aquarium boasts a 100 foot long tunnel and one of the largest aquarium windows in the world with views into whale shark habitat. The second largest habitat, 800,000 gallons, was specially designed to simulate the natural habitat of beluga whales. One of the unique features of the Georgia Aquarium is the Learning Loop. Research and education make up 25% of the facility. The Learning Loop is located entirely separate from the general public area with its own entrance, lunchroom, and five wet labs, giving school groups the opportunity to focus on the lessons at hand. A world-class Veterinary Services and Conservation Medicine facility makes up 5,800 square feet and holds 26 treatment tanks.
Hatfield Marine Science Center
The Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) is a research and teaching facility located in Newport, Oregon on the Yaquina Bay estuary, about one mile from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. HMSC plays an integral role in programs geared towards marine and estuarine research and instruction, as a laboratory facility serving resident scientists, as a base for far-ranging oceanographic studies, and as a classroom for students. The Hatfield Marine Science Center has research facilities that support investigations in marine fisheries, aquaculture, water quality, marine biology, botany, microbiology, zoology and oceanography.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), located in Moss Landing, California, was founded in 1987 by David Packard. The mission of MBARI is to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology, and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean. MBARI emphasizes peer relationships between engineers and scientists as a basic principle of its operation. All of the activities of MBARI must be characterized by excellence, innovation, and vision.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore
The National Aquarium in Baltimore seeks to stimulate interest in, develop knowledge about, and inspire stewardship of aquatic environments.
A member of the Baltimore community, Maryland's leading tourist attraction, and an international icon, the Aquarium provides cultural, recreational, and educational experiences that meet the needs of diverse communities. The Aquarium is committed to contribute substantially to the economic development of the local region by conducting a financially stable business in a way that demonstrates an awareness of community needs.
The Aquarium adheres to the highest principles of husbandry, staff development, fiscal responsibility, and economy of resources. It strives to provide effective outreach and conservation programs, and to conduct research and utilize state-of-the-art technology.
Nauticus
Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, located on the downtown Norfolk (Virginia) waterfront, is a maritime-themed science and technology center that explores the economic, naval, and natural power of the sea. Opened in 1994, the Center's offerings includes hands-on interactive exhibits, theaters with live actors, a shark touch experience, digital high-definition movies on a giant screen, and other maritime-related activities. The maritime experience is complemented by the battleship Wisconsin - the last and largest battleship built by the U.S. Navy; and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, which chronicles the history of the Navy in Hampton Roads. In addition, the facility is home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Education Resource Center and some of its engaging exhibits including “Science on a Sphere”—a dynamic six-foot globe that displays 3-D animated images of our oceans and atmosphere. Each year, the Center provides SOL-based educational programs to more than 100,000 school-age children, and welcomes more than 350,000 annual visitors.
New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium was designed with the intention of providing an underwater experience for the visitor and of being a cultural institution that would reconnect Boston to its waterfront. In its more than 30 years of existence it has developed several programs to help preserve and bring a better understanding of marine life to the visitor and its exhibits have been under constant expansion and renovation. The Aquarium continues its tradition to serve as a leader in research, education and conservation.
Pier Aquarium
The Pier Aquarium is a private, non-profit aquarium and marine education center located at The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. It was founded in 1988 in a cooperative effort led by Peter Betzer, Ph.D., Dean, University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, and Larry Arnold, assistant to Robert L. Urich, Mayor of St. Petersburg, to highlight and bring attention to the marine research being conducted in and around Tampa Bay. The mission is to enhance the public's understanding of the value and fragility of the local and global marine environment through research, education and personal experiences. It is primarily staffed by studnets from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science.
Seattle Aquarium
Since 1977 the Seattle Aquarium has provided fun, and exciting ways to see, touch, and explore the underwater world of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The Aquarium is located on Pier 59 at the edge of Puget Sound's Elliott Bay. With a wide range of educational programs, community outreach and partnerships, award–winning exhibits, and ground-breaking research the Aquarium continues in its mission of inspiring conservation of our marine environment.
At the Seattle Aquarium, we believe knowledge provides the power to protect. Popular programs such as the Beach Naturalists provide volunteers an opportunity to share their knowledge and help beach visitors to enjoy local beaches without harming them. Backed by our Beach Naturalists and concerned citizens, a grassroots effort gathered enough steam to support the creation of the Seattle Marine Reserves, saving half of Seattle's beaches. In order to have scientific data to support the Marine Reserves and increase knowledge about the population of plants and animals on the beaches, we created the Citizen Science Program, where high school students and community volunteers monitor the reserves every year.
The Aquarium is open daily and serves more than 700,000 visitors annually, of which more than 40,000 are school children.
SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld's mission statement is, “To entertain, amaze and educate, creating memories that last a lifetime.” With more than 100 million visitors since its opening on March 21, 1964, SeaWorld is San Diego's No. 1 tourist attraction and one of the most popular marine parks in the world. The founding principles of education, entertainment, research and conservation make SeaWorld an ideal place to learn about, enjoy and gain an appreciation for some of the ocean's most fascinating animals. Occupying 189 acres on beautiful Mission Bay Park, SeaWorld is known for spectacular animal shows, interactive attractions, aquariums, rides and dining facilities.
The John G. Shedd Aquarium
Since its opening in 1930, the John G. Shedd Aquarium has ranked among the world’s leading public aquariums and consistently been one of the most popular cultural attractions in Chicago. Drawing 2 million visitors a year, Shedd’s animal collection and public programs connect guests to the living world and inspire them to make a difference. The first inland aquarium to feature permanent saltwater and freshwater displays, today Shedd is home to 25,500 animals, representing more than 2,100 species of invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and both freshwater and marine mammals from around the world. Perhaps its most famous resident is an Australian lungfish, acquired for the 1933 World’s Fair, that is the oldest fish in any collection in the world. Highlight exhibits range from a freestanding 90,000-gallon Caribbean reef habitat to a re-creation of a Pacific Northwest coastline with whales, dolphins and the Midwest’s only Alaska sea otters; from focus displays of delicate sea dragons to a 400,000-gallon shark habitat; and from a walk-through Amazon floodplain forest to the Chicago area’s local waterways and their native and invasive species. Situated on the shore of Lake Michigan in a National Historic Landmark building of white marble and elaborate, aquatic-themed terra cotta, Shedd has made the protection of the Great Lakes its highest conservation priority.
South Carolina Aquarium
The South Carolina Aquarium is a state-of-the-art environmental learning center that encompasses the entire spectrum of Southeastern aquatic habitats as found in South Carolina: mountain streams, piedmont rivers, coastal swamps, salt marshes and ocean waters. A significant educational and conservation institution, it was the first aquarium in the country to open with a complete Education Master Plan in place. During its first year, the Aquarium launched its free, standards-based schools programs, with required teacher training for visiting classes.
The Tennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium is the country’s largest freshwater aquarium and one of the top informal educational facilities in the Southeast. It is the only zoo or aquarium in the country accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Located in Chattanooga along the Tennessee River, the Tennessee Aquarium opened in 1992. An IMAX 3-D Theater was added in 1996 and focuses on the natural world in films. A spectacular new addition, Ocean Journey, was added to the Aquarium campus in 2005.
The Aquarium’s original building, River Journey, guides visitors on a water droplet’s trip from the river’s source in the Appalachians to the delta country of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. The newest building, Ocean Journey, features a 618,000-gallon Secret Reef exhibit with large sharks and colorful reef fish. Our latest addition to Ocean Journey is Penguins’ Rock, a unique and dynamic exhibit featuring Gentoo and Macaroni penguins.
The Aquarium’s educational efforts reach over 125,000 students per year in self-guided and guided tours, gallery and classroom programs and lunch & learns. Other offerings include overnights, homeschool and preschool programs, summer camps and teacher workshops. Outreach programs reach another 20,000+ people per year with classroom programs, library summer reading programs, career days and community festivals and events.
TNARI (Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute), the Aquarium’s research arm, focuses its resources on imperiled southeast aquatic species. One of its successes is a 20-year collaboration with several other organizations to re-introduce lake sturgeon into the Tennessee River system. Over 50,000 sturgeon have been released through mid-2007.
Waikiki Aquarium
The Waikiki Aquarium, founded in 1904, is the third oldest public aquarium in the United States and a part of the University of Hawaii. Known for its exquisite sunlit displays of living corals and colorful reef fish, the Waikiki Aquarium's exhibits, programs, and research focus on the marine life of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. Over 3,000 organisms in the exhibits represent more than 420 species of aquatic animals and plants, many of them rare and unusual. Located along a living reef on Hawaii's Waikiki shoreline, the Waikiki Aquarium's mission statement is to: “To inspire and promote understanding, appreciation and conservation of Pacific marine life.”
