Girl Scouts diving on the Aquarius Habitat.

Watch a highlight video of the Girl Scouts visiting the Aquarius. (QuickTime, 2 Mb)

In August 2002, NOAA and the Girl Scouts of the USA teamed up for The Aquarius Project 2002, an intensive week of ocean science and discovery for a nationally selected group of girl scouts.

The Aquarius Project is the first partnership between NOAA and GSUSA that brings scientists and Girl Scouts together for ocean study and exploration. This project, hosted at the National Undersea Research Center’s University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Aquarius Shore Station, taught girls the fundamentals of exploration, oceanography, ocean technology, coral reef ecology, habitat preservation, and marine biology.

These aquanauts dove to the Aquarius and visited current mission scientists at work in the habitat (and even delivered boxes of delicious Girl Scout Cookies!), worked alongside Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary staff to monitor fish communities on restored coral reef sites, and conducted an exploration of the Benwood wreck site.

Girl Scouts at the end of their trip.

In the Aquarius Project, girls learn about ocean science by hands-on experience and interaction with mentor scientists. The expedition was a complete success, and energized a group of tomorrow’s ocean science leaders. Each participating Girl Scout has devised an outreach plan for taking what they learned home to their schools, Girl Scout Councils and communities.

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