2025 MSU-SEAS (Science Education at Sea) Continues into its 5th year of Experiential Learning for STEM

December 21, 2025

The 2025 MSU-SEAS Program continues providing experiential learning opportunities for middle and high school students of the region in its 5th year, in partnership with the Mississippi Aquarium and Ship Island Excursions, with hands-on lessons in marine, earth, atmospheric, and environmental sciences undertaken on Ship Island and along the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Mississippi Sound.



It is our belief that experiential learning and the hands-on nature of this program will generate positive educational outcomes and excitement, invigorate student interest in the natural sciences and their environment, and potentially impact students' long-term (college) educational interests and career goals (an important NOAA workforce development goal).

This program allows students to engage in sampling and data collection and attend lively lectures covering Gulf Coast history, geography, geology, biology, ecology, and environmental and climate factors.

The Northern Gulf Institute's E&O team, several faculty members from the Mississippi State University Department of Geosciences, and staff members from the Mississippi Aquarium. Select 30 middle and high school students, as well as homeschooled students, as the fifth cohort of learners, participating in a hands-on marine science excursion while learning positive behavioral practices that promote sustainable choices to safeguard the Gulf of Mexico's marine ecosystem. The day-long excursion will travel out into the Mississippi Sound and onshore along the beaches of Ship Island aboard Ship Island Excursions Vessels operating out of Gulfport, MS.




"We believe an engaged and informed public is a great partner in the effort to protect the Gulf of Mexico's environment," said Jonathan Harris, Northern Gulf Institute outreach director. "By giving students access to this kind of learning, NGI and the Mississippi Aquarium is making its research relevant to the students who will become the stakeholders and citizens of the future."

Students will be immersed in hands-on activities, including learning about collecting marine scientific data, water quality samples, and seafloor sediment and identifying various marine species and invasive aquatic plants. Program organizers and education experts said another priority is to practice one of the core tenets of modern educational theory: experiential learning, in which students are engaged through hands-on practice.

"The idea is that through exposure to real-life scientific sampling techniques and locally relevant lesson content, we can remove the shadow of classroom learning and spark an interest in the sciences that will impact not only their future educational choices, but also their life-long interest and hopefully their career pathways."

NGI and the Mississippi Aquarium offer the program twice a semester to the public and homeschooled students. Student participants in this cohort are from across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Coastal Counties, and several are from as far north as Tupelo and Kosciusko.

Click here for more information about Ship Island Excursions


MSU-SEAS: Science Education at Sea - Experiential Learning for STEM

What the Program Is
The MSU-SEAS (Science Education at Sea) program, hosted by the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) at Mississippi State University in partnership with the Mississippi Aquarium, Ship Island Excursions, and other regional partners, is an immersive marine science education experience designed for middle and high school students. Students participate in hands-on scientific activities aboard vessels and in coastal field environments along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Ship Island.

This one-day program introduces students to disciplines including marine biology, geology, oceanography, atmospheric science, ecology, environmental science, and data collection techniques. Activities encompass sampling water quality and seafloor sediments, identifying marine species and invasive plants, and observing real processes in coastal environments.

Experiential Learning in Practice
MSU-SEAS is grounded in the educational concept of experiential learning (learning by doing), which posits that students gain deeper understanding and stronger retention when actively engaged in real scientific practices rather than only studying them in classrooms. Facilitators include NGI scientists and educators, as well as experts from partner organizations, who guide students as they apply scientific techniques in real environments.

Program leaders explicitly state that:

Experiential learning removes the abstraction of classroom theory, allowing students to connect concepts with real phenomenon (e.g., coastal dynamics, habitat science, and ecosystem interactions) and to see how scientists collect and interpret data in practice.

Engagement in hands-on science builds curiosity and excitement, producing positive educational experiences that are more memorable and impactful than traditional lecture-based instruction.

Educational and Workforce Value
Although long-term outcomes are still emerging, early reports and participant feedback indicate that MSU-SEAS can have measurable benefits, such as:

Increasing interest in STEM subjects and awareness of real scientific careers.

Supporting positive behavioral perspectives about environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Providing students—especially those from underrepresented or underfunded districts—with access to experiential STEM opportunities they might not otherwise encounter.

By enabling students to conduct actual scientific data collection and analysis in a real ecosystem, MSU-SEAS embodies core principles of effective experiential education: active engagement, immediate application of skills, and contextualized learning that connects scientific knowledge to real world systems and challenges.