WAVES: Water Advocates and Visionaries for the Environment and Sea
WAVES is a community engagement and educational outreach program designed to improve opportunities and educational materials in marine science and conservation for K-12 students. WAVES is directed by Dr. Maria Cartolano in partnership with the Robert K. Johnson Center for Marine Conservation. This program has evolved from Ocean Kids, which was originally founded in 2008 by Dr. Jill Richardson for elementary students. This year, WAVES is excited to partner with the Miami-Dade County Public School District.
Our goal is to build relationships with K-12 schools and students, provide access to experiential marine science and conservation curricula, establish a sense of belonging and inclusion on a college campus, and help students envision their path to a potential future career in STEM as well as join the marine conservation movement to conserve our oceans and South Florida’s unique coastlines.
Mission:
- Provide early access to marine science educational experiences and a college campus for K-12 students.
- Expand participation in marine science and promote inclusion in ocean conservation through a variety of curricula and activities.
- Engage Rosenstiel volunteers in community engagement and science communication.
Program Components:
1. Immersive Field Trips and School Visits
WAVES hosts annual field trips, school visits, and events where undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science share their passion for science and ocean conservation with K-12 students. At WAVES field trips, students visit various educational stations with locally relevant themes to improve ocean literacy through hands-on activities. Each station is hosted by Rosenstiel research laboratories, outreach groups, and local non-profits to give students an immersive look into different fields, research, and career paths and a chance to interact with scientific tools and technology.
2. Lesson Plans and Educational Kits
In collaboration with University of Miami students, WAVES creates marine science and conservation lesson plans that align with educational standards and incorporate cutting-edge Rosenstiel research. We have also disseminated WAVES educational kits to local K-12 schools in Miami-Dade. These kits contain detailed lesson plans, presentation slides, and laboratory supplies to complete 15+ hands-on active learning activities in a classroom. Please check back for future free access to WAVES lesson plans!
3. Teacher Professional Development
WAVES has recently introduced annual training workshops to support K-12 educators in integrating marine science into their classrooms. These sessions provide teachers with hands-on experience, instructional resources, and networking opportunities to enhance STEM education.
4. Research and Program Assessment
WAVES collects and analyzes data from students, teachers, and volunteers to measure program impact, student learning, ocean literacy, and conservation awareness. This research helps refine WAVES initiatives and contributes to broader studies on science education.
Impact and Recognition:
To date, WAVES has engaged over 3,000 K-12 students through our events and lesson plans. This program has been funded by the Ocean Conservancy, Robert K Johnson Center for Marine Conservation, NOAA, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and generous community donors. WAVES has been acknowledged by the local media, The Clinton Global Initiative U (Extraordinary Commitment to Action), UM SOAR Awards (Excellence in Programming), Miami-Dade Public Schools (Excellence in Service), Shellphone Podcast, MTV’s “The Dean’s List”, and the UM Citizen Board.
Get Involved:
- University of Miami Students: To get involved with WAVES, you can volunteer, intern, or take a course! Volunteer opportunities are flexible – look for sign-up emails each semester. Paid graduate student internship opportunities are available for WAVES curriculum development and event organization. Students enrolled in the spring course RSM 541/641 assist with the planning and implementation of WAVES field trips. Email mcartolano@miami.edu if you are interested in getting involved.
- K-12 Educators: Our lesson plans will soon be freely accessible to educators. Please check back on this website for updates!
Support WAVES:
We are committed to increasing access and opportunities for ocean STEM education for K-12 students. Through immersive field trips, hands-on lesson plans, teacher training, and research, we are inspiring the next generation of marine scientists and conservationists. Since its founded, WAVES has relied on community donations to sustain and expand its impact.
Your donation can help us: sponsor event transportation and costs, fund an educational kit, expand teacher training, support a graduate student intern, and allow us to continue to expand this program.
Make an impact today! Click the orange donation button below to contribute and help us make WAVES in marine science education! For sponsorship opportunities or in-kind donations, please contact Dr. Maria Cartolano at mcartolano@miami.edu. Together, we can inspire future marine scientists and conservation leaders!
