VA SEA Lesson Plan Project for Science Graduate Students
Virginia Scientists & Educators Alliance (VA SEA) Graduate Student Workshops
August 25 & September 23, 2025
VIMS Davis Hall, Gloucester Point, VA
Educators from the VIMS Office of Outreach & Engagement invite science graduate students from Virginia Sea Grant affiliated universities to participate in a program where they’ll learn best practices for communicating their research through the development of lesson plans designed for middle and high school classrooms.
VA SEA is a hybrid of VIMS' successful GK-12 project and North Carolina's SciREN project. Both efforts have helped young scientists hone science communication skills by translating their research into classroom lesson plans. These lessons share current research and science problem solving with K-12 teachers and their students, increasing literacy in STEM subjects. The VA SEA program began in 2015, has drawn 70 graduate students from VIMS, ODU and UVA, and has produced 79 lesson plans to date. Lessons are shared with classroom teachers from across the state each year at our annual VA SEA Lesson Plan Expo in April and made available on-line as educational publications.
We are starting our ninth cohort of the VA SEA project, and are now accepting applications from graduate students currently enrolled in any Virginia Sea Grant affiliated institution.
VA SEA Project Timeline
- Aug 25, 2025 - First participant training workshop
- Sept 23, 2025 - Second participant training workshop
- Oct 2025 - Check-in meetings to review progress & answer questions
- Oct & Nov 2025 - Participants develop research-based lesson plan
- Nov 2025 - Participants submit full draft lesson plan
- Jan 2026 - Local teachers review lessons in focus groups
- Jan & Feb 2026 - Local teachers pilot test lesson plans in their classrooms
- Mar 2026 - Participants refine lesson plan based on teacher feedback
- April 1, 2026 - All lesson components must be turned in for reformatting
- April 20, 2026 - Two-minute lesson overview video due
- April 23, 2026 - Lessons are shared with teachers at VIMS Lesson Plan Expo
- April 24, 2026 - Lessons available online to educators around the globe!
Benefits to graduate students:
- Improve your communication & teaching skills
- Learn best practices for lesson plan development
- Work with teachers to bring current science into the classroom
- Share your research with teachers & students across Virginia
- Add a unique publication to your CV
- Have something fun to talk about at your next interview
- Earn $250 in workship
Expectations of graduate students:
- Attend two 1/2-day training workshops at VIMS (Aug 25 & Sep 23, 2025)
- Develop & submit a draft lesson plan
- Revise lesson plan based on teacher feedback
- Turn in all lesson plan components for reformatting
- Turn in overview video, image inventory, and list of materials needed for Expo
- Demonstrate lesson in-person at Lesson Plan Expo on April 23, 2026
Registration is limited to 10 participants.
Questions? Contact:
Lisa Lawrence (graduate student contact)
ayers@vims.edu
804-684-7608
or
Sarah McGuire Nuss (classroom teacher contact)
mcguire@vims.edu
804-684-7878