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Marine Advisory Program

Virginia Scientists & Educators Alliance (VA SEA)

VASEA_logoAbout VA SEA

 

The Virginia Scientists & Educators Alliance (VA SEA) is a network of graduate students, teachers, and informal educators formed with the goal of translating scientific research into usable lesson plans. Created by Educators at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in 2015, the program has hosted 70 graduate students from VIMS/William & Mary, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VA Tech), University of Virginia (UVA), and Old Dominion University (ODU).

To date, 79 middle and high school lesson plans have been created based on current student research. Participants attend workshops on pedagogy and lesson creation during the Summer/Fall then submit draft activities  for review. During the winter months, all lesson plans are vetted by local classroom teachers both individually and in focus groups. At the end of the Spring semester, new lessons are presented to Virginia educators at a science-fair-style open house and made available for download online. As of 2025, VA SEA lesson plans have been downloaded more than 26,000 times by educators in 172 countries around the globe!

To see all available lesson plans, go to: