Many students and guests who visit Georgia Aquarium may never see the ocean in their lifetime. That fact may be shocking to some, but students gain a compassionate and unique connection with our planet by witnessing the ocean and its inhabitants firsthand.
The past several months have changed the rules when it comes to traditional learning inside and outside the classroom. As the first aquarium to be STEM-provider certified by Cognia, Georgia Aquarium recognizes our unique position as a non-traditional learning environment with the values of STEM education. We may not be a school, but we certainly are an institution of learning. It is deeply engrained in our mission to bring the ocean to those who have never seen a shoreline. We do so through engaging and educational interactions and exhibits with thousands of animals from all over the world, including the Arctic, the Indo-Pacific, and even freshwater Georgia streams.
As the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere topping 11 million gallons of water, we have the incredible opportunity to provide hands-on and up-close animal encounters that serve as learning experiences. When a student can get close to an animal and see their eyes, or scales, or watch it swim, it creates a powerful emotional connection. Those connections help students retain and understand the information they are learning in that moment. Through our engaging educational programs, we work to create those life-long bonds to inspire respect for our ocean and a willingness to protect it.
When a student can get close to an animal and see their eyes, or scales, or watch it swim, it creates a powerful emotional connection.
Many students and guests who visit Georgia Aquarium may never see the ocean in their lifetime. That fact may be shocking to some, but students gain a compassionate and unique connection with our planet by witnessing the ocean and its inhabitants firsthand. We offer a variety of educational programming, field trips, teacher resources, and hands-on learning for students of all ages. The education loop within the Aquarium was recently redesigned to demonstrate STEM learning in each of the classrooms for our school groups that learn with us on-site. Our education department leads two camps each year with STEM themes. One of these camps gives seventh grade girls the opportunity to learn STEM and STEAM alongside our researchers and educators. They explore the science of marine biology, engineering behind research tools, and even put their STEM skills to the test by working together to build things like remote operated vehicles.
We emphasize the many career paths and courses of study students could pursue in aquatic sciences, including, marine biology, microbiology, psychology, and even behavioral science.
Our educational outreach also extends to the front of our galleries for families and educators. Our gallery guides include field guides, providing information on our extraordinary animals and STEM careers within Georgia Aquarium. We emphasize the many career paths and courses of study students could pursue in aquatic sciences, including, marine biology, microbiology, psychology, and even behavioral science. This broadens many students’ horizons to fields of study that may never have been open to them.
We offer a variety of educational programming, field trips, teacher resources, and hands-on learning for students of all ages. The education loop within the Aquarium was recently redesigned to demonstrate STEM learning in each of the classrooms for our school groups that learn with us on-site.
My experiences as a teacher and STEM school director, and my role in the aquarium, laid the foundation for the value I ascribe to hands-on and visual learning of STEM-related fields. I carry that experience with me and see its impact brought to life in the Aquarium’s truly immersive experience for STEM students. Whether you are on a field trip with your classroom or visiting as a guest with your family, each exhibit highlights a different element of STEM in presentation and creation. With hundreds of exhibits, ranging from our largest at 6.3 million gallons with whale sharks and manta rays, to smaller jewel exhibits showcasing small freshwater fish, Georgia Aquarium has the opportunity to provide a unique, holistic, and engaging learning environment. That opportunity is one we proudly embrace.
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