
Life Beyond Light:
Chemosynthetic Communities of the Deep Ocean
Professional Development for Educators of Grades 6-12
Educators of grades 6-12 are invited to join a NOAA Ocean Exploration facilitator and our Education Alliance Partners for a full-day, in-person professional development workshop. Together we will explore hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, two deep-sea ecosystems with dense biological communities fueled by chemosynthesis.
This fun-filled, full-day workshop will include:
- A brief introduction to NOAA Ocean Exploration and why and how we explore the ocean;
- Several phenomena-based student investigations and hands-on activities that support science standards and classroom pedagogy to help students understand the fascinating process of chemosynthesis and the unique deep-sea ecosystems this process supports;
- Reflection and discussion with peer educators about how to implement these materials in the classroom; and
- A guided tour of additional free, online ocean education resources available from NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Deep Ocean Education Project website
Registration is required and space is limited. Registered educators will receive a collection of classroom-ready resources to continue exploring chemosynthesis, hydrothermal vents, and cold seeps in their classrooms that includes student investigations, videos, fact sheets, and more. Additionally, educators that attend the full day, in-person workshop will receive a NOAA Ocean Exploration Certificate of Participation, and a $100 stipend.
This NOAA Ocean Exploration professional development for educators is offered in partnership with Education Alliance Partners and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
*Exploring the Deep Ocean with NOAA Professional Development for Educators will return in the Fall of 2025.
Spring 2025 Opportunities
All workshops are scheduled on Saturdays and run from 8:30am – 4:00pm local time.
Registration links will be provided below as soon as they become available.
March 1, 2025
- Greater Cleveland Aquarium (Cleveland, OH)
March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 2025
- [FULL] EcoExploratorio (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
March 8, 2025
- Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, CA)
- Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (Draper, UT)
March 15, 2024
- National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)
- Seacoast Science Center (Rye, NH)
March 22, 2025
- Mississippi State Extension Center (Biloxi, MS), lead by Dauphin Island Sea Lab
- South Carolina Aquarium (Charleston, SC)
March 29, 2025
- Waikiki Aquarium (Waikiki, HI)
April 5, 2025
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, OR)
April 12, 2025
- University of South Florida (St. Petersburg, FL)