2026 Professional Development Opportunities

Oases of Life: Seamounts and Deep-Sea Corals

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’ll explore and investigate the dynamic geologic and physical processes associated with seamounts and the complex coral and sponge communities that inhabit them.

This fun-filled, full-day workshop will include:

• A brief introduction to NOAA Ocean Exploration;
• Several phenomena-based student investigations and hands-on activities that support science standards and classroom pedagogy to help students understand the formation of seamounts and how and why deep-sea communities thrive there;
• 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 habitat complexity, seamounts, and deep-sea corals 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.

Spring 2026 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.