Jillian Worssam (TAS 2004), an eighth-grade teacher at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff, Arizona, was invited by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to be an OceansLIVE panelist in Washington D.C. during Capitol Hill Ocean Week on June 12, 2014. OceansLIVE is a web-based platform that links educators, scientists and others to a geographically dispersed audience. Ms. Worssam spoke about the importance of marine science education and her teacher research experience as a NOAA Teacher at Sea in 2004 on NOAA ship Miller Freeman. She also shared information about a mentorship program that she started at her middle school called Scientist in the Classroom. This program partners seventh and eighth grade students with mentor scientists who work together to develop a variety of technological and scientific projects. 

“A lifetime career has been impacted positively all after spending 30 days aboard NOAA ship Miller Freeman, says Worssam. Thanks to my participation in the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program I have been able to develop a one-on-one mentor program called Scientists in the Classroom, which
is now expanding school-wide, and to the Flagstaff, AZ Community. I was able to develop and enhance this program because of NOAA and the Teacher at Sea Program.”

Other members of the OceansLIVE panel with Ms. Worssam were:

Louisa Koch – NOAA’s Director of Education

Maya Walton – Knauss Marine Policy Fellow at NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Nyssa Silbiger – Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar

Noah Chesnin – Former Knauss Legislative Fellow

While in Washington D.C. Ms. Worssam met with staffers from the offices of U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, and U.S. Representative of Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, Ann Kirkpatrick.