Sue Zupko (TAS 2011 and 2014) held the second annual Seven Seas Celebration on April 15, 2016, at Weatherly Heights Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama. Over 200 students and parents attended this successful marine science and math activity night. Volunteer parents, teachers, and students helped create and run the activities. Participants made nautical flags, weighed and measured the fish that they created, following Ms. Zupko’s drifter buoy that was launched during her 2014 research cruise and played ocean themed games.  

Lieutenant (LT) Jonathan Heesch, NOAA Chief of Port Operations, Gulf Marine Support Facility in Pascagoula, MS, taught students about the importance of NOAA ship safety by demonstrating how to wear water survival suits. They had fun racing each other to see who could get their suit on the fastest! “Ultimately, through the process of having fun, the kids received first-hand experience regarding life at sea, an understanding of the dangers posed by being at sea, and a solid exposure to the possibility of a career at sea,” said LT Heesch. Other fun and educational activities included: Toss the Plankton, Boats Afloat, Nematocyst Assist, Coral Mound, Estimation Station, Time and Tide, Purple Tube Sponge, Harlequin Shrimp, and Dumbo Octopus.