By Robert Kanehl

Marine Science Educators Haylie Schwarzenbach (left) and Amy Stockburger discuss some of the specimens they trawled aboard the Enviro-Lab during a visit from Preston Plains Middle School. Photo by Robert Kanehl.

Marine Science Educator Amy Stockburger goes over last-minute instructions with a group of middle school students situated in the Enviro-Lab classroom. Photo by Robert Kanehl.

Project Oceanology, based at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus in Groton, offers hands-on scientific field experiences on the shore and aboard research vessels. Serving students, teachers, and the visiting public, the program uses Long Island Sound as a living laboratory. My own experiences with Project Oceanology span roles as a student, teacher, and reporter. There is nothing quite like venturing onto the Sound as an observer, technician, and supervisor. While each journey brought a unique perspective, they all shared the same focus: the health of Long Island Sound.

Located on the Avery Point campus, Project Oceanology offers a classroom setting as well as hands-on field experiences along the shores of Long Island Sound and aboard its research boats. Photo by Robert Kanehl.

Each year, Project Oceanology educates over 25,000 visitors. Its student-centered curriculum introduces learners from pre-K through college to the estuary’s ecological significance and teaches the fundamentals of data collection and analysis. It also offers teachers practical training in marine science to enhance their classroom instruction. Meanwhile, public visitors gain a deeper understanding of the Sound’s unique environment. A membership council of 13 public and private secondary schools and colleges oversees Project Oceanology’s curriculum, which aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. In addition to its member schools, institutions from across New England, New York, and New Jersey participate in programs at Project Oceanology.

Executive Director J. Andrew Ely emphasized the importance of citizen scientists’ experiences at Project Oceanology: “There are many students who come here who have never left the city. They have never fished or been on a boat. A large number have never touched a living organism before.” For Ely, those first encounters are transformative. “These become the experiences they remember, and they will change their vision of the world.”

From this humble origin, Project Oceanology has grown over the past 50 years to become a leading data-collection and education facility for Long Island Sound. Photo courtesy of Project Oceanology.

When Jacques Cousteau declared the western Long Island Sound dead in 1973, Project Oceanology was already in its infancy (James Barron, “At Bottom, Long Island Sound Is a Mess,” The New York Times, September 11, 1983). A few years earlier, local businesspeople, educators, and state officials had advocated for increased public education about the Sound’s importance. By 1972, Connecticut had committed to promoting rigorous marine science education. Ely noted that the state understood the costs could not fall on a single school district. A $59,000 grant through the 1972 Title III Elementary and Secondary Education Act launched Project Oceanology.

Long Island Sound is an estuary, or nursery for ocean-based life. It is one of the largest nurseries for the Atlantic Ocean. An example of its teeming lifecycles is the bluefish, one of the largest predators in the area. Baby bluefish—or “snappers”—spawn each year in the freshwater Thames River and make their way downriver. As they grow, these muscle-bound fish adapt to hover in the current of the Eastern Sound’s channel to the open ocean known as “The Race,” where they snatch at other creatures trying to push past.

“We strive to make students scientists,” Ely explained. “We want them to experience real duties while improving their overall understanding of science.” Over the past 50 years, Project Oceanology has collected extensive data, which is now used to evaluate and influence environmental efforts. Some longitudinal data from Project Oceanology documented rapid warming, acidification, oxygen loss, and declining species diversity in eastern Long Island Sound and was published in Marine Environmental Research 146 (2019). Ely noted that this research has even helped students contribute to legislation: “The work of thousands of students and teachers helps nurture the estuary.”

The original Enviro-Lab heads out of port during the early years of the program. This vessel was replaced in the late 1980s. Photo courtesy of Project Oceanology.

Beyond education, Project Oceanology plays a direct role in conservation. “We feel that to teach students about science, we need to be engaged ourselves,” Ely said. The organization is one of three entities certified to remove old lobster traps, which continue to ensnare marine life and harbor invasive species. To date, Project Oceanology has removed over 3,100 traps.

“We are not just a field trip,” Ely emphasized. The program offers a wide range of educational experiences. “Besides our standard curriculum, we tailor our units to suit the needs of the school coming here, matching and supporting what they are currently teaching in their classrooms.” The program also supports career and technical education for vocational high school students and offers professional development for teachers, public cruises, and summer and overnight camps. As Ely puts it, “We are endlessly working to increase access to the ocean and the world of science.”

Robert Kanehl is a community historian, retired teacher, and writer. He has written weekly historical columns for local newspapers and worked as a reporter and editor for several publications. He is also the author of historical novels and nonfiction.

Learn More!

Project Oceanology, 1084 Shennecossett Road, Groton, oceanology.org/