The Marine Education Center and Dr. Reginald Blaylock with the Thad Cochran Marine Research Center produced a learning experience for local students all about Copepods in the Aquaculture setting.  

In collaboration with Dr. Patrick Biber in the School of Ocean Sciences and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi and partners at Mississippi State University, the Marine Education Center worked on a learning station called the Simulated Waves Against Shoreline Habitats (SWASH) Tank. Students create waves in this tank on display at the MEC and see firsthand the impact wave energy has on various modified shorelines.

The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's Dr. Zachary Darnell works to understand physiology of one of the gulf's local crustaceans, the Fiddler Crab. Working with the Marine Education Center, Dr. Darnell's work is highlighted in an Exhibit Hall display all about the crabs, their habitat, and behavior. 

Dr. Michael Andres is one of the MEC's partners at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Dr. Andres's work focuses on the Gulf Sturgeon and its unique life cycle in Mississippi coastal habitats. To teach students more about the Sturgeon, an interactive curriculum makes learning fun, even including a board game all about Sturgeon!

The University of Southern Mississippi's Coastal Operations team includes academic programs that reach undergraduate students across the coast. STEM in the Sound is an immersive experience learning about Blue Technology and Ocean Engineering from USM researchers. Students travel across the Mississippi Sound on one of USM's Research Vessels while seeing demonstrations used in ocean exploration. 

The University of Southern Mississippi is host to many maritime training programs and degree tracks. The Accelerate program expands the audience of these training programs to adult learners from the region. Led by Dr. Jason McKenna at the USM Marine Research Center, the Marine Education Center collaborated to develop and implement this exciting opportunity. 

Resilience is a very important topic for coastal communities, especially in Mississippi. The Marine Education Center works to educate the public about resilience and vulnerability. Researchers in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering provide valuable data about coastal processes that inform resilience practices. Dr. Wei Wu works to understand the changes in coastal processes associated with our changing environment and has been integral to the MEC's Resilience programs. 

The USM Center for Fisheries Research and Development is one of the Marine Education Center's partners that work on many different programs. From SharkFest and Angler Summer Camps, to Coastal Science Camp shark tagging trips, the researchers at CFRD help educate students from across the region.