EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

OVERVIEW

LUMCON’s Marine Education Program invests in communities through enriching and relevant place- and skill-based experiences for all learners among Louisiana’s diverse citizenry, including those populations underrepresented in marine science. The Program’s purpose is to support and empower current and future marine scientists and ocean-literate citizens.

Marine Education at LUMCON specializes in designing powerful marine, environmental, science, and technology learning experiences spanning over our two campuses. The Program focuses on the scientific research programs of LUMCON, promoting awareness of marine and coastal environments and their connection to land, and exploring the scientific process and its role in answering compelling questions to find solutions and make informed environmental decisions.

Events and activities at LUMCON are for designed to provide positive and lasting experiences for anyone seeking a coastal and marine science education.

At LUMCON, students become scientists. Through field and laboratory activities, students develop lasting impressions about making a positive impact on their environment and community.  STEM education is different at LUMCON. In this moment, Louisiana scientists are asking compelling questions to find solutions for our complex environmental challenges. These challenges are unprecedented and require a dedication to furthering the understanding of our coastal and marine environments. Only by harnessing the talent and perspectives of our younger generations can Louisiana succeed in leading a global effort to understand our changing coastal and marine systems. By investing in the success and retention of K-12 students in STEM careers, including marine science, we ensure a future where communities are more environmentally literate, resilient to the impacts of climate change, and lead by advancing science and technology.  We offer programs designed to meet the needs of preK-12 school classes, school organizations, home schools, and scouting organizations.

LUMCON has two campuses. Each location has education programs that are innovative, exciting, and Louisiana-focused designed to support and train today’s learners.

LUMCON supports higher education and research in Louisiana and elsewhere by offering courses, personnel, facilities, and vessels to educators.

  • For instructors, LUMCON is a unique facility for a variety of field trips to supplement lecture topics.
  • For students, LUMCON offers university courses throughout the year and hands-on field opportunities for learning. LUMCON has video conferencing capabilities to broadcast courses, seminars, and lectures to classrooms across the state and country.

Contact our Associate Director of Education and Outreach to request a booking or apply for any of the following opportunities.  View the LUMCON fees and policies.

LUMCON has two campuses. Each location has education programs that are innovative, exciting, and Louisiana-focused designed to support and train today’s learners.

LUMCON educators have been working hard to design and create distal resources that are as unique as Louisiana’s coastal landscape.  Each resource is focused on content that is as place-based as our in-person experiences and has been crafted to inspire anyone who is science-curious.

View our entire digital content library.

If you are ready to schedule a great educational trip, we can help with that. To schedule a trip or to make general inquiries about our program offerings and activities you can contact our Associate Director of Education & Outreach by emailing education@lumcon.edu.

The information that we will need to start the reservation process:
  • Dates or timeframe you are interested in visiting one of our facilities – Once we know when you’d ideally like to visit we can contact you with dates we currently have available.
  • Name of the Group Leader  – The group leader is the adult who will be our point of contact (POC) before and during the visit.  If someone else is initiating the reservation please have the name and contact information of a person who will be accompanying the group and will act as POC during the visit.
  • POC phone number – Please provide both a school number and the cell phone number of the person who will be acting as POC.
  • Billing address
  • Course number and title (university) or grade level (K12)
  • Estimated number of total participants – This number must include the adults and instructors.  If staying overnight, we will need to know gender breakdowns for housing purposes.
  • Meal and dietary requests – This is only needed if you are requesting meals be served by LUMCON.  In the early stages of making a reservation, we will only need to know if you want breakfasts, lunches, and/or dinners served during your stay.  When we send a reservation confirmation and estimate, you will be asked to provide any dietary needs or restrictions for people in your group.  LUMCON can accommodate the most common restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, nut/soy allergies, gluten-free, and lactose-free). If you have needs beyond these contact us about whether we can make accommodations.
  • Estimated time of your group’s arrival at the LUMCON facility
  • Estimated time of departure of your group from our facility
  • Requested activities – If you do not know, we can help with that.  If you provide a list of educational goals or general themes we can create an experience designed to meet some or all of those. Or you can contact us and we’ll chat about what will work best for your group of learners
After a reservation has been created:
  • Once we have this information we need to start the reservation process the information you provided is forwarded to our reservations team.
  • The reservation will be processed the person identified as the POC will be sent a confirmation email with a reservation estimate and some other documents.
  • Please make sure every item on your estimate is correct and notify us if changes are needed.
  • This email also contains other documents you need to review and, if needed, requests for more detailed information.  Please review all the documents in the reservation packet and follow the instructions for completing the acknowledgment form.
  • To see a complete list of LUMCON policies visit the Fees, Policies, and Forms page of our website.
Customized Program Requests:

Educators and researchers from the DeFelice Marine Center are available as guest speakers to cover a variety of marine science topics. Contact our Director of Education and Outreach to learn more and schedule an expert.

Are you looking for a way to engage in LUMCON programs without the travel?  We support learners no matter where they are located.  Select from the options below or visit our Digital Content and Resources page.

MARINE SCIENCE CLUBS

LUMCON is here to support anyone interested in marine and coastal science. That includes offering suggestions and support for student organizations, faculty, or teachers who want to start a Marine Science Club in their communities, at school, or on campus. By clicking this link to our Marine Science Club page you will be redirected to our page that has suggested activities for existing clubs, as well as, things to consider if you decide to start a club. These are only suggestions. It is important to make your club your own so that it reflects the talents, interests, and diversity of your members. Just remember we are here to help!

WHITE BOOT EXPLORERS CLUB

Want to become an official LUMCON White Boot Explorer? Go to our White Boot Explorer’s Club website to complete 4 training levels.  Once you have completed all 4 levels you become an official member of the Society of White Boot Explorers.  Members get access to bonus content, invitations to member-only events and opportunities, and are eligible for in-person program activities and workshops.

BAYOUSIDE CLASSROOM

Bayouside Classroom asks students to collect scientific data, either at LUMCON or from another location in the state, to learn about estuaries and watersheds. Students then enter their data into an online database accessible all year long so they can see how water quality changes with the seasons. Access the Bayouside Classroom website. or contact our Associate Director of Education and Outreach about participation in this program.