About

The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Teacher at Sea Program is to provide teachers hands-on, real-world research experience working at sea with world-renowned NOAA scientists, thereby giving them unique insight into oceanic and atmospheric research crucial to the nation. The program provides a unique opportunity for kindergarten through college-level teachers to sail aboard NOAA research ships to work under the tutelage of scientists and crew.

Since its inception in 1990, NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program has enabled nearly 700 teachers to gain first-hand experience of science and life at sea. By participating in this program, teachers profoundly enrich their classroom curricula, enhance their approaches to teaching science, and engage their local community with knowledge that can only be gained by living and working side-by-side, day and night, with scientists who contribute to the world’s oceanic and atmospheric scientific research.

Who May Apply

To be eligible to apply to NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program, you must

  • Be either a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
  • Be employed currently, full-time, and in the same or similar capacity next year as:
    • a Pre-K-12 teacher
    • a community college, college, or university teacher
    • a museum or aquarium educator
    • an adult education teacher
    • Note: We we cannot accept applications from part-time, substitute, or pre-service teachers or teaching assistants.
  • Have flexibility, fortitude, and the ability to follow orders (see Life at Sea ).
  • Have a unique ability to communicate complicated information to students, with a special interest in NOAA-related science.
  • Have a principal/supervisor/department head who is supportive of your endeavor.
  • Be comfortable with travel and have no aversions to traveling by airplane or ship.

Cruises

Participants are assigned a cruise aboard one of NOAA’s ships or a partner charter ship. NOAA conducts three main types of cruises:

  • Fisheries research cruises perform biological and physical surveys to ensure sustainable fisheries and healthy marine habitats.
  • Oceanographic research cruises perform physical science studies to increase our understanding of the world’s oceans and climate.
  • Hydrographic survey cruises scan the coastal sea floor to locate submerged obstructions and navigational hazards for the creation and update of the nation’s nautical charts.

Time Commitment

Participants can expect to be at sea anywhere from two weeks to one month, with the average cruise lasting 12-14 days. Most of our participants sail on cruises offered during the summer vacation, but cruises take place throughout most of the year on a space-available basis.

Life at Sea

“The Three Fs”

Applicants should possess 3 characteristics that we refer to as “The Three Fs”:

Flexibility

One aspect that NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program finds crucial to emphasize is that life at sea can be very unpredictable and flexibility and the ability to cope with the uncertain is crucial to the character of those who go to sea. Participants should keep in mind the necessity for flexibility regarding ship departures and arrivals, ship working shifts, and the level of work intensity on some ships. As the unforeseen sometimes occurs, ship departure and arrival dates are never guaranteed. In fact, sailing can never be guaranteed. We highly recommend that you clear your calendar the week before and after a cruise to avoid any problems with your own schedule in case of a sailing delay.

Fortitude

Life on a research vessel can have many challenges. The days are long, and the work is often dirty. Work shifts on some ships may be 6 hours on/6 hours off or 12 hours on/12 hours off, and recognize this may be a night shift. It is crucial to understand that some cruises, especially fisheries cruises, require high-intensity work that demands physical adeptness, endurance, and fortitude.

The Ability to Follow Orders

Every person working on a government vessel is under the ultimate command of the ship’s Commanding Officer (CO). In order to maintain safety and structure, those who board NOAA ships (and partner chartered ships), must be willing to follow the orders of the CO.

Shipboard Policies

General Shipboard Policy Information contains useful information about ship policies and procedures. Some individual ship’s pages also have further information for visiting teachers about life aboard a ship. One site, supported by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, has a very useful manual for cruise volunteers and first-time sailors about life at sea. Please note that NOAA Teachers at Sea are not permitted under any circumstances to SCUBA dive, even if they have been SCUBA certified. If you are interested in information about SCUBA diving, please visit the NOAA Dive Center site.

Obligations

As a NOAA Teacher at Sea, you must be willing to fulfill several program requirements prior to, during, and after your cruise. Major requirements include:

  • Completing an online training course.
  • Submitting 3 to 4 logs per week while at sea or upon return.
  • Creating and submitting one lesson plan that addresses the science and research that was being conducted on the mission.
  • Creating and submitting one lesson plan, activity, or similar document (e.g. brochure, flyer) that addresses ocean careers.
  • Submitting an article for publication OR delivering a presentation about your mission at an educators’ conference or for colleagues.
  • Responding to a post-cruise survey.

Costs

NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program, a program of the U.S. federal government, pays for all necessary travel costs, including transportation to and from the ship, lodging, and travel per diem allowance. Participants’ airfare is purchased directly by the program. All other costs are reimbursed to the participants after travel ends.

How to Apply

The online application for the 2019 season is now OPEN! It closes on November 30, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Click here for the Online Application Check our FAQs for more info about our program or see our sample application.

Your application will require two recommendations, one from a supervisor and one from a colleague. These are also due by the 5 pm Eastern Time November 30 deadline. Rather than requesting recommendation letters, you will enter the recommenders’ email addresses in our Online Application. Our Application System will send an automated email to each recommender containing a link to our Online Recommendation Form. Your supervisor/colleague will be able to access, save, edit, and submit your recommendation through this link