SEA - Sea Education Association is an internationally recognized leader in field-based environmental education at sea. SEA offers summer programs on shore in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, MA, at sea on one of SEA's sailing research vessels, and online for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.
SEA offers unique summer high school programs for current high school students as well as graduating seniors. Choose from a shore-based field program on our campus in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on beautiful Cape Cod, or an at-sea voyage aboard one of SEA's sailing research vessels with a focus on oceanographic research under sail.
At SEA, there’s an adventure with a purpose waiting for every student interested in exploring the marine environment through hands-on, experiential, and community-based learning.
SEA Expedition Pacific: Marine Robotics
A two-week STEM program designed for rising juniors, seniors, and recent graduates interested in learning more about underwater robotics. This program will begin in Pasadena, California for an introductory shore component at JPL’s campus then join SEA’s SSV Robert C. Seamans in Fiji.
Working alongside experts from SEA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), students will deepen their understanding of underwater robotics, the role ocean engineering plays in marine exploration and conservation, and gain hands-on experience deploying remote operated vehicles (ROVs). Students will work with JPL engineer, Andy Klesh, and JPL educator Brandon Rodriguez as well as Molly Curran, a mechanical engineer specializing in ROV design and operation from WHOI’s Deep Submergence Laboratory.
SEA Expedition: Marine Science at Sea
SEA Expedition is a two-week offshore summer program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, as well as recent high school graduates. Centered on learning by doing, SEA Expedition is a multidisciplinary experience that welcomes students to participate in every aspect of a challenging offshore sailing and oceanographic expedition. The program begins with three days in the SEA campus in Woods Hole, MA, where students form a crew, gain skills needed to sail a tall ship, and learn about the ocean they’ll explore. They then spend ten days aboard the Sailing School Vessel (SSV) Corwith Cramer, one of two sailing research vessels operated by SEA.
SEA Expedition students gain hands-on experience conducting oceanographic research, sailing a tall ship, understanding of the complexities of creating and managing marine sanctuaries, and developing crucial leadership and teamwork skills. Students stand watch as active crew members and are involved in all scientific and sailing operations on board.
Our scientific voyages focus on the offshore environments near Cape Cod, MA, including important habitats for rare and endangered – whales, turtles, seabirds – along with countless other marine organisms.
SEASCape: Ocean Studies on the Cape
This two-and-a-half-week summer program at SEA offers current high school students, the opportunity to study the marine environment from a variety of perspectives: scientific, historical, literary, and nautical. Participants live and study at our campus in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Academic programming is scheduled throughout each day, including on most weekend days. Coursework includes lectures, discussions, laboratory activities, and field trips; all introducing students to the study of oceanography, the history of humanity’s relationship with the oceans, and modern maritime issues. Teamwork, leadership, and sense of community are the underlying values of SEA’s academic curriculum. Participants not only grow as students, but as global citizens and individuals.
SEA Pre-College: Ocean Sciences in Woods Hole
This academically rigorous three-week program is for rising juniors, seniors, and recent high school graduates interested in pursuing oceanography, marine biology, environmental science, or other related disciplines at the undergraduate level. Students will explore how interconnected ocean characteristics (bathymetry, seawater chemistry, biological diversity) and processes (plate tectonics, surface and deep-water circulation, biological production) shape global patterns across multiple scales. Students will discuss environmental topics such as climate change mitigation, ocean policy, marine biodiversity, coastal ecology, and ocean engineering. With over 40 contact hours of official instruction, students will be exposed to college-level lectures, laboratory activities, group discussions, and research projects. Students will strengthen their skills in oceanographic research methods, science communication, critical thinking, data visualization, leadership, and more. Another component of this program is visits to local and world-renowned institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Lab, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole.
SEA Quest: Virtual High School Summer Program
SEA Quest is a 2-week, in-depth, virtual exploration of critical marine conservation topics coupled with essential training in leadership and scientific skills. Students will meet professionals from Woods Hole regional research and conservation centers, participate in and contribute to an active learning community that values the ocean, and explore various marine ecosystems through a virtual ocean research cruise.
SEA Quest is an opportunity to meet like-minded students from around the world, dip your toes into college-level coursework in a friendly, low-pressure environment, and build your resume for your college application.
Recently Updated
I am turning 17 soon, and I did SEASCape this past summer (2017), and it absolutely transformed my life. With the most amazing teachers (shout out Dan the man and Maia), down to earth RA's, and such a great close group of friends, I truly thrived. I learned more in 3 weeks about Marine Ecosystems, the world, and myself than I thought I ever would. And, of course, being in Woods Hole, neighboring WHOI, The MBL, NOAA, and so many more major research groups, and being on the Cape with access to beaches, marshes, and the ocean; it was truly the perfect ingredients for the most transformative 3 weeks! I really can never thank SEA, Dan and Maia, my friends, and everyone else we met for everything I learned.
Thank you so so so much, I will never forget everything I learned, and I am now headed in the direction of pursuing a career in Marine Sciences!