From classroom to ship deck: local educators experience ocean science research on URI’s R/V Endeavor

Midday on a Friday, when most educators are typically leading lessons in a classroom, a group of local teachers instead donned hardhats and life vests aboard an 185-foot-long research vessel.

May 21, 2025

Twelve local educators recently stepped into the role of shipboard scientists aboard URI’s R/V Endeavor, joining the Rhode Island Teachers at Sea cruise, a unique, hands-on educational experience sponsored by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO). The three-day expedition is designed to foster partnerships between ocean scientists, researchers, and teachers who live and work in Rhode Island. It is funded by the Rhode Island Endeavor Program, a state-supported effort that provides URI researchers and educators with access to the scientific and educational capabilities of an ocean-going research vessel.

Throughout the cruise, educators worked side-by-side with scientists, marine technicians, and crew members to better understand the tools, methods, and meaning behind oceanographic research. Marine technicians Bonny Clarke and Clare Mayorga, along with bosun Oscar Sisson, offered hands-on instruction both on deck and in the lab, guiding teachers in safely operating equipment like the CTD rosette and assisting in reading data in real time. Chief scientist David Smith and GSO M.S. student Zachary Levitan provided a scientific perspective and answered questions throughout the journey, explaining the purpose behind each deployment and what the resulting samples could reveal.

Steaming 100 miles out to the shelf break and back, the group collected water samples and sediment cores, conducted CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) profiles, and dragged plankton net tows. They deployed the instruments over two days, allowing for a comparison of samples collected just offshore at a site called the “Mud Hole” at 38 meters deep and far offshore at approximately 2,000 meters deep. Educators examined seawater composition, microscopic organisms, and sediment from these different marine environments.

The participants, who spanned a range of subjects, grade levels, and classroom experience, bonded over shared meals and deck work, forming connections and brainstorming how to bring their experiences back to students. This role reversal, from teacher to learner, was a motivating factor for many. “I really wanted to be back in the student’s position and just be excited to learn something new and bring it back to the classroom,” said Elizabeth Donnellan, a special educator at Lonsdale Elementary School in Lincoln.

2025 Rhode Island Teachers at Sea

For Cortney Kingsley, Education Programs Manager at Sail Newport, the hands-on experience made ocean science feel more accessible. “I’ve learned that these two instruments we deployed are really standard tools that scientists use, and now that I understand them, I’m super excited to experience what these scientists do on the water.”

Rich Sweetman, a chemistry teacher at North Kingstown High School and GSO alum (M.S. ’05), brought a unique perspective as a former scientist. “I never got to come out on the Endeavor, so I jumped at this opportunity to put a cap on the full experience of URI’s GSO and to continue to be a part of the community.” He described the cruise as a way to get excited about ocean science and feed off the energy of other teachers. “To meet these teachers from around Rhode Island and see the excitement the ocean brings as you learn more about it…we want to bring that same excitement back to our students and classrooms.”

Teachers didn’t return home empty-handed. In addition to newfound knowledge and inspiration, each brought back a collection of styrofoam cups that had been decorated by their students and sent 2,000 meters to the seafloor, now shrunken from the pressure but still intact, a favorite souvenir and science lesson combined.

For many participants, seeing the range of roles aboard the research vessel was just as eye-opening as the science itself. “Every year I talk to my kids about what environmental jobs look like,” said Jeff Johnson, an educator at the Greene Environmental Charter School in West Greenwich. “I thought maybe it would be good for me to go out and see what these scientists do for a living so I can better convey to them what the job is and what it looks like.”

Amy Lord, who teaches science to homebound students across Rhode Island, shared a similar goal: “I want to help students across the state understand why we are called the Ocean State, what our resources are, and what kind of careers they can have. Rhode Island’s economy is heavily dependent on a healthy ocean, and I want our students to feel they can be a part of that.”

Educators also connected with Endeavor’s dedicated crew. Chief mate Val Riechl and AB seaman Huxley Conner offered lessons on navigation technology from the ship’s bridge, while mate John Mayne walked the cohort through essential safety protocols at sea. Tours of the engine room gave teachers insight into life below deck for the engineers and gourmet meals served up by steward Andi Suwandi were a highlight for many. Late on Saturday, a few lucky teachers even received an impromptu lesson on celestial navigation from Captain Chris Armanetti.

By Sunday morning, as the vessel neared shore and the Block Island offshore wind farm came into view, the final lesson of the cruise was underway. David Smith led a discussion on renewable energy, stakeholder engagement, and potential careers tied to offshore wind. Maritza Shalon Colón, from YouthBuild Preparatory Academy in Providence, noted that she now feels better equipped to connect students, including one who dreams of becoming an airline mechanic, with in-state, ocean-related job opportunities.

When they returned to the GSO pier on Sunday afternoon, the educators brought back more than samples and miniature cups. They carried a sense of adventure and a new inspiration for their students, their teaching, and their connection to Rhode Island’s ocean future. As Sean Stevens, a science teacher at North Providence High School, put it: by stepping aboard the Endeavor, he was able to show his students “that there is so much more to this world than what they see.” And for every educator onboard, that wider world is something they can bring back to energize their classroom, not just as a lesson, but as a lived experience. 

---

Photos and story by Mackensie duPont Crowley, digital communications coordinator at GSO Public Engagement and a participant on the 2025 Rhode Island Teachers at Sea expedition.

Media Contact:
mackensie.crowley@uri.edu | 401.874.6294