When a successful Rhode Island business and one of the country’s leading ocean science research institutions join forces, good things can happen. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Taco Oceanography Explorers program. Conducted through a partnership between Taco Inc. and the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), the program has offered week-long ocean science field and laboratory experiences for children of Taco employees since 1994. Each year approximately 40 students spend one of two weeks with GSO scientists and instructors, as they investigate Rhode Island’s coastal ecosystems and study the foundations of ocean science.

In this program, the students get wet!  Students ages 11-14 can participate over multiple years and become immersed in the multidisciplinary facets of ocean science. Over time, the students have done everything from participating in the necropsy of a stranded porpoise to building and testing their own remotely operated vehicles and studying the geologic history of Narragansett Bay. A highlight of the program for Taco employees and GSO staff has been the annual clambake held at the culmination of each year’s program.

Taco Oceanography Explorers was initiated and supported by John Hazen White, Sr. and his wife Happy. John Hazen White, Jr. continued the partnership when he became president of the company. Each year the GSO team develops hands-on activities and field exercises for the students related to current advancements in ocean science.