An image of phytoplankton communities off the coast of southern California from the NASA PACE mission.

The story of oceans is the story of life. Oceans define our home planet, covering the majority of Earth’s surface and driving the water cycle that dominates our land and atmosphere. Data collected by NASA’s Earth-observing instruments help scientists understand how Earth’s ocean supports a vast diversity of life and the role it plays in influencing global temperature, weather patterns, climate, and food supply. 

This Earth to Sky Virtual Course will explore the story of our oceans. This is a professional development opportunity for place-based interpreters and informal educators.

What is an Earth to Sky Course?

Our workshops provide you with a fantastic opportunity to connect with NASA ocean science, scientists, and data and then synthesize this information with cutting edge science interpretation strategies. 

In addition to class time, you will work on your own each week, and meet with your coach in a small group for support. During the course, you will develop an action plan for a science interpretation product or program that you can implement at your home site.

We ask that you bring your own experience, expertise, and ocean story with you. An Earth to Sky course nurtures the robust sharing of ideas, experiences, and aspirations for science interpretation. We invite all of our participants to engage fully in the course and our community of practice.

Details: 

• Pre-assignments will take approximately 4 hours to complete.
• This course will be completed over three weeks. 
• Registration is free.  
• The course will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. An account is not required to participate.

Schedule:

• Course dates: April 21st - May 7th, 2026
• The course will be hosted online via Teams and meet for 2.5 hours every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 5 pm EDT / 2 pm PDT / 11 am HST /7 am ChST. In addition, there will be required small-group and individual off-line work on Wednesday of each week (approximately 1.5-2 hours, start times to be determined by each group).

Apply HERE!

All applicants must register for our community before submitting an application.

Questions or comments can be directed to the course coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We hope to see you online soon! 

“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean” Arthur C. Clarke, Nature 8 March 1990