OFI provides all of our school programming for free via classroom visits, virtual presentations, and virtual field trips. Our programming is designed to support educators remove financial barriers for any interested student and increase the diversity of our program participants. We employ bilingual educators who are able to deliver our programming in Spanish. As a woman-led organization, we serve as role models for young women and girls in STEM fields which contributes to more equitable outcomes for these students.
Our marquee program is the Microplastics Pollution Solution Project. Microplastic pollution remains an understudied topic in Colorado, despite research highlighting the harm of plastics, and the state being a headwaters state, meaning water originates here and flows elsewhere. Working with OFI staff, students sample microplastics in waterways along the Front Range of Colorado and offer examples and ideas for both individual and larger-scale solutions for the reduction of plastic consumption and pollution. Each spring, OFI hosts a student showcase, most recently at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where students present data and form relationships with like-minded peers.
In addition to our citizen science microplastics monitoring program, Ocean First Institute provides free, in-person, marine science education programming to K-12 students across the Front Range of Colorado. Our main programming consists of a catalog of over 15 interactive marine science programs that we conduct in-person and virtually in public, charter, and independent schools. In addition, we have many free online marine science courses used by teachers, homeschool students, and non-traditional educators. https://www.oceanfirstinstitute.org/what-we-do/education/online-courses/ In 2023, our education programming reached over 1,000 school-age youth and many more members of the general public via our online materials.
Ocean First Institute is also a leader in local species conservation. Beginning in 2023, OFI and various partners collaborated with the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools to captive rear, release, and monitor northern leopard frogs. Conservation data science students worked to raise about 400 tadpoles to maturity, increasing their chances of survival upon release into the wild. The goal is to release the tadpoles when they’re past the high mortality rates of their early stages but before they complete the transformation into frogs.
By actively involving young people in the process of science, students practice critical thinking skills that serve them in all areas of their lives. Many students will not have the opportunity to experience the ocean and its biodiversity. OFI brings the ocean to all students, igniting wonder and curiosity, which are the catalysts of life-long learning. Life-long learners are more likely to be engaged and empathetic members of their communities. Simply put, OFI uses marine science to help students become the types of citizens who care for our shared environment and each other.
Ocean First Institute believes that an understanding of marine science is an important part of being a literate and engaged citizen. The ocean is our life support system. Without it, life as we know it would cease to exist. The health of our ocean is under threat. It is only by understanding the importance of the ocean and the problems that face it, that people can take action to protect it and develop an ethos of stewardship.The vastness of the ocean and its biodiversity inspires curiosity. By experiencing the wonder of the ocean and its wildlife, people develop an appreciation for otherness, which builds empathy and connection. In addition, this curiosity inspires lifelong learning, critical thinking, and is a powerful framework for promoting scientific literacy.
Ocean First Institute is uniquely positioned within the conservation space because we are scientists, teachers, and storytellers. By engaging the public and school age students in scientific research, expeditions, and compelling programming, we lean into the wonder of our blue planet.Our Executive Director, Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza is a Colorado native, Longmont resident, and world-renowned shark expert. Her work was featured in 2024’s Shark Week!