PEARL Environmental Education Program

The Environmental Education Program is dedicated to conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and the surrounding watershed.  The program's goal is to achieve these criteria through education and public awareness.   We provide hands-0n experience and active learning in both field and laboratory settings to advance community interests in the environmental field.

Education Staff:
Nicole Williams, the Environmental Education Specialist, has been with the PEARL since February 2017. She received her Master's degree in Marine Science from Hawaii Pacific University in 2014. Her work focused on documenting parrotfish abundance and diversity in marine protected areas and unprotected areas.

At the PEARL, Nicole has been developing an environmental science curriculum for underrepresented middle school students in D.C.'s Ward 8 area. The curriculum features 4 different topics: watershed education, plankton sampling and identification, oyster education, and nutrient enrichment. She also is working on developing a workforce development section for adults on oyster aquaculture. The program's goal is to provide students with the necessary skills and information to understand important environmental issues by conducting hands-on activities and experiments. In January 2018, Nicole was awarded an I-GAP Prototype Grant from Morgan State University's Office of Technology Transfer. This grant will allow her to expand her environmental science program to other areas. She will be developing a pilot program in 2 middle schools and 2 high schools in the Baltimore area. With the help of the Morgan Community Mile, a select group of schools has been identified.