About
The purpose of the program is to provide folks with a stepping stone into marine science who are otherwise struggling to break into the field. Diversifying Ocean Science is a free, year-long hybrid program for people to hone their ocean science skills, build their network, and receive mentorship. Thirty participants will be accepted into the program with sixteen coming from the Barancik Foundation's target communities (Florida and the greater Chicago area) and fourteen coming from all over. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in one of three concentrations (Field Ecology, Laboratory Techniques or Marine Technology) with ten students under each concentration. The experience will culminate with a week long hands-on intensive workshop during summer 2023.
All participant travel is covered and participants will receive a small stipend of $700 to offset any lost wages during the week-long intensive workshop.
All participant travel is covered and participants will receive a small stipend of $700 to offset any lost wages during the week-long intensive workshop.
Participant requirements
18+ BIPOC Gender Minorities (especially those who have experienced or are experiencing a disruption in the educational/professional development looking to fill a gap in experience).
18+ BIPOC Gender Minorities (especially those who have experienced or are experiencing a disruption in the educational/professional development looking to fill a gap in experience).
Time commitment
The program will be online with the exception of the weeklong workshops which will occur at one of our three sites (Field School, WHOI/AWSC or UC Merced). One hour virtual meetings every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month 4:30 ET/3:30 CT/1:30 PT beginning in November and ending in June. Laboratory Techniques workshop (UC Merced) will be held June 17-24, 2023, Field Ecology workshop (Field School) will be held June 28th-July 3rd, 2023 and the Marine Technology workshop (WHOI/AWSC) will be held July 23rd-July 30th, 2023.
The program will be online with the exception of the weeklong workshops which will occur at one of our three sites (Field School, WHOI/AWSC or UC Merced). One hour virtual meetings every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month 4:30 ET/3:30 CT/1:30 PT beginning in November and ending in June. Laboratory Techniques workshop (UC Merced) will be held June 17-24, 2023, Field Ecology workshop (Field School) will be held June 28th-July 3rd, 2023 and the Marine Technology workshop (WHOI/AWSC) will be held July 23rd-July 30th, 2023.
Meet the Program Mentors & Their Concentrations
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Dr. Sora Kim explores the interaction between environmental change and biotic responses. Her projects are diverse and include plants and animals while spanning modern to paleo-systems and terrestrial to marine environments. The questions she asks involves elements of time and climate change with a consideration for the role of physiology and ecology.
Dr. Kim will be mentoring from UC Merced where she is an assistant professor and leading the Laboratory Techniques concentration. |
Field School in Miami, FL
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Dr. Catherine Macdonald is an interdisciplinary marine conservation biologist who studies shark and ray biology, ecology, fisheries, and conservation. Her research interests also include marine ecosystems, human-wildlife conflict, and wildlife tourism. She is one of the co-founders and the Director of Field School, an interdisciplinary marine science training and education program.
Dr. Macdonald is a research assistant professor at the University of Miami and will be co-leading the Field Ecology concentration. |
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Dr. Julia Wester is a social scientist interested in how we teach and communicate about science, how systems work and how to change them, and how to better engage everyone in learning about and protecting our natural world. She is also co-founder of Field School and the director of the Field School Foundation.
Dr. Wester is lecturer at the University of Miami and the Associate Director of the Ecosystem Science and Policy undergraduate program at the Abess Center and will be co-leading the Field Ecology concentration. |
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Dr. Camrin Braun is a marine ecologist and assistant professor at Woods Hole in Massachusetts working at the interface of top predator ecology and oceanography. His research seeks to unite physical-biological interactions with the challenges of managing living marine resources in a dynamic ocean. He is particularly passionate about applying computational, lab and field-based approaches to emerging ocean challenges.
Dr. Braun will be mentoring from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where he is an assistant professor and will be co-leading the Marine Technology concentration. |
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Marianne Long is the Education Director at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy a 501(c)(3) nonprofit who provides the most comprehensive publicly available information on white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic. They also provide shark education and outreach to school age children as well as the general public.
Marianne and AWSC will be co-leading the Marine Technology concentration. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this program really free??
Yes! Thanks to the generous support of the Barancik Foundation and a few private donors, MISS will absorb all associated costs.
Can I participate if I live outside the USA?
This is a great question with a complicated answer. While MISS has no problem offering the opportunity to folks outside the US there are some things we cannot control such as access to visa's to get into the US and time zone changes. We are happy to write formal letters of invitation for you to use in your visa application, but since the week-long workshop is a required part of the experience, if you can't easily get a visa you won't be able to participate. To learn more about the visa requirements for your country, please visit this website. If the visa process is going to take a long time (100+ days) it is unlikely we will be able to accommodate you. Note: citizens of certain countries may be eligible for a visa waiver if you are willing to forgo your stipend payment (you can't be paid to attend trainings under the visa waiver program).
What if I can't make it to all of the meetings?
We understand that life happens, so if you have to miss one or two meetings, that's okay. However, you should only apply if you are going to be able to attend the vast majority of all the online meetings as this is a really important part of the program and you will loose your ability to participate in the program if you miss too many meetings. This is important to keep in mind when applying especially if time zones will make it difficult for you to attend the meetings.
What will I learn through this program?
The program will offer an introduction to marine science as a whole and will also include the following topics: marine ecology, oceanography, ocean-human interactions, marine technology and basics of conducting research. In addition to these topics participants will receive professional development support and training in science communication. The Marine Ecology concentration will focus on several methods of collecting data in the field including fisheries-independent surveys, quadrat surveys, snorkel surveys, safe animal handling, boating basics and more. The Laboratory Techniques concentration will focus on lab safety, quantitative analyses (particularly relating to stable isotopes and genetics) and methodology development. The Marine Technology concentration will focus on the development of cutting-edge technology surrounding biologgers and marine robotics.
How will the program be structured?
This is a hybrid program with the majority of it taking place online. The first Thursday of the month will be a Zoom meeting where one of the mentors offers an introductory lesson on that month's topic. These meetings will be an opportunity for all participants to connect with each other and engage in the content together. The third Thursday of the month will be Zoom meetings for each concentration. This will be an opportunity for you to further engage with course content in the context of your specific concentration. You'll also get a chance to connect with your mentor and a near-peer mentor who will answer any questions you have or dive deeper into topics of interest. Throughout each month you'll have access to scientific papers, recorded lectures, discussion boards and other activities through the virtual classroom so you can work through materials for that topic at your own pace. You should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week engaging in either live or asynchronous content for this program.
How many participants will be accepted to the program?
We will accept a total of 30 participants to this program. We will be recruiting 16 participants from the Barancik Foundation's target communities (which include Florida as well as the greater Chicago area). The remaining 14 participants will be recruited from all over. The 30 participants will be divided evenly into each of the 3 concentrations (10 participants per concentration).
Can I get college credit for this program?
The short answer is maybe. Some universities may allow you to count this program as an independent study credit and we are willing to work with academic offices to make that happen, but it may not be available in all cases.
What do you mean by people who "have experienced or are experiencing a disruption in the educational/professional development looking to fill a gap in experience?"
This can mean a lot of things, but some examples might be someone who is a non-traditional student, someone who isn't currently enrolled in a degree program or is completing a degree part-time due to financial constraints, family obligations etc., someone who has already graduated but is having trouble finding a job or getting their foot in the door due to a lack of experience, someone who is looking to change careers and pursue marine science but isn't sure how or someone who finds it difficult to participate in traditional courses, internships etc for any reason.
What do you mean by "BIPOC gender minorities?"
BIPOC refers to anyone who identifies as Black, Indigenous or as a Person of Color and a gender minority refers to anyone who identifies as a gender that is minoritized/marginalized in STEM that includes but not limited to those who identify as cisgender women, transgender, nonbinary, agendered, two-spirit, genderfluid, one or more of these identities, or an identity not listed. An important note: we acknowledge that gender and race are social constructs and we are not here to identity police. Therefore if you self-identify as a BIPOC gender minority (whatever that means to you), we invite you to apply.
Will you be offering accommodations for those with disabilities?
Absolutely! We will do everything in our power to provide reasonable accommodations. We will touch base with all participants to make sure we can plan ahead to provide them the accommodations they need to get the most out of the program.
Why don't you ask for a transcript or resume in the application?
We believe that people are more than their numbers. GPA isn't important to us nor is it a proxy for a personals ability to be a scientist, transcripts often cost money to obtain, and we want to make the application process as painless as possible. We don't require a resume because we are specifically hoping to provide opportunities to people who haven't had access to opportunities in the past. We don't want anyone to feel discouraged from applying because they "don't have enough experience," in fact those are exactly the types of people we want to support with this program.
Is this program really free??
Yes! Thanks to the generous support of the Barancik Foundation and a few private donors, MISS will absorb all associated costs.
Can I participate if I live outside the USA?
This is a great question with a complicated answer. While MISS has no problem offering the opportunity to folks outside the US there are some things we cannot control such as access to visa's to get into the US and time zone changes. We are happy to write formal letters of invitation for you to use in your visa application, but since the week-long workshop is a required part of the experience, if you can't easily get a visa you won't be able to participate. To learn more about the visa requirements for your country, please visit this website. If the visa process is going to take a long time (100+ days) it is unlikely we will be able to accommodate you. Note: citizens of certain countries may be eligible for a visa waiver if you are willing to forgo your stipend payment (you can't be paid to attend trainings under the visa waiver program).
What if I can't make it to all of the meetings?
We understand that life happens, so if you have to miss one or two meetings, that's okay. However, you should only apply if you are going to be able to attend the vast majority of all the online meetings as this is a really important part of the program and you will loose your ability to participate in the program if you miss too many meetings. This is important to keep in mind when applying especially if time zones will make it difficult for you to attend the meetings.
What will I learn through this program?
The program will offer an introduction to marine science as a whole and will also include the following topics: marine ecology, oceanography, ocean-human interactions, marine technology and basics of conducting research. In addition to these topics participants will receive professional development support and training in science communication. The Marine Ecology concentration will focus on several methods of collecting data in the field including fisheries-independent surveys, quadrat surveys, snorkel surveys, safe animal handling, boating basics and more. The Laboratory Techniques concentration will focus on lab safety, quantitative analyses (particularly relating to stable isotopes and genetics) and methodology development. The Marine Technology concentration will focus on the development of cutting-edge technology surrounding biologgers and marine robotics.
How will the program be structured?
This is a hybrid program with the majority of it taking place online. The first Thursday of the month will be a Zoom meeting where one of the mentors offers an introductory lesson on that month's topic. These meetings will be an opportunity for all participants to connect with each other and engage in the content together. The third Thursday of the month will be Zoom meetings for each concentration. This will be an opportunity for you to further engage with course content in the context of your specific concentration. You'll also get a chance to connect with your mentor and a near-peer mentor who will answer any questions you have or dive deeper into topics of interest. Throughout each month you'll have access to scientific papers, recorded lectures, discussion boards and other activities through the virtual classroom so you can work through materials for that topic at your own pace. You should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week engaging in either live or asynchronous content for this program.
How many participants will be accepted to the program?
We will accept a total of 30 participants to this program. We will be recruiting 16 participants from the Barancik Foundation's target communities (which include Florida as well as the greater Chicago area). The remaining 14 participants will be recruited from all over. The 30 participants will be divided evenly into each of the 3 concentrations (10 participants per concentration).
Can I get college credit for this program?
The short answer is maybe. Some universities may allow you to count this program as an independent study credit and we are willing to work with academic offices to make that happen, but it may not be available in all cases.
What do you mean by people who "have experienced or are experiencing a disruption in the educational/professional development looking to fill a gap in experience?"
This can mean a lot of things, but some examples might be someone who is a non-traditional student, someone who isn't currently enrolled in a degree program or is completing a degree part-time due to financial constraints, family obligations etc., someone who has already graduated but is having trouble finding a job or getting their foot in the door due to a lack of experience, someone who is looking to change careers and pursue marine science but isn't sure how or someone who finds it difficult to participate in traditional courses, internships etc for any reason.
What do you mean by "BIPOC gender minorities?"
BIPOC refers to anyone who identifies as Black, Indigenous or as a Person of Color and a gender minority refers to anyone who identifies as a gender that is minoritized/marginalized in STEM that includes but not limited to those who identify as cisgender women, transgender, nonbinary, agendered, two-spirit, genderfluid, one or more of these identities, or an identity not listed. An important note: we acknowledge that gender and race are social constructs and we are not here to identity police. Therefore if you self-identify as a BIPOC gender minority (whatever that means to you), we invite you to apply.
Will you be offering accommodations for those with disabilities?
Absolutely! We will do everything in our power to provide reasonable accommodations. We will touch base with all participants to make sure we can plan ahead to provide them the accommodations they need to get the most out of the program.
Why don't you ask for a transcript or resume in the application?
We believe that people are more than their numbers. GPA isn't important to us nor is it a proxy for a personals ability to be a scientist, transcripts often cost money to obtain, and we want to make the application process as painless as possible. We don't require a resume because we are specifically hoping to provide opportunities to people who haven't had access to opportunities in the past. We don't want anyone to feel discouraged from applying because they "don't have enough experience," in fact those are exactly the types of people we want to support with this program.
Thank you to The Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation for sponsoring this program.
About missMISS provides a community and funding opportunities for gender minorities of color who wish to enter the field of shark sciences. We aim to show that there are many women of color succeeding in and interested in this field.
We fundraise and apply for grants to create paid opportunities to attempt to knock do the financial barrier into shark science. We encourage other organizations in our field to do the same. |
Jump to:MISS is a registered US nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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CONTACT USMailing Address:
PO Box 10493 Bradenton, FL 34282 
© COPYRIGHT 2022. Minorities in Shark Sciences Inc.
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