Shark Boat Heads to Washington to Inspire STEM Students

OCEARCH is wanting to make Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education more compelling to students with a new curriculum being unveiled shortly in Washington, D.C.

The Motor Vessel OCEARCH, a 126’ one-of-kind research vessel powered by two Cat engines and three generators and equipped with a 75,000 lb. custom shark lift, is visiting the D.C. area on Wednesday, September 18, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET at the Diamond Teague Park and Marine Terminal located at 100 Potomac Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003.

Created by the Curriculum Development Team of Landry's Inc., specifically, the Aquarium group, 30 STEM focused lesson plans for grades six through eight are being rolled out in the fall of 2013, with the goal of broadening the audience of students who are interested in STEM education. A full K-12 education program is planned for the future.

“This curriculum is OCEARCH’s solution for addressing the nation's workforce and development needs and improving our nation's STEM education pipeline,” said OCEARCH Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer. “By providing fun and exciting STEM education resources implementing this curriculum in the classroom is to inspire students to study STEM fields and ultimately pursue STEM focused careers.”

The expedition is in large part sponsored by Caterpillar Inc. as part of a multi-year partnership to help propel global research on sharks.