Hello fellow FMSEAns! (FMSEAites? FMSEAers?) The annual National Marine Educators Association conference (#nmea13) is right around the corner in Mobile, Alabama, which is practically in Florida’s backyard! If you haven’t checked out the line-up of speakers and events, go to the conference website NOW! It is sure to be a great conference and we hope to have a strong Florida contingent. The annual conference is always a great opportunity to expand your professional network, learn about new programs, resources and opportunities, and refresh your passion for marine science education! One of the highlights of the conference is an opportunity to hear keynote speaker Richard Louv, bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, and his new book, The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age. If you’ve never been to the national conference, or it’s been a while since you’ve attended, this is an excellent opportunity to (re)engage with our national organization! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me!
With NMEA approaching, it’s also time to pool our resources so we can win back the title of Best Chapter Basket! If you’re not familiar with the Chapter Baskets, it is a (mostly)friendly competition among NMEA chapters during the silent auction. Chapters put together a basket of items, often revolving around a theme, and whichever basket raises the most money wins. I have already received several donations to the basket, but we have a long way to go to regain our proper place as supreme rulers of…err…I mean, so we can raise lots of money to support an excellent cause… As I was saying, if you have items to donate and are going to the conference, please let me know so that I can pull together a list. If you have items to donate and are not attending, contact me (nmea-rep @ fmsea.org) and we can make arrangements to get them to Mobile.
Hope to see you all in Mobile!