Program Overview

Similar to other Antillean islands, Puerto Rico is surrounded by a vast natural resource: the ocean.  The Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are a life support system because in addition to determining our climatological conditions, they feed us and provide jobs, recreation, transportation, as well as a variety of products.  Even 70% of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean.  Our coasts have unique, but fragile, ecosystems such as coral reefs, sea grass meadows, mangrove forests, wetlands, and beaches.

The UPR Sea Grant College Program’s Center for Marine Education provides information and a better understanding of the conservation of Puerto Rico’s marine resources for students, teachers and the general public.  The main emphasis of our education program is the training opportunities we provide for K-12 teachers to aid them in the teaching of marine sciences.  We offer educational activities such as workshops, marine-science field trips, marine exhibits, and educational materials that promote conservation and respect for our marine resources.

The Center for Marine Education’s goals include the creation of a new generation of marine stewards and the fostering of an ethic of marine stewardship in Puerto Rico by engaging students, teachers, and the general public in marine science inquiry. Our center offers marine science in-service teacher training workshops and student field trips in order to bridge the gap between research and K-12 teachers and students.

Although we depend so much on these resources and ecosystems, they have been rather neglected and taken for granted. Puerto Rico urgently needs a population that understands the role that the oceans play in our lives and the impact that humans have on the oceans.