Bethany Smith
Marine Educator
Email:
[[v|bsmith]]
Phone:
(804) 684-7735
Office:
Davis Hall 235
Section:
Natural Resources
Unit:
Marine Advisory Program
Summary
I’m an educator with over a decade of formal education and administrative experience at the advanced high school level teaching courses in marine and environmental science. I also have significant research and field experience, having participated in oceanographic cruises, as well as leading numerous student field trips and mentoring countless student independent science research projects. My passions in education and outreach focus on providing effective strategies for science communication and interpretation to students, educators, and researchers, as well as providing students with tangible, real-world, inter-disciplinary extensions of their science classroom studies, thus allowing students to become the owners and authors of their own learning.
Education
M.S. College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Biological Science (2008)
B.S. Rider University, Marine Science and Environmental Geology (2005)
Program Website
Current Projects
- Blue Crab Bowl
- Camp Launch
- K-12 Professional Development Programs
- Virginia Coastal Ecosystems Field Course
- Virginia Scientist and Educators Alliance (VA SEA)
- Virginia Teachers Innovating and Designing Experiential Science (VA TIDES)
- VIMS Research Broader Impacts
Past Projects
- Jacob's Ladder: An Enrichment Program
- Chesapeake Bay Governor's School for Marine & Environmental Science
- School Administrator (2017-2020)
- Marine & Environmental Science Instructor (2009-2020)
- Ocean Exploration Trust/Nautilus Live, Science Communication Fellow (2013)
- Marine Science Legacy Program of the Urbanna Oyster Festival, Coordinator (2013-2020)
Press Coverage
New marine education specialist joins VIMS Marine Advisory ProgramVIMS alumna explores ocean with Titanic discoverer
VIMS alumnae get high school students excited about science