Cheryl Milliken
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
July 25 – Aug 10, 2025
Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1
Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida
Date: July 21, 2025
Personal Introduction
Hello from Cape Cod, Massachusetts!
I’m so excited to be preparing for an upcoming experience at sea—a unique opportunity that will deepen my connection to marine science and bring new inspiration to my classroom.
For the past 23 years, I’ve taught high school science at Falmouth High School here in Falmouth, MA. I currently teach Marine Ecology, Marine Engineering and Technology, and Forensic Science. I love sharing my passion for these subjects and helping students make real-world connections through exploration and hands-on learning.
My love for the ocean started early. When I was in second grade, a middle school teacher visited our class to share her seashell collection from around the world. I was mesmerized by the intricate beauty and complexity of those shells, and I’ve been curious about the ocean ever since. Though I grew up on Johnson’s Pond in the middle of Rhode Island—swimming, boating, and fishing on the lake—I didn’t spend much time by the ocean. But summer marine science camps, including two Girl Scout Wider Opportunities (now called Destinations), in Virginia and Michigan, helped solidify a lifelong love for marine science.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island and my Master of Science in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire. At UNH, I learned to scuba dive and completed a thesis studying two crab species in the Gulf of Maine. I also worked as a teaching assistant and found a genuine joy in working with students. That experience shaped the path I would eventually take into teaching—and even earned me the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.
After grad school, I spent a few years in research, including work related to the North Cape oil spill off Rhode Island. That’s actually how I met my husband, Henry, who now works full-time for NOAA Fisheries. We moved to Cape Cod for his job, and I began working as a contractor for NOAA’s Food Web Dynamics Program in Woods Hole. I participated in two habitat cruises to Georges Bank and the Great South Channel, examining fish communities in areas closed to commercial fishing. The biodiversity and fish abundance in closed areas was astounding!
During my NOAA years, we also welcomed two sons into our family, and my priorities shifted. With both of us working in marine science—and sometimes going to sea—I decided to transition into teaching full-time so I could be home with our kids. I took a one-year project mapping herring runs across Massachusetts (an adventure in itself!) and completed an accelerated teacher certification program designed for mid-career professionals.
That leap into education turned out to be the perfect fit.
This upcoming expedition feels like a full-circle moment—reconnecting with the marine science field I love and bringing that experience back to my students. I can’t wait to share what I learn with them and continue to inspire the next generation of ocean explorers.
Preparing for My Mission
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be heading out on a new research adventure! This week, I’ll board the NOAA Ship Oregon II in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to begin Leg 1 of the Bottom Longline (BLL) Survey. Our mission is to assess the abundance and distribution of coastal sharks and reef fish, including red snapper, throughout the Southeast.
This will be my first time sailing in the Gulf—and my first time traveling through the Straits of Florida—so I’m eager to experience these regions and learn more about the diverse marine life they support.
One of the highlights of this mission will be launching a NOAA ocean drifter as part of the Adopt a Drifter program. This initiative is a collaboration between NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing (GOMO) program and the Global Drifter Program, which began in 1979.
The drifter is a sophisticated tool: it consists of a surface buoy, a tether, and a drogue (a long, submerged component that ensures the buoy follows ocean currents rather than just surface winds). The buoy includes a satellite antenna that transmits data such as sea surface temperature, location, and time. These data are crucial for forecasting weather, predicting the movement of oil spills and marine debris, and tracking hurricanes and storms.
I’ll be working with scientists and data specialists from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, Florida, to launch the drifter and monitor its path over the next 18 months. As someone who has long been involved with student drifter programs, I’m excited to share this experience with my students. It’s a powerful way to connect them to real-world ocean science and to explore how currents influence ecosystems far beyond our local waters off Cape Cod.
Stay tuned for updates from the field—I can’t wait to share what we discover!