Dorothy Holley: Introduction, July 25, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Introduction

Hello! My name is Dorothy Holley and I have been teaching Science in North Carolina for my whole career. While North Carolina does touch the Atlantic Ocean, I live in the capital city of Raleigh, about two and a half hours from the beach. And that’s just it…. my family, my students, my community….. we all think about going to the beach. But what is beyond the sand and the surf? The OCEAN!! Over 70% of the world is water!! That is a LOT of science lab space!!

For the next two weeks, I am going to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea. NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is one of the seven uniformed services of our government, whose roots stretch back to 1807 when President Thomas Jefferson established the Survey of the Coast to create nautical charts for safe navigation. Today NOAA is responsible for weather forecasting, severe weather prediction, climate monitoring and research, ocean and coastal management, deep-sea exploration, as well as data collection and dissemination. In other words, NOAA helps us live better by supporting the economy, protecting life and property, and promoting environmental stewardship. 

A couple of years ago, I worked in Washington, DC, to grow as an education leader. I wanted to understand how science education was being supported and how I could better prepare my students for life after high school. One of my first “field trips” was to NOAA offices in Maryland where I saw science being used to improve our quality of life.

The picture below shows a Tide Predicting Machine that was designed by the U.S Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1895. Construction began in 1896 and was completed in 1910. The machine was used continually until 1965, when it was replaced by a computer.   

I also got to tour a NOAA “Hurricane Hunter.” These planes fly right into the eye of Hurricanes to gather important and real-time data.

The stickers on the bottom of the plane are like the stickers our football players put on their helmets each season to recognize special achievements on the field.

Last December, some of the other teachers at West Johnston High School and I participated in a teacher workshop on RESILIENCY. We visited a ghost forest and the second oldest federal marine laboratory in the nation. This NOAA facility in Beaufort, NC conducts scientific research to help us understand and preserve coastal environments, manage sustainable fisheries, and maintain coastal resilience. 

As a Teacher at Sea, I will sail on NOAA Ship Pisces to better understand and relate the jobs of the scientists and the science being used. The Teacher at Sea program was established in 1990 and has been in existence for 35 years. Teachers from all 50 states as well as four territories have logged over 20,000 days at sea, sharing thousands of blog posts, conducting more than 100,000 hours of ocean-based research, and relating countless stories of science application.  To become a Teacher at Sea, I had to fill out a lengthy application (which included asking people to write letters of reference on my behalf), attend virtual training sessions, read and fill out quite a bit of paperwork, and speak with a seasoned team of NOAA specialists who are invested in helping teachers make connections for their students. Charts, maps, and calendars have been consulted, checked, and analyzed!

One special opportunity for me as a Teacher at Sea will be to deploy a DRIFTER and for us to monitor and analyze the drifter data. The Global Drifter Program began in 1979 with over 1,000 drifters already deployed. We can make predictions about marine debris, animal larvae paths, and oil spills, and then track our drifter after it is deployed. This data will ultimately help us make more accurate weather forecasts and track storms and hurricanes.

I will share my NOAA Teacher at Sea journey here for you to read and to see. You are welcome to ask questions here on the blog and I will ask the team for help in answering them.

I can’t wait to begin this incredible journey!

Fair winds and safe sailing!