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NOAA’s Teacher at Sea 2026 Field Season

Woman wearing NOAA Teacher at Sea hat holds a sharpnose shark and smiles for a photo.

Here is a list of the NOAA Teachers at Sea for the 2026 Field Season. After they go on their cruise, you can view their logs that share details about their missions and personal stories about the research being done.

Amelia Black teaches pre-K through 5th graders learning English as a Second Language at Jardine Middle School in Topeka, Kansas. Amelia sailed on a groundfish survey aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Krista Fleming teaches environmental science and marine biology at Gulf Shores High School in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Krista sailed on a shark/snapper bottom longline survey aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Mandy Freeman teaches biology at Lewisville High School in Richburg, South Carolina. Mandy sailed on a sea scallop survey aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow.

Amber LaMonte teaches marine and environmental science at York High School in York, Virginia. Amber sailed on an ecosystem monitoring survey aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Stacey Morris teaches Spanish at Churchill High School in Eugene, Oregon. Stacey sailed on a West Coast pelagic fisheries survey aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker.

Jo Slavitz teaches science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at Dover Middle School in Dover, New Hampshire. Jo sailed on an acoustic-trawl pollock survey aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.

Guy Sturdevant teaches chemistry, earth science, and ecology at Wichita Northwest High School in Wichita, Kansas. Guy sailed on an acoustic-trawl pollock survey aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.

Cheyanne Vanderdonckt teaches 1st and 2nd grade special education at Moravia Park Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland. Cheyanne sailed on a shark/snapper bottom longline survey aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Melina Vella is an interpretive naturalist at the Dupont Nature Center in Milford, Delaware. Melina sailed on a Northeast bottom trawl survey aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow.

Sabrina Whitaker teaches physics at Farmingdale High School in Farmingdale, New York. Sabrina sailed on a hydrographic survey aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.

Jennifer Widdig teaches animal and environmental science at Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. Jen sailed on a hydrographic survey aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.

NOAA’s Teacher at Sea 2025 Field Season

crewmembers stand around the A-frame at the aft deck of the ship. they are all wearing float coats or life jackets. one person grasps a taut cable that extends from out of frame on deck into the water. two other people hold guidelines stretched underneath the A-frame.

Below is a list of the NOAA Teachers at Sea for the 2025 Field Season. Once they embark on their cruise, you can gain access to their logs which document their missions at sea and offer a wealth of information about the research being conducted as well as personal stories. 

Jojo Chang teaches English and music at Asia Pacific International School – Hawaii in Hauula, Hawaii. She sailed on a west coast fisheries survey aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

Jenna Cloninger teaches oceanography at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She sailed on a west coast fisheries survey aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

Joshua Gonzalez teaches 2nd grade at River Trail School of Agricultural Science in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He sailed on a west coast fisheries survey aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

Dorothy, wearing her Teacher at Sea t shirt, takes a selfie in front of NOAA Ship Pisces in port

Dorothy Holley teaches chemistry at West Johnston High School in Benson, North Carolina. She sailed on a northeast ecosystem monitoring survey aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

close-up photo of Rob, wearing a hard hat, life vest, reflective sunglasses, and a serious expression; in the distance, across a span of blue water, is the full view of NOAA Ship Oregon II. the sky is blue with a few wispy clouds.

Robert Markuske teaches sustainability and marine affairs at the New York Harbor School in New York City. He sailed on a longline survey aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Cheryl, wearing a Teacher at Sea hat, life vest, and work gloves, holds up a sharpnose shark for a photo on the deck of NOAA Ship Oregon II. behind her we see cloudy gray sky and blue-gray water.

Cheryl Milliken teaches marine ecology and marine technology at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She sailed on a longline survey aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Kiersten, in a blue sweatshirt and sunglasses, stands at a railing on deck and smiles for the camera. the sky is blue with fluffy clouds.

Kiersten Newtoff teaches biology and environmental science at Montgomery College in Germantown, MD. She sailed on an Atlantic marine mammal survey aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Sinh Nguyen teaches 2nd grade at Uplift Education Mighty Primary in Fort Worth, Texas. He sailed on a larval bluefin tuna survey aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Jacqueline Omania teaches 5th grade at Oxford Elementary in Berkeley, California. She sailed on a survey of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker.