NMEA Conference: The Finale!

Week 8:

The conference has arrived! I went to a Sea Grant educators network meeting this weekend and met some really awesome people. I also got to mention the Marine Careers website and the educators were very willing to help update and expand it. My appreciation for Sea Grant has continued to grow throughout my fellowship. Meeting educators from all over the country was amazing! Everyone shared an update from their Sea Grant program, which gave other educators great ideas to improve their own educational programming. People provided advice, formed connections, and caught up on each other’s lives. Some have been in their Sea Grant educator position for decades!

I have been tasked with “crisis management” for the conference, which mostly involves helping attendees figure out where they’re going and dealing with technology issues. I’ve gotten to work alongside Marine Docents again and we have lovely chats while waiting for the rush of attendees to visit our raffle table. At the end of the week, I attended a lobster boil where I met conference attendees in a less formal setting. We scrambled out on the rocks in the intertidal and talked about the differences between the rocky coast in NH and Maine and the smooth sandy beaches of New Jersey. Everyone was still learning from each other, even after the formal conference events had ended. Despite being involved in conference planning for a mere 2 months, I was a little emotional when it ended. So much work, time, and careful planning were involved--to see it all pan out and witness attendees’ enjoyment was surreal.