In January, USVI teachers participated in a full-day, in-person professional development workshop titled: Exploring the Deep Ocean With NOAA.

The workshop explored how and why we explore the ocean and the tools and technologies that drive how we conduct expeditions into some of the most remote places on the planet.

Dr. Richard Nemeth and his team document both the slow recovery of Nassau grouper in the U.S. Virgin Islands and illegal trapping of this endangered species in the Marine Conservation District.

Environmental education is more than academic; it's a vital pathway to conserving our natural world, showing individuals how to be stewards of the environment. This principle comes to life in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, through a high school mangrove education project called, Mangroves in the Classroom. Over the past year, 73 students at a local public high school have engaged hands-on with mangroves, nurturing an understanding that translates into tangible action and positive environmental change.

70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans and, as the US Virgin Islands are mere specks in the northeastern Caribbean, we are directly impacted by its influence. Oceanography is the study of the Earth’s oceans and is central to understanding the mysteries of its vast yet largely uncharted depths. Learn more about the important Oceanographic research taking place in the VI EPSCoR Ridge to Reef Project.