The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office recognizes that education and outreach are key components of protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, NCBO offers a suite of programming aimed at increasing the environmental literacy of our constituents, including K-12 and university-level programs and community education. NOAA is the lead federal agency for environmental and stewardship education in the Chesapeake Bay Program through their Education Workgroup . Community and general outreach also support key commitments and goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program . NCBO’s K-12 education program focuses on providing quality experiential learning opportunities to K-12 and university students. We accomplish this goal by:

• Funding exemplary education programs through the NOAA Bay Watershed Education & Training Program (B-WET)

• Using NOAA vessels and research facilities to offer student watershed experiences through the NOAA Emerging Scientist Project;
• Offering internship and research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate university students;
• Partnering with local organizations to offer training workshops to formal and informal educators and providing an Education Resource Center at Nauticus to highlight NOAA’s extensive educational resources, and
• Coordinating the activities of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Education Workgroup to assist in providing the necessary tools and administrative support to integrate watershed education into local classrooms.

Phytoplankton Monitoring Network Workshop NCBO hosts sessions to introduce educators to NOAA's Phytoplankton Monitoring Network. NCBO to Host 2009 Summer Science Camps The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office will host science camps again this summer--details on camps in Virginia and Maryland will be coming soon! First ESTC Workshop Held The inaugural Environmental Science Training Center workshop focused on "Integrating Ecological Forecasting into Environmental Education."