92 SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2018
on the town
While Todd has been involved in
environmental education since 2004,
she’s surprised and pleased by how
the spirit of collaboration seems to be
everywhere in Sarasota. Organizations
are happy to recommend other groups
for Mote to work with, and they help,
too, with networking. “They’re all so easy
to work with. They’re willing to try new
things—it makes starting partnerships far
easier than it might otherwise be,” says
Todd.
The result of those efforts? They’ve pretty
much got a science education opportunity
for anyone. Want a camp? They’ve got
Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer
camps. Want something for the wee
ones? The Mommy & Me program. How
about something for the homeschool
kids? They’ve got Homeschool Days @
Mote twice a month for ages 6-13 and an
advanced version for students age 9-16.
Want something just for girls? There’s Gills
Club, which harnesses girls’ passion for
sharks, nature, and the environment by
giving them the opportunity to engage in
impact on the way sharks are perceived
by the public.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
on Mote Marine Laboratory’s
Community Engagement
Programs, please visit
mote.org/education,
call 941.388.4441 ext 348, or
email educate@mote.org.
“We strive to reach out
to students wherever
they are and help
make science matter.”
- Elaina Todd
Want to be part of all this? There’s
always room for Community
Engagement volunteers as well as
with Mote in general. Plus, there’s
a robust, hands-on internship
program for college students.
For those who complete that
internship, the opportunity exists
for another year-long program
that allows students to conduct
Mote research staff member.
Quite simply, Mote is where
science education matters. And as
it says in their Vision Statement:
“Over the decades since Mote
was created, the world has
learned many things about its
ocean. One lesson has remained
constant: there is still much to
discover.”
AMIkids (Associated Marine Institutes) go out on the boat in Tampa Bay for a floating classroom
session, where they discuss the environment around them. Pictured: Elaina Todd, Mote staff
/education
link