Ocean Discovery Institute

We provide continuous science opportunities, mentoring, and tools to overcome barriers in low-income, urban communities of color. All programming is 100% tuition-free and provided along a young person’s entire development from kindergarten to career. This focus on one community, the community of City Heights, is what is required to empower young people to transform their lives through science.

Our students, like seeds who grow into tall trees, begin full of potential but with limited opportunity. Over time, we provide science experiences, mentoring, and tools to overcome barriers that allow students to grow into science and conservation leaders like tall trees given the space and resources to thrive.

Working in the community of City Heights, there are five key strategies that distinguish us from other organizations:
1. Reach one community at a time to ensure focus and sustain outcomes.
2. Use the ocean as a platform for discovery.
3. Support students throughout their development K-career.
4. Provide all programs 100% tuition-free.
5. Engage students, in and out of school, with STEM experiences, mentoring, and tools to overcome barriers.

From our beginnings in 1999 at a makeshift lab space in a bayside kayak closet, children emerged passionate about science and serious about tackling environmental problems. This inspired our program model that provides students with continuous (K-Career) ocean science experiences, paired with mentoring and the tools to overcome barriers.

Today, Ocean Discovery Institute is a national model for preparing individuals from the most underrepresented groups and fastest growing demographic in the nation to become scientific leaders – leaders who will develop the solutions needed for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Our students are entering the fields of environmental consulting, fisheries, marine biology, biotech, engineering, education, and public policy. They become high ranked earners, creating financial stability for themselves and their families, while becoming leaders in science.

Ocean Discovery Institute’s unique approach and exceptional student outcomes earned national recognition in 2010 when we were awarded The White House’s Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

To learn more about our organization, watch our organizational video found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzw_TJRoUVk

Our students live in one of the highest poverty areas of San Diego. Their families lack emergency resources: food, healthcare and insurance. Even the density of City Heights compromises our students’ ability to practice social distancing, risking their health and safety (this community is one of the densest communities in the country).
Furthermore, at a time when distance learning has become the norm for most students, ours face extraordinary challenges. Many of our families do not have access to internet, computers, or even basic educational supplies like paper and pencils. Our students risk being left even further behind. We envision our path forward in the following stages:

Stage 1 (late March through the present) :Provide rapid crisis response to address critical needs of student and families including:
- Food distribution for 425 individuals/day through a partnership with Feeding San Diego
- Weekly virtual mentoring for 225 students/week
- Educational supplies for 300 students/week
- Technology training for students to get online and learning via (YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv2sAcDfjq2u_BcQNBDRl_A)

Stage 2 (launched in September): Launch programs to accommodate online learning and/or physical distancing. The following outlines our modified program plans where we anticipate serving 1,500 unduplicated students.
In school: Live virtual programming for K-7th grade students. K-5 curriculum will focus on ocean habitats, 6-7 grade curriculum will focus on climate science, and all will include a virtual field trip to the coast.
Out of school:
o Weekday outdoor camps at the Living Lab for K-11th grade students. Programming will consist of hands-on lessons, mentorship, virtual interactions with scientists, and student reflection.
o Virtual mentor clusters for K-12th grade students. Here students, in small groups, will attend bi-weekly virtual meetings.
o College and career access mentoring programs will be provided for 12th graders entering college and young adults transitioning into careers. Each student will be paired 1:1 with a mentor for the course of a year.

In addition to our STEM programming, we will continue our food and educational supply distribution as well as technology training and supports throughout the school year (see “Stage 1” above).

Stage 3 (ongoing): Do more than just “return to normal”. Before COVID-19 took hold, our students and families were being excluded from opportunities to pull themselves and their families out of the cycle of poverty. The lack of opportunity is now heightened. We are preparing a suite of robust programming to maximize the numbers of students served and increase program impacts as soon as we are able.