Progress 06/15/22 to 06/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) successfully served its target audience of K-12 STEM educators during the last reporting period by providing 5 professional development workshops, 2 in-person and 3 virtually. These trainings served a total of 69 educators. In response to COVID-19 we were able to adapt the SASI trainings to be facilitated virtually. Teachers still receive hands-on trainings with the provided SASI "mini-kit" that includes the same lab supplies they would be using at an in-person workshop. The addition of virtual trainings has allowed us to break down access barriers and serve more teachers nationwide. The SASI trainings were presented in collaboration with the below institutes: Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, New Mexico Facilitated by Felicia Ryder, a SASI trained educator from San Diego, CA Served public school educators, Tribal school educators, and rural educators. Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan Facilitated by Dr. Jake Nalley, SASI curriculum developer. Served public school educators, alternative school educators, and district curriculum staff. Baxter Center for Science Education at Northwestern University (Virtual) Facilitated by Felicia Ryder, a SASI trained educator from San Diego, CA Served educators from greater Chicagoland area including urban schools, rural schools, and Title 1 schools. Delgado Community College - ST3, New Orleans, Louisiana (Virtual) Facilitated by Dr. Jesse Traller, Algae Academy Curriculum Developer Served public school educators, rural school educators and Title 1 educators. Algae Foundation (Virtual) Facilitated by Dr. Jesse Traller, Algae Academy Curriculum Developer Served public school educators and Title 1 educators. After 2 years of not being able to operate this program at full capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, Summer 2022 allowed us to successful reach our target audience through a varied approach to program implementation. Changes/Problems:After Year 1, we changed the training from 5-day to 2-day, eliminated serving students, and switched focus to only serving educators. During COVID-19, we took the training online and discovered that we could offer immersive training virtually in one day. During this reporting period, we attempted to return to programming as usual but faced some challenges in determining the best length for the training. We continued the 1-day virtual training and tested 2 in-person training lengths: 1-day and 2-day. It was determined that 1-day was a sufficient amount of time to effectively communicate the material and also allowed more teachers to fit it into their schedule. Navigating these 3 different facilitation methods was challenging, but we can now move forward with a training length we know works. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) provided 5 intensive, hands-on professional development workshops on algae, a new and exciting topic in 3, 1-day virtual workshops, 11-day in-person workshop, and 1, 2-day in-person workshop. Educators left the training prepared to execute the Algae Academy curriculum in their classrooms the following academic year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?SASI successes have been disseminated via social media, the Algae Foundation website and newsletter, Algae Academy alumni teachers, the 30 Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) partner community colleges and universities, and with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, the Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) will facilitate 6 professional development workshops: 3 in-person and 3 virtual. We will continue with longtime partners and add new ones. The events will take place: June 16, 2023 Santa Fe Community College, Sana Fe, NM (in-person) Delgado Community College, New Orleans, LA (in-person) Baxter Center for Science Education at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (virtual) June 30th, 2023 Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ (in-person) Algae Foundation (virtual) July 14th, 2023 Algae Foundation (virtual)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) in collaboration with the Algae Foundation and four other educational institutions successfully provided five algal-based, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned, STEM professional development trainings to 69 K-12 educators. During this reporting period the trainings were facilitated by SASI trained K-12 educators and algae industry professionals. Develop an understanding of algae as both a living organism and as a food source; All SASI trainings begin with an introduction to algae as a living organism and highlight its ability to be utilized as food, feed, and fuel. At the NM and MI in-person trainings, we were able to take advantage of the locations and give educators added hands-on experience. In NM, educators were able to tour the Sant Fe Community College greenhouse where they have multiple polyculture algae ponds. Educators were able to learn more about the cultivation process and take samples of algae to look at under the microscope. In MI, the Kellogg Biological Station is located at the edge of Gull Lake and surrounded by many smaller bodies of water. Teachers were able to go outside and collect algae from the various water sources. Provide tools to implement new algal-based education into the classroom; When teachers leave the SASI training, they have gained the skills necessary to implement algae-based curriculum in their classroom. They are provided with 5-days of STEM curriculum including teacher resources, presentations/scripts, instructional videos, and student worksheets. They also receive all the necessary lab supplies and necessary consumables to complete the lab including flasks, skirted tubes, pipette wheels, serological pipettes, secchi stick, and microscope slides. Educators are encouraged to use the materials throughout the year to supplement other STEM opportunities in their classrooms. Offer insight into current and future jobs in the algal industry; All training included discussion around algae industry jobs. Algae industry facilitators were able to give a firsthand perspective on job availability by sector. For trainings facilitated by SASI-trained educators, industry insiders presented via Zoom. Develop relationships with industry leaders. During the SASI training, teachers are presented with videos from industry leaders explaining their work in the algae industry. Participants are able to connect with those leaders if interested.
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Progress 06/15/21 to 06/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) completed one educator professional development workshop during the reporting period of 6/15/21 - 6/14/2022. This workshop took place virtually on July 30th, 2021 in collaboration with the Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE) group and theBaxter Center for Science Education at Northwestern University. This training served 19 K-12 educators in the greater Chicagoland area. This geographic area was specifically targeted as the Chicago Public Schools education system serves a diverse student population and majority underserved communities. As mentioned in previous progress reports, the Summer Algae ScienceInstitute (SASI) has shifted to a teacher only training model, removing the student component. Only K-12 educators were served during this reporting period. This session was facilitated by Dr. Jakob Nalley, Algae Foundation Board member and co-creator of the Algae Academy curriculum, and MarissaNalley, the Director of Programs and Operations at the Algae Foundation. Ms. Nalley manages all aspects of the Foundation's K-12 programming, including the Summer Algae Science Institute. This workshop was conducted virtually and each teacher was provided with their own Algae Academy "mini-kit" which included the live algae, necessary lab supplies, and other consumables needed to complete the lab virtually. Teachers were still able to gain hands-on experience with live algae as well as other lab supplies not available to them on a regular basis. The virtual nature of this program allowed teachers to overcome attendance barriers such as travel time/distance/cost and childcare while still offering the opportunity to network with fellow educators while receiving hands-on experience on a novel topic facilitated by industry and subject matter experts. Changes/Problems:The biggest changes we have implemented this year havebeen renaming the professional development workshop fromthe Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) to the Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) and offering the workshop in a virtual only format as we continued to navigate the changing health landscape in response to COVID-19. The name was changed to allow for a more appealing acronym and to highlight the summer timeline of the training events. We faced the following challenges with program implementation during this reporting period: Number of Workshops: With restrictions still in place in response to COVID-19, we were not able to offer more than 1 workshop during this reporting period. Workshop Format: Due to lingering uncertainty regarding COVID-19 safety, we were not able to offer an in-person workshop during this reporting period. We will address the challenges above in the following ways during the next reporting period: Number of Workshops: We have already completed 5 workshops for the next reporting period as things began to return to normalin summer 2022. Workshop Format: We offered both in-person and virtual workshops to help remove barriers and make it possible for more teachers to attend and gain professional development training. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) provided an intensive, hands-on professional development workshop on algae,a new and exciting topic in a 1-day virtual workshop. Educators left the training prepared to execute the 5 lesson Algae Academy curriculum in their classrooms the following academic year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The SASI opportunity and accomplishments have been disseminated via social media, the Algae Foundation website and newsletter, Algae Academy alumni teachers, the 30Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) partner community colleges and universities, and with education partners like the Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE), the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association(NMLSTA), and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?FiveSummer Algae Science Institute (SASI) workshops have already taken place for the next reporting period. Three of these sessions were virtual and two were in-person. The event dates, collaborating institutions, and teachers served are outlined below. At the time of this report, all five of the workshops are complete. June 18, 2022- Virtual session in collaboration with Delgado Community College in New Orleans, LA, facilitated by Dr. Jesse Traller Ojeda (Algae Academy Curriculum Developer)11 teachers served June 20, 2022-In-person session at Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, MI, facilitated by Dr. Jake Nalley (Algae Academy Curriculum Developer)13 teachers served June 23rd-24th, 2022- 2-day in-person session at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, NM, facilitated by Ms. Felicia Ryder (Algae Academy Master Teacher)7 teachers served July 15, 2022- Virtual session in collaboration with The Baxter Center for Science Education at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, facilitated byMs. Felicia Ryder (Algae Academy Master Teacher)23 teachers served July 30,2022- Virtual session facilitated by Dr. Jesse Traller Ojeda(Algae Academy Curriculum Developer)15 teachers served
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) in collaboration with the Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE) group and the Baxter Center for Science Education at Northwestern University successfully provided algal-based, Next GenerationScience Standards (NGSS) aligned,STEM professional development to 19 K-12 educators. The workshop was facilitated by an algal industry expert, Dr. Jakob Nalley, who has experiencein algalcultivation and K-12 curriculum development and implementation. Participants received a hands-on STEM "mini-kit" allowing themto complete the labin real time in a virtual setting, and a full introduction to the Algae Academy curriculum to prepare them to lead theactivities with their students in the classroom in the 2021/2022 academic year. Develop an understanding of algae as both a living organism and as a food source; In completing the DAY 1 activities,Dr. Nalley facilitatedan "Algae 101" presentation through which teachersgained an understanding of how they interact with algae on a daily basis and specifically discussed how they may encounter algae in their local environment. Teachers completed a scavenger hunt activity to identify algae as an ingredient on everyday food/household items like milk and toothpaste. When facilitating with their students, teachers will present the Algae 101 presentationand students will complete the scavenger hunt in groups. Provide tools to implement new algal-based education into the classroom; Teachers received in-depth instruction on all aspects of the Algae Academy curriculum and are now prepared to teach their students how to cultivate algae, set up an algae culture, measure growth, mount a microscope slide, and analyze real data in the classroom. To accomplish this, teachers will utilize the provided student worksheets and instructional videos, extensive teacher resources, pre- and post-test assessment tools, and the provided lab supplies they would not otherwise have access to. Offer insight into current and future jobs in the algal industry; Dr. Nalley presented on his personal work, the state of open positions in the algal industry, and the skills employers are looking for to fill those jobs. He outlined the variety of entry points into the sector such as agriculture, biotechnology, product development, marketing, and more. In addition, teachers watched video interviews of algae industry professionals in multiple settings. Develop relationships with industry leaders. Dr. Nalleyintroduced company spotlights from industry leaders in algal biofuel, nutrition, and bioremediation. He also facilitated introductions between industry partners and educators looking to further connect themselves or their students to the algae industry.
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Progress 06/15/20 to 06/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) had four workshops planned for summer 2020 in collaboration with local partners assisting with outreach and recruitment: 2 in the greater Chicagoland area in collaboration with the Northern Illinois Science Educators(NISE), 1 in Cleveland, OH in collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, 1 in New Orleans, LA in collaboration with Delgado Community College, All 2020 ASSI workshops were cancelled due to COVID-19. The workshop in New Orleans was rescheduled for June 12, 2021 with the assistance of Delgado Community College. The session took place virtually with 19 K-12 teachers in attendance form the greater New Orleans area, New Jersey, and Ohio. The session was facilitated by Dr. Jesse Traller and Marissa Nalley. Dr. Traller is an Algae Foundation Board Member and co-creator of the Algae Academy curriculum. Ms. Nalley is the Director of Programs and operations at the Algae Foundation and manages the Algae Academy program. While the training was conducted virtually, the teachers were provided with lab supplies and live algae so they could complete the hands-on activities from their homes. This means that teachers were able to learn all aspects of the curriculum virtually, just as they would in an in-person workshop. Teachers were also able to network and share resources in the comment section of the online meeting platform. The training was also significantly enhanced by new virtual resources created for the Algae Academy curriculum in response to COVID-19. Changes/Problems:When developing the ASSI the Algae Foundation aimed to serve teachers looking to invest in professional development and bring engaging STEM activities to their students. We accomplished this with some challenges as a result of COVID-19. We experienced the following challenges in Year 2. Number of Workshops: Before COVID-19 4 workshops were planned for summer 2020. When all sessions had to be cancelled, we hoped to be able to reschedule all 4 in June 2021. However, due to extended school years and the postponement of other district required trainings, we were not able to reschedule all 4 workshops. Workshop Format: In response to COVID-19, the workshops were not able to be facilitated in person. We plan to implement the following strategic solutions in Year 3. Number of Workshops: In year 3 we plan to reengage sites that had to postpone in 2020 and were not able to recommit in 2021. Workshop Format: By offering virtual workshops we learned that this is a great asset to teachers as it eliminates barriers. We plan to offer both in-person and virtual workshops moving forward in order to reach more teachers and in turn, more students. Implementing the changes above will allow ASSI to continue to grow while offering hands-on professional development to K-12 educators. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) provided professional development training on algae as a new and exciting topic ina 1-day virtual workshop. Teachers received an intensive training on the Algae Academy curriculum, algae-based STEM curriculum with hands-on activities, and were able to complete all the lab activities in real time as a group with the guidance of ASSIfacilitators. Educators left the training prepared to execute the curriculum in their classrooms the following academic year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The ASSI opportunity and accomplishments havebeen disseminated via social media, Algae Foundaiton newsletter, Algae Academy alumni teachers and the 25 Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) parter community colleges and universities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next ASSI workshop is scheduled for July 30, 2021 in collaboration with the Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE) and the Baxter Center for Science Education atNorthwestern University. Over 30 teachers are currently committed to attend from the greater Chicagoland area. ASSI workshops planned for summer 2022 will include both virtual and in-person workshops to reach more teachers and eliminte travel barriers. We will continue to increase awarness of the ASSI opportunity nationwide in an effort to equip more teachers with the knowledgeand skills to implement algal-based STEM education in their classroom.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) in collaboration with Delgado Community College in New Orleans, LA successfully provided algae-based STEM professional development to 19 K-12 educators. This group included both classroom teachers and district STEM coordinators.Instruction included facilitation from a member of the algal industry, a hands-on STEM "mini-kit" allowing teachers to complete labs in real time at home, and a full introduction to the Algae Academy curriculum to prepare teachers to lead the activities with their students next year. Develop an understanding of algae as both a living organism and as a food source; Teachers gained an understanding of how they interact with algae on a daily basis and specifically discussed how they may encounter algae in their local environment. Teachers had the opportunity to try seaweed snacks and experience algae as a food. Teachers we also introduced to the various ways algae products may appear on ingrediet labels Provide tools to implement new algal-based education into the classroom; Teachers received in-depth instruction onall aspects of the Algae Academy curriculum (worksheets and in-class activities) and are now prepared to teachtheir students how to cultivate algae, set up an algae culture, measure growth, mount a microscope slide, and analyze real data in the classroom. Offer insight into current and future jobs in the algae industry; ASSI's collaborating partner, Delgado Community College, offers algal biotechnology courses and a member of their lab team was in attendance to demonstrate the pathway from K-12 to higher education. ASSI's co-facilitatorcurrently works in the algae industry and offered insight on the current state of job opportunities in the sector. In addition, teachers were able to watch video interviews of algae industry professionals in multiple settings. Develop relationships with industry leaders. ASSI facilitators presented information on the algae industry and introduced company spotlights from industry leaders in algal biofuel, nutrition, and bioremediation.
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Progress 06/15/19 to 06/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) completed two 5-day workshops duringsummer 2019,in San Diego, CA andAustin, TX. In total, the two sessions served 13 K-12 educators and 93 elementary, middle and high school students. San Diego, CA ASSI The first session took place at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad, CA and was facilitated by Nicole Moersch and Jacqueline Cooley, both credentialed teachers/trainers and Algae Academy alumni educators. Ms. Moersch was one of the pilot teachers for the Algae Academy curriculum, incorporating the module into her classroom in 2015. She has continued to work with the Algae Foundation as a consultant and volunteer to improve the curriculum each year. Ms. Cooley was introduced to the program by Ms. Moersch and isprime example of the organic teach-the-teacher transfer of information that is the ultimate goal of the Algae Summer Science Institute. The 9 educators in attendance represented 8 elementary, middle and high schools in the greater San Diego area as well as 1 school in Phoenix, AZ. The 39 students ranged from grades 3-12and represented 15 schools in the greater San Diego area. Working in groups with grade level specific curriculum, the 9 educators were able to give specific attention tostudents at varied levels of learning in the same workshop. This session also included a presentation from Dr. Jesse Traller, a member of the Algae Academy curriculum team and Senior Phycologist at Global Algae Innovations, a San Diego based algae production company. Both the educators and students gained significant education from Dr. Traller's seminar on phycology and the importance of algae in solving global dilemas. Austin, TX ASSI The second session took place at Lanier High School in Austin, TX and was facilitated by Dr. Jakob Nalley and Dr. Ira "Ike" Levine. Dr. Nalley is anAlgae Foundation board member, Algae Academy curriculum developer, and Director of Agronomy at Qualitas Health, a Texas based algae company. Dr. Levine isthe Algae Foundation Board President, program P.I., andtenured Professor of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Southern Maine. ASSIpartnered with UTeach Outreach, a program of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. The mission of UTeach Outreach isto inspire students to take an active interest in STEM and provide relatedsummer camp opportunities to students in grades 3-10. ASSI served 50 students in grades 5-6 whowere eager to learn about algae and its impact on the world. The students were dividedinto two groups by grade and each group was led by 2 participating educators. This session closely modeled the facilitation of the Algae Academy curriculum in a typical classroom setting. Participants also received a tour of the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae at The University of Texas at Austin by Dr. Schonna Manning, an Assistant Research Professor at UT Austin and Director of Research and Development at the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae. Changes/Problems:When developing the ASSI the Algae Foundation aimed to serve teachers looking to invest in professional development and students interested in engaging in STEM activities. The workshops were created totake place at community colleges that were already Algae Foundation partners for other educational initiatives. While both ASSI sessions were successful in their execution, the number of teachers served was less than estimated and working with our existing community college network proved more logistically challenging than expected. We experienced the following challenges in Year 1 of the ASSI program: Host Locations:Connecting ASSI with Algae Foundation community college partners proved more logistically challengingthan anticipated. Educator Participation: It look longer to solidifiy our host locations and therefore, we were unable to start advertising early enough to obtain more teacher committments. Workshop Length: We learned that a 5-day session was too long for most teachers , especially those who are sole providers and/or have children at home during the summer. Format: Educators preferred to spearate their continued education opportunities from teaching students. Theypreferred to focus ina learning environment with only their peers. To mitigate these problems, we found strategic solutions that allowed us to providea professional development opportunity that excites educators about the power of algae while meetingeducator and logistical program needs. Host Locations: Rather than choosing host locations based on existing community college connections, the Foundation entertained all hosting possibilities from interested parties. This resulted in sessions hosted by: Delgado Community College in New Orleans, LA (an ATEC partner); Cleveland Metropolitan School District in Cleveland, OH, and 2 sessions organized by Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE) in the greater Chicagoland area. Both the LA and OH locations had existing professional development frameworks in which they incorporated the ASSI. Educator Participation: We worked with host sites to select ASSI worjkshop dates dates based on the last day of school for their district and existing professional development dates. Each site took the lead on local recruitment, creating their own application process and disseminating all information about the workshops to theteachers in their district and citynetworks. These changes meant each session was held at an optimal time for local teachers. Workshop Length: The 5-day session has been shortened to a 2-day intensive workshop. This opens the opportunity up to more teachers and allows for the facilitation of more sessions during a single summer.The shortened timeline also makes ASSI sessions an option for professional development opportunities during the academic year. We now plan to offer ASSI throughout all seasons, not just summer. Format: Future ASSI sessions will serve teachers only. We want to provide educators a comfortable learning environment with their peers without the pressure to be "on" and "perform" as a teacher. This new model allows for a more organic exchange of information and increased retention. The student piece is already fulfilled during the academic year through the Algae Academy curriculum. Implementing the changes above will allow ASSI to better serve K-12 educators with a professional development opportunity that caters to their learning needs while providing comprehensive training on algae, a new and emerging topic in STEM education. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Algae Summer Science Institue (ASSI) provided professional development trainings on a new andemerging topic to K-12 educators in two5-day workshops. Educators receivedintensive training on the Algae Academy, a algae-based STEM curriculum, and then executedthat curriculum with student groups with the support of ASSI fascilitators. This hands-on learning approach in a controlled environmentallowed educators to learng new skills and implement them while troubleshooting any issues along the way. Educatorsleft the training prepared to fasciliate the curriculum in their classrooms the following academic year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The 2019 ASSI results have been disseminated to various networks in the algae industry. The Algae Foundation has shared the opportunity, its goals, and accomplishmentswithAlgae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) partners. ATEC is a consortium ofmore than 20 individuals representing community colleges and universities nationwide, the network of alumni Algae Academy educators, and attendees at the Algae Biomass Organization's Algae Biomass Summit, the largest algae conference in the world. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?ASSI is concentraing on improved recruitment and outreach efforts to increase awareness of this professional development opportunity with educators nationwide. We want participating educators to bring the Algae Academy curriculum back to their schools and inititate a teach-the -teacher model where educators train their colleagues on how to successfully implement the Algae Academy in ther classrooms. The more teachers served through the formal ASSI trainings, the more students served as ASSI alumni continue to educate their peers.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) successfully provided algal-based STEM professional development to 14 secondary school teachers and hands on algal STEM instruction to 93 students in grades 3-12through two 5-day summer sessions in San Diego, CA and Austin, TX. Educators attended all 5 days, beginning the week with 2.5 days of professional development where they expanded their algal knowledge through a hands-on introduction to the Algae Academy curriculum and concluding with 2.5 days of student instruction, implementing a condensed version of the Algae Academy. This model allowed teachers to receive intensive training as well as hands-on application experience throughteaching in the same week. In-person support offered by ASSI facilitators ensured that educators had the opportunity to troubleshoot any issues and left the trainings fully prepared to execute the Algae Academy curriculum in their classrooms the following academic year. Students attended the second 2.5 days of the ASSI and experienced an intensive STEM learning opportunity where they gained essential laboratory skills utilizing live algae. Students learned how to prepare slides, use a microscope to effectively analyze an organism, measure and transfer matter, and prepare and maintain an algae culture. They also gained critical knowledge about algae's impact on the global environment and its position in the growing bioeconomy. The Algae Academy curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a STEM standard utilized by schools nationwide. ASSI provided professional development education that: Developed an understanding of algae as both a living organism and as a food source; Educators gained an understanding of how they interact with algae on a daily basis, both out in the environment and in the products they consume. Teachers identified algae based products on food labels, vitamins, and other consumables, even tasting one algae product currently sold in stores. Facilitators introduced the algae industry to educators, with a focus on companies generating algae-derived food products, such as Earthrise (Spriulina), Qualitas Health (omega-3 nutraceutical, algae protein powder), Cyanotech (Spirulina and astaxanthin), DSM (DHA oil for enriched milk). Provided tools to implement new algal-based education into the classroom; Teachers received in depth instruction on how to implement the Algae Academy curriculum in their classroom. After completing the training, teachers received their own full STEM kit including all necessary lab materials and live algae needed to facilitate the curriculum with their students. Offered insight into current and future jobs in the algae industry The Algae Technology Education Consortium (ATEC) is an Algae Foundation educational initiative aiming to train the workforce for the emerging algae sector. During ASSI, we showed the educators the network of colleges that offer the 2-year algae cultivation or biotechnology degree. ASSI Austin was hosted by the Austin ATEC partner school, Austin Community College. Developed relationships with industry leaders The developers of the Algae Summer Science Institute represent a proportion of the algae sector, as does the Algae Academy curriculum team. Both ASSI sessions hosted speakers from the algae industry who were able to provide insight into the current state of the algae industry in the growing bioeconomy.
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