Community Engagement

Students’ innate love of dolphins, whales, and other marine mammals, coupled with the fascinating research of NMMF scientists, creates a wonderful environment for learning about marine mammal science, medicine, and ocean conservation. Our community outreach programs highlight NMMF discoveries about marine mammals to promote creative thinking and inspire a greater commitment to the conservation of marine mammals and their habitats. 

"Thank you very much for taking the time to visit our classroom, and share your knowledge and stories with us. My students and I thoroughly enjoyed your visit and appreciated the passion you demonstrated for your work with marine life. Thank you again for your visit and your impassioned speech."

- San Diego Teacher
"Thank you for talking to our Girl Scout troop this morning. In this new virtual world, we are trying to keep our girls interested in scouting while providing a quality program. I appreciate your time and I will send this forum to other units to have their girls listen to career options. It was great seeing a woman scientist. Our girls need to know their potential is limitless."

- Carol Harper, Eastern Pennsylvania Girl Scouts
"All of the volunteers are great role models."

- Workshop attendee
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Amplifying impact and reach through collaborations.

In order to maximize impact, we partner with like-minded organizations and institutions, allowing our outreach programs to reach a broad audience – from elementary to college students, teachers, professors, and academic leaders. We strive to engage with students in underserved communities and are continually expanding our collaborations with schools and other nonprofit organizations to extend our reach. The commitment to community outreach among NMMF professionals is strong; 90% of our programming includes staff volunteers.

Online Learning

Our online learning center brings our signature workshops to life by providing access to our curriculum specific resources and materials allowing teachers, parents, and group leaders to conduct our workshops with their students and community groups.

Alliance Fact Sheet - Beluga
Alliance Fact Sheet - Bottlenose dolphin

We are excited to launch NMMF’s #OceanStories — a special ocean themed storytime for young children with readings from our marine mammal scientists, veterinarians, animal care experts, and educators. We aim to inspire the next generation of ocean ambassadors and help parents provide a few minutes of entertainment for their children during this challenging time. If you would like to join the effort and contribute an ocean-themed story reading, please email us at outreach@nmmf.org.

How to Get Involved

If your group is interested in having someone from the NMMF Outreach Team host a workshop or participate in a public event, please contact us at outreach@nmmf.org.

Education and Outreach Team

Erika Putman

Director of Internship Programs / Supervisor of Animal Care

Share NMMF Outreach Resources