Education & Outreach

noaa teacher at sea program noaa teacher at sea program
CIMAS integrates its core science activities with the educational enterprise through formal educational programs at the UM Rosenstiel School graduate program and the USF Marine Resource Assessment program. The programs promote the involvement of students and post-doctoral scientists in NOAA-funded research.


CIMAS along with the other Cooperative Institutes serve as a pipeline for recruitment into NOAA by providing the scientific expertise required by the future NOAA workforce. Many graduates of the formal educational programs have joined the NOAA workforce, mainly at the NOAA AOML and SEFSC laboratories and at NOAA headquarters but also at other NOAA laboratories throughout the U.S. An active postdoctoral program at CIMAS attracted bright scientists with the aim of collaborating with NOAA scientists to enhance their ability to join the NOAA workforce.

UM Rosenstiel School Graduate Program

The Rosenstiel School has one of the largest and most comprehensive ocean, earth and atmospheric science education programs for students and in the nation. The Rosenstiel School offers students unparalleled opportunities for innovative research and training alongside world-renowned experts with Ph.D. and M.S. degree programs in five academic focus areas and a 12-month Masters of Professional Science (MPS) program with 14-degree tracks.

In addition, many UM marine science undergraduates are able to take advantage of the ongoing research collaboration between RSMAS and the NOAA labs that are available through CIMAS.

The USF Marine Assessment Graduate Program

The University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science offers an interdisciplinary concentration in Marine Resource Assessment (MRA) as part of its M.S. and Ph.D. programs. This concentration provides training in the emerging field of fisheries science and ecosystem-based management. Its mission is to train a new generation of scientists that can effectively address issues concerning the sustainability of the world’s living natural resources.

In addition, a number of MRA doctoral students are supported by CIMAS fellowships each year.