The Science of Seaweed: A Conversation With An Educator-Nonprofit Duo

Each year in Biddeford Middle School, Kristen Wurth’s students get to bring the outdoors inside. Thanks to the Boothbay Sea and Science Center’s Exploring the Science of Seaweed Farming program, the students grow and nurture seaweed right from their classroom, along the way learning all about the biological systems that enable that growth.

What follows is a remarkable thing: Students participate in scientific inquiry, while delving into different cultural practices related to kelp and taking in life lessons that extend beyond the classroom.

We recently talked with Wurth and Pauline Dion, executive director of the Boothbay Sea and Science Center, about the power of this program and how it enables students to build relationships with a natural resource so vital to Maine’s coastal ecosystem.

How did you both get started in this work?

Dion: I started this program in the winter of 2017 when I visited a seaweed farmer in Damariscotta. I was taken by the fact that you could grow kelp on an aquaculture farm, or a controlled environment for growing water-based organisms. The idea came from being curious about it — and isn’t that what science is all about?

Wurth: I came to Maine for school to study marine biology, which is where my love for the ocean comes from. I ended up with a double major in education, and I’ve always been interested in embedding as much aquaculture and marine biology into my curriculum as possible. I got involved with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Connected Learning Ecosystems group, and that eventually led me to the Boothbay Sea and Science Center.

How has the program evolved over the past decade?

Dion: Over the years, we’ve grown tons of seaweed — and we’ve grown as a program. By 2018, we had launched the program in three schools in the Boothbay area. We’re now in 25 schools in nine counties, ranging as far north as Greenville and as far south as Waterboro.

We originally started planting seaweed on my farm, and we’ve expanded into three farms. That’s enabled us to impress upon the general public the value of working with kids and collecting the data the program produces.

What do students learn during the year-long program?

Dion: We designed the program to not add any extra work onto teachers’ plates, which are already overflowing, so we supply all the equipment and materials to the schools. Science is so exciting because it never ends. It just begs the next question. Kelp can just teach so many different things within one area.

Wurth: Exactly! We start off by introducing students to the kelp and learning about molecules, organisms, and taxonomy. Then, they use microscopes to examine the seaweed and learn how to collect data, measure properly, even use a thermometer for the first time. Throughout the school year, the kids learn about the ecosystems that kelp helps create and sustain, and I’m always making connections to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Now, I have a set of kelp projects that connect to about 30 NGSS standards.

It’s about teaching everyday skills like reasoning alongside technical skills like differentiating kelp species. I want the kids to know that this could be their job one day. They could be scientists or own their own businesses. The pathways are there.

How do students respond to working with seaweed?

Wurth: They love it. They each get a job, and they always race to use the refractometer or the pH strips. One student suggested we create a board to collect all the questions and conversations that were developing.

As we work through the lessons, the students start to fall in love with the seaweed — the relationship grows as the seaweed grows. In fact, my crew cleaned up the beach for our day of service, and the students were picking up and identifying the kelp. We got the ID booklets out, and their curiosity just spiked over something that they now know is in their environment every time they go to the beach.

Dion: That’s right! The kids grow a real attachment to the kelp. When the students are finished growing it in their classrooms, we take the seaweed out to the farms to grow further. I’ve had to develop a sophisticated system to mark every buoy with that school’s name because the students want to know their exact kelp is being well taken care of. That’s how committed these kids are.

How do you think this program impacts students beyond the classroom?

Wurth: We have large multilingual and new Mainer populations in Biddeford, and it’s really important to me to help them feel comfortable in their new environment, which means building a connection to the marine ecosystem that’s now in their backyard.

The program also builds curiosity. This year, the kelp didn’t grow very much, so we had a conversation. And I was proud to see my students ask “why” — Why is this happening? Why didn’t it grow?

Dion: They come to see that that isn’t a failure. That’s actually really good science. So let’s look at temperature data or the nutrients to figure out a “why.”

Wurth: We also do a project called Kelp Tank, where the students make up their own version of a kelp-themed restaurant. They try to get investors, and they learn how to write checks. I also like to give them food each year, so they can try it raw, blanched, in a salad, or even on popcorn. They didn’t know it could taste that good!

Why are partnerships between nonprofits and schools so important?

Dion: We live in a world where we should be the mentors of collaboration. That’s where nonprofits play a very valuable role for schools and teachers. We can help be the engineers of creativity and bring available resources into the classroom for experiential learning.

Wurth: As a teacher, you want to constantly enrich your classroom and get your kids hands-on projects. Partnerships like these give them that enrichment and a connection to their local environment. And Pauline is right there with me at every step. The program has helped me see that I’m part of a community of teachers that’s always building.