Mote SEA Aquarium to focus on STEM education for students, families

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mote Science Education Aquarium is well on its way. 

"We are well past the halfway mark. We are looking at being open by this time next year," said Dan Bebak, the vice president of Mote Education, Aquarium and Facilities. 

Bebak, who has worked for Mote for 39 years, said the new aquarium will open its doors to students and their families. 

READ: Mote Marine to house sickened sawfish from Florida Keys: 'The heart of our mission'

"Having looked at it on paper for so many years, it’s nice to see it take shape – looking [at] what we had envisioned," he said. 

Every day, 160 workers are on site, but within the next month, those numbers will double as they begin to work on some of the fine details inside the aquarium. 

"Having the walls up is really bringing it to life and to be able to see the spaces," said Aly Busse, the associate vice president of Mote's Education. 

She said a big part of the aquarium’s mission will be housed in three STEM classrooms. They will be made up of the ocean technology lab, marine ecology lab and biomedical/immunology lab.

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"We are really excited about building the curriculum and thinking about what will be in the classrooms themselves," she said. 

The goal is to ensure every student within the Sarasota and Manatee counties school districts get a hands-on learning experience connected to the ocean. 

"A lot of what we do is focus our students as the next generations of learners on the importance of conservation and science education, because we know they are the ones who will be on the forefront of all sorts of changes on our local ecosystem," said Amber Platowski, the curriculum coordinator for secondary science school district of Manatee County. 

Mote SEA anticipates educating all 70,000 students from Sarasota and Manatee counties. Family day passes will be given to 24,000 Title 1 schools every year, free of charge. 

"The environment is very important. That is where we live," said Rachael O'Dea, the deputy superintendent chief academic officer of Sarasota County Schools. "This is something we need to preserve and do a great job enhancing and understanding of, because when you understand, you tend to treat it better."

RELATED: Mote Science Education Aquarium expected to open in 2024

Mote SEA hopes to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers within our community.

"We want students to walk away from this with more understanding about marine ecosystems, more understanding about science and concepts about feeling like the ocean and aquariums are a place for them," said Busse. 

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