
Bethany Smith
Marine Educator
Email: [[v|bsmith]]
Phone: (804) 684-7735
Office: Davis Hall 235
Unit: Marine Advisory Program
Summary
I’m an educator with over a decade of formal education and administrative experience at the advanced high school level teaching marine and environmental science. I also have significant research and field experience, having participated in oceanographic research cruises, as well as leading numerous student field courses and mentoring countless student independent research projects. My passions in education and outreach focus on effective science communication strategies for students, educators, and researchers, as well as providing students with tangible, real-world, inter-disciplinary extensions of their classroom studies, thus allowing students to become the owners and authors of their learning.
Education
M.S. College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Biological Science (2008)
B.S. Rider University, Marine Science and Environmental Geology (2005)
Program Website
Current Projects
- Blue Crab Bowl
- Camp Launch
- Teacher Professional Development Programs
- Virginia Coastal Ecosystems Field Course
- Virginia Scientist and Educators Alliance (VA SEA)
- Virginia Teachers Innovating and Designing Experiential Science (VA TIDES)
- VIMS Research Broader Impacts
Past Projects
- Jacob's Ladder: An Enrichment Program
- Chesapeake Bay Governor's School for Marine & Environmental Science
- School Administrator (2017-2020)
- Marine & Environmental Science Instructor (2009-2020)
- Ocean Exploration Trust/Nautilus Live, Science Communication Fellow (2013)
- Marine Science Legacy Program of the Urbanna Oyster Festival, Coordinator (2013-2020)
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Fisheries Management Specialist (2008-2009)
Press Coverage
New marine education specialist joins VIMS Marine Advisory ProgramVIMS alumna explores ocean with Titanic discoverer
VIMS alumnae get high school students excited about science