Table 1
Vessel-based education operating in the Laurentian Great Lakes and Northeastern USA. “Primary Use” includes education (E), research (R), community outreach (C), and tourism (T). “Target Audience” includes elementary (E), middle school (M), high school (H), undergraduates (U), teachers (T), and other (O). “Source of Funding” includes in-kind (I), private foundation (P), state grant (S), federal grant (F), and other (O). State University of New York is abbreviated as SUNY.
| VESSEL AND PROGRAM | PRIMARY USE | TARGET AUDIENCE | SOURCE OF FUNDING | AFFILIATION | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | R | C | T | E | M | H | U | T | O | I | P | S | F | O | ||
| Laurentian Great Lakes | ||||||||||||||||
| S/V Alliance, S/V Inland Seas Inland Seas SchoolshipProgram | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Inland Seas Education Association | ||||
| Amicus II Sea Change Expeditions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Sea Change Expeditions | ||||||||
| M/V Biolab, R/V Gibraltar III Stone Laboratory Field Trip Program | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Ohio State University | ||||
| R/V Blue Heron Large Lakes Observatory | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | University of Minnesota Duluth | |||||
| R/V D.J. Angus, R/V W.G. Jackson Water Resources Outreach Program | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Grand Valley State University | |||||||
| The Environaut Project NePTWNE | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Gannon University | |||||||
| R/V Lake Guardian Shipboard Science Educator Workshop | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs (and affiliated universities) | ||||||||||||
| R/V Neeskay School of Freshwater Sciences | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | University of Wisconsin-Madison | |||||||||
| Sadie Ann The Sadie Ann Floating Classroom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | University of Wisconsin Superior | |||||
| Northeastern USA | ||||||||||||||||
| Carillon Carillon Boat Tour Field Trip Program | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Fort Ticonderoga | ||||||
| R/V Goodwin Navigator Connecticut River Academy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Goodwin University | ||||||||||||
| R/V Gruendling, R/V Linnaeus Lake Champlain Research Institute | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | SUNY Plattsburgh | |||||||||||
| R/V Marcelle Melosira Watershed Alliance K-12 Programs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | University of Vermont, SUNY Plattsburgh | ||||
| Riverie Environmental Education on the Genesee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Corn Hill Waterfront and Navigation Foundation | ||||||||||
| Rosalia Anna Ashby LGA’s Floating Classroom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Lake George Association (LGA) | ||||||
| Sam PatchEnvironmental Education on the Erie Canal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Corn Hill Waterfront and Navigation Foundation | ||||||||||
| R/V Sloop ClearwaterHudson River Sloop Clearwater Sailing Classroom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc. | ||||||||||||
| M/V TealThe Floating Classroom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Discover Cayuga Lake | ||||||
| R/V William ScandlingScience on Seneca | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | ||||||||||
| TOTAL | 15 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | |
Figure 1
Yearly participation in Science on Seneca’s vessel-based education program. The total number of students attending from 2010 to 2023 is separated by autumn (September through November) and spring (March through May). No cruises ran in 2020, spring 2021, and autumn 2022 (see Methods). The research vessel does not operate during winter conditions from late November through the middle of March.
Figure 2
Frequency of grade levels that participated in the Science on Seneca’s vessel-based education program. Bars sum number of classes per grade level from 2010–2023.
Figure 3
Frequency of class subject areas for Science on Seneca’s vessel-based education cruises. Bars sum number of classes per subject area from 2010–2023. Classes are grouped by broad categories. “Other” includes classes that were unable to be grouped into the other broader categories, including STEM, General Science, and 9th Grade Science. Breakdowns for Biology and Environmental Science and Studies are provided in Figure 4.
Figure 4
Frequency of class types within the broader “Biology” and “Environmental Science and Studies” subject areas for Science on Seneca’s vessel-based education cruises. Classes are separated among general (dotted), advanced (striped), and elective (solid) classes (see below examples by category). The bars sum number of classes from 2010–2023. General biology classes (n = 48) include Biology, Living Environment, and Regents Biology. Advanced classes (n = 46) include Advanced Placement Biology, International Baccalaureate Biology, College Biology, and Gemini Biology. Electives (n = 35) include various subdisciplines of biology. General environmental science and studies classes (n = 37) include Environmental Science, Environmental Education, Environmental Studies, and Environment and Society, whereas advanced classes (n = 36) include Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Global Environmental Science (Environmental Science and Forestry), Gemini Environmental Science, Advanced Environmental Science, Environmental Science (Finger Lakes Community College), International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Advanced Placement Environmental Education.
Figure 5
The proximity of schools participating in the Science on Seneca vessel-based education program to Geneva, NY, USA. Data includes any school participating in VBE programming from 2010–2023. Inset map shows geographic region of VBE and black star marks location of SOS. Size of red dots indicates total student enrollment (see key). Map generated in ArcGIS Online (2024).