For the 11th consecutive year, Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) and SECOORA collaborated to bring IOOS and ocean observing to the St. Petersburg Science Festival. The October 15 festival took place virtually with thousands of students and educators from about 100 schools tuning in to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math.
The IOOS-themed YouTube broadcast by GCOOS’s Dr. Chris Simoniello and Grant Craig and SECOORA’s Abbey Wakely, gave participants the opportunity to learn about ocean observations and how IOOS is benefitting society. It also allowed the students the opportunity to test their deciphering skills using the International Code of Signals.
Since 2011, the St. Petersburg Science Festival has inspired children to get excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Last year, it is estimated 3,000 students tuned in virtually.
Related news

SECOORA Webinar | WebCOOS and Water Levels: Web Cameras for Coastal Flood Insights
On October 21st at 12 PM ET, SECOORA is hosting a webinar with investigators from the Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) project team and the WebCOOS Project Manager. Web cameras are a low-cost technology that can be used to document flooding impacts to coastal communities. Register here.

SECOORA Funding Opportunity Announcement: Letters of Intent Solicitation
SECOORA will submit a coordinated regional proposal in response to the anticipated FY 2026 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) funding opportunity. Letters of Intent to be considered for inclusion in SECOORA’s full proposal are due September 9, 2025.

SECOORA Hosts the First Surface Elevation Table (SET) Community of Practice Virtual Workshop
The SECOORA SET Workshop was virtual on July 17, 2025. More than 50 Community of Practice members and stakeholders joined this collaborative workshop to discuss SET monitoring, coastal resilience, and data-driven decision making in the Southeast.