The Algae Foundation — Looking Back and Moving Forward

by Ike Levine, Tiffany Cannis and Marissa Nalley (Algae Industry Magazine) In these turbulent times, when many educational programs are in limbo, we wondered what is happening to algae education? For a perspective, we asked leaders of the Algae Foundation how they are tracking the past and planning for the future. Following, in their words…

The Algae Foundation sees a future that embraces algae as an essential solution for a sustainable and healthy planet and our mission is to create that future through education, mentoring, and public outreach and engagement.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Algae Foundation, was formed in late 2013 ....

To accomplish this mission, the Foundation engages in and funds educational curriculum development for grades K-16+, finds and supports the development of future leaders of the algae industry through grants and scholarships, and works to promote algal-based literacy while increasing awareness of the benefits of algal biomass cultivation and commercialization.

Seven years after its founding, the Algae Foundation has served over 65,000 students, educators, adult learners, and bioeconomy enthusiasts through a variety of outreach and educational programming.

Our greatest success, the Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC), was developed in 2015 out of the recognition that algal production will create high quality jobs for an educated workforce due to the sustainable source of biomass for bio-based products, feed, fuel and foods. Currently in the fourth year of a seven-year, $3.7 million grant from the Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (DOE BETO), ATEC’s goal is to produce novel community college courses, certificate and degree programs in algae cultivation and biotechnology, and a series of educational curricula that offers students (grades K-16+), aquaculturists, farmers, biotechnicians, and interested individuals a particular skill set enabling them to incorporate algae into their career pathways while establishing them as serious candidates for the next generation of bioeconomy positions and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The ATEC program also includes the Algae Academy, a K-12 STEM kit distributed to classrooms nationwide through which students develop experiments, measure growth, analyze data and make connections on how algae production has a positive impact on the global environment. Students learn about the essential need for sustainable resources, current concerns about future protein shortages, and how algae can be a game-changing resource in developing countries. The goal of the Algae Academy is to excite students about the power of algae that will lead them towards more advanced educational opportunities offered by ATEC.

The Algae Academy was first piloted with 300 students in one San Diego middle school in 2016. In 2017 the program grew to serve 5,000 students in California, Michigan and Ohio and continued to grow exponentially from year to year. In the 2019/2020 academic year, the Algae Academy reached 36,000 students in over 200 schools nationwide. Educators are provided with the lab supplies, curated curriculum, live algae and additional consumables, and necessary educator training and support to bring this hands-on opportunity to their students.

To further support Algae Academy educators, the Algae Foundation established the Summer Algae Science Institute (SASI) as a professional development opportunity for educators eager to learn more about the program before bringing it into their classroom. This two-day intensive training is supported by a three year, $150 thousand grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) to provide educator education that will develop an understanding of algae as both a living organism and as a food source, provide tools to implement new algal-based education into the classroom, offer insight into current and future jobs in the algae industry, and develop relationships with industry leaders. Participating educators receive continuing education credits and a free Algae Academy kit to serve their students the following academic year.

Our newest efforts include the sponsoring of state Science Fair prizes for algal research, the development of a digital skills badging program and Continuing Education training and assessment. READ MORE