Sea Education Association (SEA) is a private, nonprofit educational organization. Founded in 1971 by Corwith Cramer, Jr. SEA operates two sailing ships traveling throughout both the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Oceans. SEA is based on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

History

Founded in 1971, the Sea Education Association spent its first years operated from headquarters in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, however in 1975, Corwith Cramer had the organization and its sole vessel, the R/V Westward, transferred to its modern-day location in

Woods Hole, Massachusetts Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 ...

. Over the years, the program would expand greatly, with more ocean semester programs being offered at a time and the expanding of the SEA fleet. Most of these changes can be accredited to Cramer's successor, Rafe Parker, who replaced him in 1982. Some of the program's most significant changes include, the addition of the SSV ''Corwith Cramer'' brigantine in 1987, and the replacement of the R/V ''Westward'' with the SSV ''Robert C. Seamans'' in 2001. John Bullard took over as President in 2002 and retired in June 2012. During Bullard's term, SEA developed the Stanford@SEA Program and formed additional partnerships with domestic and foreign universities. In 2004 SEA joined the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee, a coordination between NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center,

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

, and

Woods Hole Research Center Woodwell Climate Research Center, formerly known as the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) until August 2020, is a scientific research organization that studies climate change impacts and solutions. The International Center for Climate Governance n ...

to increase diversity and inclusion within ocean sciences. This effort was initiated and led by Ambrose Jearld Jr. of Woods Hole. Peg Brandon, SEA Semester alumna and former SEA Faculty Captain, took over as SEA's President in 2014.

Programs

Vessels

* SSV Corwith Cramer * SSV Robert C. Seamans

References

External links

Sea Education Association

from the Woods Hole Diversity Committee
Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures and Ecosystems (SPICE) Atlas
{{authority control Oceanographic organizations Research institutes in Massachusetts Independent research institutes Semester at sea programs