Through a Commitment Grant from Oracle, National Geographic has been able to take the lead in bringing the most current ocean issues and information to classrooms and the public. Through a collaborative effort with ThinkQuest—an online learning platform for students sponsored by the Oracle Education Foundation—we can share the beauty of the ocean with students, and help them understand how to protect this precious resource.

With Oracle's multifaceted support, National Geographic:

• engaged over 1,200 ThinkQuest Project users in following NGS Explorer Enric Sala's expedition to Cocos Island to study one of the last pristine ecosystems;
• developed educational materials about the Gulf oil spill for grades K-12, as well as ocean-themed lessons for grades 3-5, a marine ecology unit for high school biology classrooms, and a large variety of mapping activities available to ThinkQuest Projects users and the 4,000,000 yearly visitors to the NGS Education webpages;
• trained 60 high school science teachers (reaching 12,000 students, and over 600 additional teachers) as Ocean Ambassadors, and created online, professional development modules that will reach 40,000 teachers by 2013;
• co-presented with OEF at the National Science Teachers Association Conference, and taught standards-based methods for engaging students in ocean content to over 30,000 attendees of various K-12 conferences nationally;
• brought ocean conservation messages to the 40,000 attendees of Oracle OpenWorld 2011;
• developed a Giant Traveling Map of the Pacific Ocean, which will travel to schools to engage and educate students and Oracle volunteers will help bring to schools in their communities;
• engaged over 45,000 participants in ocean science education at the Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia and the BioBlitz in Biscayne National Park, Florida;
• trained over 350 marine recreation professionals to positively and effectively teach ocean conservation to over one million yearly customers in recreational contexts; and
• spread ocean conservation messages to over 17,000 Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association members.

Together Oracle and National Geographic are leading the way in ocean education and marine research.

Photographs courtesy National Geographic Education