MIT Sea Grant College Program

Join the Boston Harbor Ecosystem Network and scientists from MIT Sea Grant + UMass Amherst/Stone Living Lab for a free field trip to help monitor the invasive manila clam!

Tuesday June 9, 2026 (Rain date July 7)
11am-1pm
Where: Calf Pasture/UMass Boston
RSVP required (Free)

Read more: https://sites.mit.edu/seagrant/2026/06/03/june-9-manila-clam-monitoring-field-trip/

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-6byT1tKLAdYC1p9rX3l6MP7uXdJayu0LMenCrpO_OdDG9A/viewform

Tag along with a team, led by Carolina Bastidas (MIT Sea Grant) and Aly Putnam (UMass Amherst/Stone Living Lab), that is conducting monthly intertidal monitoring of Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) at Calf Pasture. Manila clams are native to the western Pacific but have recently been observed in Boston Harbor and other locations around Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod. This monitoring will help answer emerging research questions about this species' habitat preferences, reproduction, and growth in this region. This is as hands-on a site visit as you wish. All are welcome!

MIT students enrolled in 2.S01: Intro to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles tested their Sea Beaver AUVs in the Charles River! Supun Randeni + Captain Michael Sacarny from MIT Sea Grant’s AUV Lab run the hands-on lab instruction, along with Michael Benjamin: https://seagrant.mit.edu/2026/05/20/mit-students-deploy-auvs/

TOMORROW: MIT Mechanical Engineering Showcase - MExpo 2026! (5/12 2:30-10pm, Building W34)

Live demos with MIT vehicle teams, 2.007 Robot Competition Finals + hands-on projects including Aquatic Engineering with MIT Sea Grant (2:30-5pm, ZCenter Pool). Free/Open to public: https://calendar.mit.edu/event/mexpo-2026-mit-mechanical-engineering-showcase

For almost 60 years, MIT Sea Grant has been proud to serve local Massachusetts communities! We could not do it without our congressional champions who support our federal funding. Many thanks to our Massachusetts Senators and Representatives.

Thinking of applying for the Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship? Here are some tips to get started. You can also reference the 2027 Student Guide to Sea Grant Fellowships here:https://seagrant.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2027-General-Student-Applicant-Guide-to-Sea-Grant-Fellowships.pdf

The Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship matches graduate students with paid fellowships in the legislative + executive branches of government focusing on ocean/coastal/Great Lakes resources + policies.

Apply through MIT Sea Grant or your state Sea Grant program by June 3. More about Knauss: http://seagrant.mit.edu/knauss/

National Sea Grant College Program

Calling Massachusetts educators! Please take our 10-min survey, Teaching About Aquaculture. MIT Sea Grant aims to better understand the landscape of aquaculture education + communities and help guide the development of new aquaculture teaching resources: https://mit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aWWrOIc9TsZ1pf8?Source=SocialMedia

3 days left to nominate a student for MIT Sea Grant's Dean Horn Award for Undergraduate Study in Marine Research!

Students from all MIT depts are eligible. Faculty supervisors nominate students by letter, with student research reports.

Submit by May 7
https://seagrant.mit.edu/2026/04/01/accepting-nominations-dean-horn-award/

An MIT team measured the Longfellow Bridge in "Kleins" (1 Klein = 0.858 Smoots). The expedition was in honor of Oliver R. Smoot, Jr. and the 85th birthday of Dr. Martin Klein ‘62, the father of side-scan sonar: https://sites.mit.edu/seagrant/2026/04/28/dr-klein-project/

(Photos: Gerardo Berlanga Molina MIT Mechanical Engineering)

Massachusetts now requires power boaters to have taken an approved boater education course. Get your certification at the MIT Sailing Pavilion with Capt. Mike Sacarny of MIT Sea Grant/US Coast Guard Auxiliary. This class is perfect for all skill levels. Come meet fellow MIT boating enthusiasts and get ready to get on the water:
https://seagrant.mit.edu/2026/04/08/boating-safety-class/

BOATING SAFETY CLASS/CERTIFICATION
- May 3, 4 & 11 from 6-8:30pm
- Location: MIT Sailing Pavilion
- Open to the MIT community (ages 16+)
- Cost: $45 (Free for current MIT students and members of the Marine Autonomy Lab)
- Register by May 3: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boating-safety-class-tickets-1986344828854

The Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience for graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The Fellowship matches graduate students with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of government for one-year paid fellowships in the Washington D.C., area.

Apply through MIT Sea Grant or your state Sea Grant program by June 3, 2026: https://seagrant.mit.edu/knauss/