STEMMing The Tide

05/17/2026

Day 2 of AL-YASS 2026 rocked! Filled with student led research, art, and a little time on the farm! See yall next year!

05/17/2026

The AL-YASS 2026 Student Research Symposium just started ! Love hearing all the amazing projects students are leading to help make our communities healthier!

05/17/2026

Day 1 of AL-YASS 2026 was such a blast!! It blended art, science, sustainability, the stars, and so much time in the woods at beautiful ! We are so grateful to all our volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible!

05/14/2026

It’s been a busy month for us at STEMMing the Tide!
We’re heading into AL-YASS this weekend, where 70+ students from across Alabama will come together to dive into environmental stewardship and community resilience.

Professional Development Wrap-Up:

We just closed out our 2025/2026 STEMMing the Tide Online PD Series with a fantastic session on data analysis & visualization led by Dr. Williamson.

STEMMing the Tide at GulfCon 2026: 

Dr. Hayden recently had the chance to present at GulfCon 2026 in Mobile, highlighting our growth this past year. We’ve now reached 30+ teachers across 4 counties and 15 schools.

New Air Quality & Weather Monitoring Program:

We also partnered with teachers to install air quality monitors and weather stations at:
• Baldwin Preparatory Academy
• Phillips Preparatory Middle School
• LeFlore High School
• Calloway-Smith Middle School
These installations are preparation for a new EPA-funded environmental education program alongside YLACES and Kids Making Sense, bringing hands-on environmental science directly to students.

More updates from us coming soon!

05/12/2026

Buzzin’ About Nature is back!
The Mobile County Beekeepers Association and the Environmental Studies Center invite you to a fun-filled day celebrating honeybees, nature, and community. Enjoy hands-on learning about pollinators, beekeeping, honey extraction, and more—plus MGM Horticulture, local honey tastings, food trucks, vendors, kid's activities, animal exhibits, and more!

Saturday, May 16
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Environmental Studies Center
$3 admission (children under 2 are free)

Don’t miss this sweet day of learning and fun for the whole family!

05/05/2026

Just as a reminder, this camp is free for MCTS students. Registration closes tomorrow!

Please make sure all 6th and 7th grade teachers, parents, and students know that tomorrow is the deadline to apply for our Estuary Corps Summer program: https://www.joinACF.org/estuary-corps

04/29/2026

You can’t talk about a healthy bay and not talk about oysters. Without them, our waters and the communities that depend on them suffer.

Oysters are nature’s filter feeders, working to remove nutrients, dirt, and pollutants from the water, significantly improving the water quality and safety. A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. Imagine what large reefs made up of tens of thousands of oysters can do for our waters.⁠

Unfortunately, our oyster population has been in decline, with nearly 80% lost since the 1950s. But with the support of our community, we’re bringing them back.

Our Oyster Keepers Program is a hands-on reef restoration initiative that engages the community by encouraging waterfront property owners to use their docks and piers for growing young oysters. These oysters grow in suspended cages, where they filter the water and produce larvae that help seed new reefs. Each cage has the potential to create 100 million oyster larvae per year and filter 2,000 gallons of water daily.

Get your hands dirty this summer and see firsthand how oyster restoration actually happens. Sign up to volunteer at https://mobilebaykeeper.org/volunteer-with-our-oyster-team/

04/23/2026

🌱 Big impact from young leaders! 🤩
Whitley’s Go Green Recycling Team is taking action and making sustainability happen. Check out our latest blog post. Link in our bio.

04/22/2026

Hey friends of STEMMing the Tide, the deadline to register for AL-YASS is this sunday!!!! This is an absolutely free event for Alabama middle and high school students and their teachers aimed at fostering a community of environmental stewards! This year we are at Camp McDowell on May 16-17th. There is no registration fee, lodging and meals are free thanks to our sponsors and grant funding, and teachers can earn PD credit and stipends!! Learn more at

https://www.alabamayas.com/summit

And help us spread the word!!

What is AL-YASS? The Alabama Youth Action for Sustainability Summit (AL-YASS) is a 2-day educational initiative, inspired by the Youth Climate Summit and the Youth Climate Institute, for youth in Alabama to share their environmental citizens science investigations, place-based sustainability