About OEI
Ocean Education Initiative creates virtual field experiences built from real fieldwork, bringing learners into ecosystems they might never otherwise see.
Each experience connects learners to real ecosystems, real data, and the people doing the science.
Students see what scientists observe, how data is collected, and how we make sense of complex environmental systems.
Who we are
Ocean Education Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by scientists and educators who believe that where you grow up should not determine whether you get to experience the natural world. We build immersive virtual field experiences that bring students into real ecosystems, with real data, alongside the real people who study them.
Our team includes a marine biologist with over a decade at NOAA Fisheries, a systems modeler with 15 years of environmental research, and a maritime captain with deep field operations experience. We work from the water, not from an office.
What we do
We design story-driven virtual field experiences for grades 4 through 10, with middle school at the center. Each experience is built from original fieldwork conducted by our team in the ecosystems we feature. Students don't watch a documentary — they move through a place, engage with data, and follow a scientific question from observation to conclusion.
Every experience is NGSS-aligned, designed to fit a single class period, and requires no special technology or setup. Teachers get a complete guide. Students get a genuine encounter with science.
Virtual Field Experiences
Students step into real ecosystems, see what scientists are observing, and work with data to understand what is happening.Teacher Resources
Standards-aligned lessons designed for a single class period, making it easy to bring real-world science into the classroom.Creator Templates (In development)
A framework that will allow scientists, educators, and organizations to build and share their own field-based learning experiences.
Current Work
OEI is developing its first field experience in the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Bocas del Polochic in Guatemala.
This experience focuses on river and wetland ecosystems and explores how water movement, habitat structure, and environmental conditions shape where species live and how these systems function.
Fieldwork has been completed. We are now building the experience and developing the classroom materials that go with it.
How We Work
Our field platform is S/V Jennie, a sailing vessel that serves as both our base of operations and our science platform. Fieldwork happens in the places we feature. We do not license or aggregate content from other sources. When we film a wetland, we are in it. When we collect water data, we collect it ourselves.
Our work currently focuses on Central American freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, connected by the watersheds and water systems that link them. Future experiences will expand across the tropics and beyond.
Mission
To connect learners everywhere to real science through immersive, field-based virtual experiences.
Vision
A world where every student, regardless of geography or resources, can stand inside a living ecosystem and ask real scientific questions about it.
Our Team
OEI is led by a small team with experience in science, operations, and quantitative analysis.
Dr. Jennifer Leo
Jennifer is a fisheries scientist with a background in estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
She earned her PhD in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and spent over a decade with NOAA Fisheries, where she studied habitat use, species distributions, and environmental drivers affecting commercially important species.
At OEI, she leads scientific direction, field program design, and development of educational content.
Founder and President
SecretaryDr. Todd Swannack
Todd is a systems modeler with expertise in ecological and fisheries dynamics.
He holds a PhD and spent 15 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working on environmental and water resource systems.
He provides governance support and strategic guidance to OEI.
Capt. Seth Leo
Seth serves as Treasurer of OEI, overseeing financial operations and resource management.
With experience in maritime operations and expedition planning, he supports logistical coordination and field operations, enabling safe and reliable access to field sites.
His work helps ensure that OEI’s field programs are conducted safely and efficiently.
Treasurer