Mexican teachers are participating in a global marine monitoring project led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) based in Maryland.

Under the participatory science project called MarineGeo Monitoring Modules (3M), ten university professors from the Americas guide undergraduate students in the application of protocols for data collection in marine ecosystems.

To be a student of a professor who has participated in this program is to have the opportunity to access an international marine science research network such as the SERC Marine Global Earth Observatory (MarineGeo), and also to learn to apply monitoring methods, says Professor Angélica Riesgo, a researcher at the University of Sonora.

“In other words, it opens up the possibility for students to develop competencies that transcend the classroom, and that will also allow them to collaborate in participatory science with a global reach,” said Riesgo, an associate researcher in the Department of Scientific and Technological Research.

This is confirmed by students of Professor Gabriel Núñez-Nogueira from the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, who have made it clear that moving from theory to practice is a valued aspect of participating in this project.

“The most immersive experience where they give us the opportunity to use the knowledge of the career in a real case, opening the doors to a broader vision of biology and how it is used for the study of conservation,” said student Edwin Oramas.

_{Application of the Ocean Travelers protocol during the workshop in July at the Ft. Marine Station. Pierce, Florida. Photo: Katelyn} DiBenedetto.

The application of sample collection protocols focuses on seagrasses, oysters, marine litter and biofouling. All of them make it possible to study the ecology of key organisms in coastal ecosystems.

In the case of Professor Christian Daniel Ortega, a research professor at the University of Colima, he will apply two protocols in these last two ecosystems, respectively, on open beaches in Colima and on docks in Manzanillo.

“It's very important (participation in the program) because the teacher is enriched by the knowledge and experiences of other colleagues from other national and international institutions, and in turn, this knowledge is transmitted in classrooms during class sessions,” said Ortega.

In July, academics attended a workshop at the institute to receive training on protocols and co-create educational modules in which their students participate.

By the end of December, these modules will have already been completed with the students.

“We learned the standardized protocols of the marine monitoring modules of the 3M project, both in their theoretical and practical aspects. We also exchange experiences with colleagues and organizers about how to better teach these contents to students, discussing doubts, challenges and pedagogical proposals. This allowed us to co-design training modules adapted to different academic contexts,” said Angélica Riesgo.

_{Photo 2. Grabiel Nuñez-Noriega in the stereoscope identifying biofouling organisms in a plate. Photo: Ninoshka} López-Xalín.

The researcher pointed out that the main objective will be to consolidate long-term monitoring on the coast of Sonora, since the information will be comparable to that obtained from other countries.

“This will make it possible to identify relevant ecological changes, provide data to the global MarineGeo network and, at the same time, train students with practical experience in internationally recognized protocols,” he explained.

In March of 2026, teachers will meet again to give feedback on the material and the application of the methodologies with their students.

They will also discuss what aspects need to be improved so that, at the end of the project, they obtain improved teaching modules.

Marine Geo

_{MarineGeo researchers and professors at the July workshop at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Photo: MarineGeo}.

The 3M project is one of the projects of the SERC's international MarineGeo research network.

The network particularly monitors three main habitats, such as coral reefs, seagrasses and oysters.

“These have been chosen because they are precisely coastal habitats that are facing many threats and that require conservation and therefore also require solid information on the organisms that live there and also on the state of these habitats,” explained the general director of MarineGeo, Martin Thiel.

Created 11 years ago, the network originated from the Smithsonian's intention to generate comparable protocols, since the institution has a long tradition of monitoring, only the station in Fort Pierce, Florida has been in existence for half a century.

Comparability is key to the generation of scientific data, Thiel explained, but at the same time, the challenges of our time lead experts to consider new monitoring methods, sometimes resulting in the need to keep old ones that provide historically comparable information and at the same time introduce new ones that provide more complex information.

“We have to be super cautious and sometimes it's better to keep the old protocol, so to speak, to ensure comparability over time. So, sometimes it happens that you do two protocols in parallel. One that is the old one and one that is the new one. Here I'm talking about examples because MarineGeo, as we've talked about, isn't that old,” he said.

Most of the collaborators of this international network are in the Americas. Coordination is a matter that falls on MarineGeo's shoulders.

“Coordinating between colleagues, collaborators from all over the world is not trivial at all and requires super important logistics. And that's exactly what the MarineGeo team, here at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, is ensuring,” Thiel said.

Returning to the 3M project, the director comments that several objectives are met, such as training students who will be future marine researchers, involving teachers with an attractive project and generating information that can be translated into databases.

“So, we consider it a win-win situation. Where we can win in multiple areas and achieve several objectives,” said the director.