Connecticut Sea Grant Education Coordinator Diana Payne received the The Sea Grant Education Network’s annual Award for Excellence at its annual meeting on July 11.
Also receiving the award this year was J, Adam Frederick of Maryland Sea Grant. Both awardees will be recognized at Sea Grant Week in October in Oxford, Miss.
The award honors the network’s work in making environmental literacy and education accessible to all formal and nonformal learners. Awardees embody the mission of Sea Grant Education across the Sea Grant Network.
The network provides valuable leadership in marine and aquatic science education activities throughout the Sea Grant Network–playing a leading role in K‐12, undergraduate, graduate, professional, technical and public education in coastal communities. Education programs engage coastal and Great Lakes communities and help prepare the next generation of professionals involved with our nation’s coastal resources, communities and economies.
Here are excerpts from the nomination reviews for Payne:
“Diana Payne exemplifies what is possible as a Sea Grant Educator. She reaches many audiences and connects through scholarly work, professional development for educators, development of formal and informal K-12 education programs, connecting educators and researchers, and curriculum development. Her work consistently reaches local, regional, national and international efforts and has done so for over a decade. All of the international and national leadership roles did not detract from her focus on state and local programs, reaching thousands of educators, hundreds of schools, tens of thousands of students, and hundreds of parents, community partners and collaborators.”
“The body of her documentation demonstrates how important her efforts have been for her local Sea Grant program and for the National Sea Grant Office in communicating about education, especially in the area of ocean literacy. She has also influenced the work of National Science Teachers Association and regional efforts like the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) and Long Island Sound. Her documentation recognizes that all have a role in ocean literacy. Her service to the Sea Grant Network as past chair of the Sea Grant Educators Network, and roles as president of the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), vice chair of the NMEA Ocean Literacy Committee, and co-chair of the IOC-UNESCO Ocean Literacy Group of Experts exemplify her commitment to professional education programming. The combination of publications, presentations and engagements demonstrate how well she brings ocean literacy and Sea Grant work to multiple platforms in education and policy at the national and international level. She brings experiential learning experiences to students and recognizes the strength of teachers learning from master teachers in mentorship programs. Her work demonstrates the growth and adaptation of education, moving beyond understanding into action. Diana is an incredibly valuable and active marine educator and Sea Grant faculty, and is more than deserving of being recognized by her Sea Grant peers for this award.”
Payne has been with Connecticut Sea Grant since 1999. She has extensive expertise and experience in science, education, and evaluation. She conducts professional learning for educators on numerous topics and is an international expert on Ocean Literacy, serving as co-chair of the IOC-UNESCO Ocean Literacy Group of Experts. She leads the Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher (LISMT) program and Long Island Sound Schools Network (LISSN).
She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in estuarine ecology, a Connecticut teaching certification for grades 7-12, and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from UConn’s Neag School of Education specializing in science education and education research.