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Oceanography Camp for Girls (OCG) is an annual summer ocean science exploration program for young women, hosted by the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. The program’s mission is to inspire and motivate young women entering high school to consider career opportunities in the sciences. OCG provides hands-on, real-world experiences in both laboratory and field environments. Under the interdisciplinary umbrella of oceanography, participants are directly involved in disciplines in which women and minorities are most often underrepresented: chemistry, geology, physics, engineering, and mathematics.

As part of their 3-week experience, the campers visited the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center to learn about coastal and marine research being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. Specifically, they viewed a demonstration of coastal erosion and discussed the coastal hazards posed by hurricanes and strong storms, explored how past geology can be interpreted by collecting and analyzing sediment cores, and learned how foraminifera and other proxies are used to study Earth’s climate history.

In addition, several students participated in one-on-one interviews with scientists and staff at the center. Dr. Legna Torres-García spoke with one student about how her oceanographic career trajectory was influenced by growing up in Puerto Rico where coastal hazards are very severe. Research Oceanographer Dr. Dave Zawada talked with another about the technologic advancements and engineering that are required to collect high resolution seafloor images and apply them to coast change hazards research and habitat restoration. Kara Doran spoke with a camper about hurricane-induced hazards and the skills and background needed to forecast these impacts. Center Director Dr. Nathaniel Plant also discussed how a science career can also turn into leadership opportunities.

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