Excellence in marine education

DESG’S David Christopher (right) pictured with NMEA President Lindsay Patterson.

DESG’s David Christopher receives award from National Marine Educators Association

It was as a child, during a gifted and talented summer center run by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Maryland, that David Christopher visited Fox Island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and first remembers falling in love with marine education. That love has carried with him during his years of work in the field, and one of the main reasons Christopher is such a proponent of marine education is thanks to a lesson he learned early in life: that water connects us all.

“The ocean is the system that connects everybody on this planet through our watersheds, through the ocean and it is so important to life on this planet,” said Christopher, marine education specialist for Delaware Sea Grant. “Over 50 percent of the air we breathe comes from the ocean, it is a vital food source, and it’s a source of inspiration for people. It is critical to our planet and to us both culturally, biologically and artistically that I think that really attracts me to it.”

Due in part to Christopher’s passion for and knowledge of marine systems, as well as his contributions to the field of marine education in general, he was recently awarded with the 2024 National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) James Centorino Award. 

The award is named in honor of James Centorino, a marine educator who taught at Salem State College, co-founded the Massachusetts Marine Educators and later the National Marine Education Association. It is given to individuals who are NMEA members and display outstanding work and leadership in any aspect of marine education at the local, regional or national level.

Christopher said it was humbling to receive the award, and as he looked down the list of past recipients, he couldn’t help but feel honored to be included among such prestigious marine educators.

“The people who have gotten this award in the past are some of my heroes and great friends of mine, as well as people that mentored me in the organization. To think I'm on that same list as them is really shocking,” said Christopher. “I especially think about Dr. Valerie Chase who I worked for her in 2001-2003. She was already a legend in the field back then and I'm now up there with her as far as the award goes. It’s weird to think that I'm considered in the same realm as some of these people.”

In their letter nominating Christopher for the award, Tami Lunsford, who currently teaches at Newark Charter High School and who co-wrote the nomination letter with several past NMEA presidents, said Christopher has selflessly served marine education as a whole, and especially both NMEA and the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association (MAMEA), for decades with an incredibly high level of positivity, professionalism, and dedication.

Lunsford has interacted with Christopher both when he worked at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and through his role in DESG, bringing students to his programs at both sites.

“He has run incredible programs for students behind-the-scenes at the aquarium, touring labs and the wind turbine at the University of Delaware, and out in the field,” said Lunsford. “At the aquarium, he was always prepared, organized, and shared his love of marine education with every teacher present.”

Christopher has been active in marine education and has held various positions within NMEA for a long time, having only missed two NMEA national conferences since 1999. He has worked in either a committee or a board position within the organization since 2008.

In addition, Christopher served as president of NMEA in 2021-22, which was a tough time to be president of an organization due to all the challenges presented by the COVID pandemic.

Linda Chilton, former education manager with the University of Southern California Sea Grant, said Christopher is a keen listener, understands what needs to be done and does it well—especially singling out his leadership abilities during the pandemic.

“Through COVID, he developed strategies and approaches to ensure ocean literacy learning opportunities were available and accessible to all and brought educators from around the nation to his workshops,” said Chilton. “He is a leader and phenomenal collaborator who doesn't look to the end of his term in office but takes on responsibilities looking to the future of organizations and efforts yet never focuses attention on himself. We are very fortunate to have him as our colleague and friend.”

Chris Petrone, program director for DESG’s marine advisory service, said that since joining DESG in 2019, Christopher has “been a force for Environmental Literacy in the state. He has worked with classroom teachers, district administrators, the Department of Education, and the Delaware Association for Environmental Education to take giant strides towards institutionalizing students’ better understanding of the natural world around them.”

Christopher said he is thrilled to have had his marine education efforts recognized and looks forward to continuing his efforts into the future.

“I've put a lot of heart and soul into marine education,” said Christopher. “I believe in marine education, and I really like what I do. I'm big fan of NMEA and I never thought about ever getting an award so to get the award was an honor and was shocking, to say the least.”

Article by Adam Thomas