Marine Labs as Workforce Development Centers for the Blue Economy
2026-10-01 - 2026-10-02 | UMass Boston
NEAMGLL Biennial meeting, UMass Boston
Registration opens soon and will be announced via email. Save the dates – October 1-2, 2026.
Marine labs as workforce development centers for the blue economy
Marine laboratories serve as the centers for innovation in marine technology, marine operations, aquaculture, coastal resiliency practices and the broader blue economy. Our laboratories provide value-added programming to their institutions, including topic-specific workshops, micro-credentialing programs, and technology innovation. We will have breakout sessions and panels around this general theme of workforce development and the blue economy, as well as other topics including financial sustainability in the face of the current enrollment and support challenges of our higher education members.
In an effort to get your lab staff to join, registration will be just $100 for up to 3 lab members so please share this invite with your teams.
Highlights of the meeting will include;

Keynote address by our own Dr. Deborah Bronk to speak on Research and Development in the Blue Economy
Update on NAML’s new website and resources
NOAA NEFSC and NSF FSML program overviews
Student lightning talks
A series of talks on marine operations and marine technology training programs and microcredentials
A break out session for marine operations staff
An update from Federal Science Partners and a “finances at marine labs” discussion and break out
An evening social
Day two field and lab tours to Boston Harbor and Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center in Nahant, MA

There will be a virtual option but in-person attendance is of course strongly encouraged – face to face networking is one of the greatest benefits of these meetings.

WAML 2026 Fall Members Meeting
2026-10-15 09:30 - 2026-10-16 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory
Greetings WAML colleagues,
Please save the date for our fall WAML meeting on October 15–16, 2026.
The meeting will be hosted at the Kierkoff Marine Laboratory in Newport Beach, California, with a Zoom option available for those who are unable to attend in person.
Our tentative schedule is:

Thursday, October 15: Start mid-morning
Friday, October 16: Adjourn by lunchtime

We’re planning to wrap up around lunch on Friday to make travel easier for those driving home that afternoon.
If you have a sense of your plans, please let us know whether you expect to attend in person or via Zoom. We know schedules can change between now and October, but a rough headcount will help us plan appropriately for meeting space and logistics.

To help you plan your trip, Kerckhoff’s Stephen Ranson has compiled a great travel guide (CLICK HERE)

If there are agenda items, topics, or issues you’d like the Board and membership to discuss, please send them along. We’d appreciate getting those suggestions early as we begin building the agenda.
Additional details and the final agenda will be shared closer to the meeting.
We hope you’ll be able to join us and look forward to seeing everyone in Newport Beach this fall.
-WAML Board

NAML Winter Public Policy Meeting
2027-03-12 08:00 - 2027-03-13 13:00 (America/New_York) | Washington DC
