Silver Spring, MD – July 2024:

IBSS, a leading government contractor providing services for environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, weather, and satellite); cybersecurity and enterprise information technology; and professional management services; was awarded a grant under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2024 eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Grant Program.

About NOAA and the North American Association for Environmental Education

The Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Program is part of a partnership between the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and NOAA. Known as eeBLUE, NAAEE, and NOAA’s Office of Education have a 5-year partnership to increase environmental and science literacy among our partners and external networks. Funding for the program is provided by NOAA Fisheries, the National Sea Grant Office, and the NOAA Office of Education, and is administered by NAAEE. Selected projects are implementing locally relevant, needs-based aquaculture literacy projects that are responsive to the following goals of NOAA’s Community of Practice for Aquaculture Literacy (CoPAL):

• Bringing aquaculture education programming to institutions and/or target audiences currently lacking resources.
• Building the capacity of environmental education providers to offer high-quality programming in informal and formal settings by matching aquaculture communication needs with existing research.
• Developing creative approaches for public engagement that promote a culture that values innovation, exploration, and community-relevant learning as a context for improving public aquaculture literacy.
• Identifying ways to integrate aquaculture topics into broader seafood communications, enhancing public understanding that wild capture fisheries and farmed seafood are intertwined.

Scope of Work

Under this grant, IBSS will support the NOAA NAAEE by forging lasting partnerships across informal learning institutions (e.g., aquariums), aquaculture industry (e.g., shellfish, finfish, and seaweed farmers), and NOAA to co-develop innovative educational experiences that explore aquaculture topics. Opportunities include everything from farm tours, online cooking classes, and podcast episodes to exhibit and curriculum development. By requiring applicants to build partnerships across the education, industry, and research sectors, selected projects will pull from each partner’s unique expertise to address gaps in aquaculture literacy.

As a trusted NOAA partner for over 20 years, IBSS looks forward to our continued delivery of innovative science-meets-technology solutions that forward the NOAA mission and make NOAA’s science matter to constituents both at home and abroad.

ABOUT IBSS

Since 1992, IBSS, a women-owned small business and Certified B Corporation, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services.

Our approach is to serve our employees by investing in their growth and development. As a result, our employees bring greater capabilities and provide an exceptional level of service to our clients. In addition to creating career development opportunities for our employees, IBSS is passionate about giving back to the community and serving the environment. We strive to leave something better behind for the next generation.

We measure our success by the positive impact we have on our employees, clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our tagline, Powered by Excellence, is a recognition of the employees that make up IBSS and ensures we deliver results with quality, applying industry best practices and certifications. Read more About Us.