In 2026, Scientist in Every Florida School hosted four professional development workshops for K-12 teachers across the state. In the workshops, teachers worked side-by-side with scientists and learned about current research in areas such as archaeology, plant genetics, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Keep reading to learn more about each workshop.

Archaeological Exploration of the Jupiter Inlet and Lighthouse

From March 17-20, 2026, ten elementary school teachers participated in a professional development workshop on the archaeology of the Jupiter Inlet and Lighthouse, held on-site in South Florida. This workshop was a new partnership with the Florida Public Archaeology Network and funded by the Bureau of Land Management. Over four days, teachers learned about the site’s history, the importance of archaeology, and common excavation tools and techniques. Throughout the week, they worked on active excavation sites on the property of historic importance to the Jupiter Inlet area. They also explored the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Museum and took a guided climb up to the top of the lighthouse. During the four days, they developed hands-on lessons in archaeology alongside the scientists that they will bring back to their classrooms in the 2026-27 school year.

Learn more about the PD here.

Polyploidy

On June 8-9, 2026, SEFS hosted a two-day workshop on polyploidy, a fascinating topic that connects genetics, evolution, and ecology. Polyploidy (genome doubling) is common in many living things, including plants and animals. Understanding polyploidy helps with the creation of sustainable products like biofuels, food, and fiber. Polyploidy even plays an important role in human health! This year’s workshop, funded by the National Science Foundation, marked the first of four teacher cohorts. Twenty middle and high school teachers learned directly from scientists about polyploidy and its applications in topics like plant pathology, cancer research, and more. They also conducted hands-on lab activities, such as a chromosome squash to observe plant chromosomes under the microscope, and worked with the scientists to co-create polyploidy lessons for their classrooms.

AI and Climate Disasters

From June 24-25, 2026, two Florida high school teachers came together to kick off a professional development program funded by the National Science Foundation titled, “Modeling Human Behavior in Climate Disasters Using Artificial Intelligence.”

During this unique experience, teachers learned how to bridge the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural disasters. To start off this first cohort, members attended a two-day professional development workshop on the UF main campus. During the workshop, teachers worked with scientists from the Smart, Effective, and Resilient Mobility Systems (SERMOS) Lab to develop hands-on activities and lessons for their classrooms for the 2026-27 school year. They learned about how AI can be used in emergency management and hurricane evacuations. Stay tuned for updates on this teacher-scientist partnership throughout the upcoming school year!

Learn more about the first cohort of teachers here.

Robotic Swimmers

From June 26-27, 2026, three Florida elementary school teachers came together to kick off the professional development program titled, “Experimental Design Using Robotic Fish.”

During this unique experience, teachers learned about the real-world applications of robotic fish, from oceanography to underwater robotics. The educators attended a two-day professional development workshop at UF. During the workshop, teachers worked with scientists from the FAST (Fluids and Adaptive Structures) Lab to develop hands-on activities and lessons and experiments for their classrooms using the robotic fish for the 2026-27 school year. This year marks the first of two teacher cohorts.

The FAST lab developed a classroom-ready robotic swimmer for the teachers to take back to their classrooms, which they will use to design experiments with their students. For example, the scientists designed different caudal fins that teachers can swap out, so students can learn and experiment with how fin shape influences speed. Additionally, the teachers toured research facilities at UF like the Ichthyology Collection at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Nanoscale Research Facility, and the SYBORGS Lab in the College of Engineering.

Learn more about the first cohort of teachers here.

Next Steps

These workshops help teachers build their scientific knowledge and learn about the real-world applications of science directly from researchers, increasing their confidence in teaching science. Through co-creating engaging, hands-on lessons with scientists and their teacher peers across the state, SEFS aims to inspire the next generation of innovators who will help protect Florida’s environment. Stay tuned for updates throughout the 2026-27 school year on how teachers are implementing these lessons in their classrooms and fostering a deeper connection to science in their students.

Funding Sources and Partners

 

Featured image Florida Museum/Jeff Gage.