Virtual Focus Trips™

Over three decades of STEM learning journeys

In 1986, Mote Marine Laboratory set long-range plans to expand its K–12 education efforts. That vision took a major leap forward in 1989, when Dr. Bob Ballard, famed discoverer of the Titanic wreck, invited Mote to participate in the JASON Project. The program used interactive videoconferencing to take students on electronic journeys to remote locations, beginning with ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. Mote joined as the twelfth site to receive live broadcasts. Within three weeks, the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation funded all the necessary equipment, while the Manatee and Sarasota county school districts brought 10,000 students into the experience and covered operational costs. The JASON Project marked Mote’s arrival on the K–12 education scene in Southwest Florida.

By 1994, Mote was pioneering distance learning technology, enabling students as far away as England to pilot an underwater drone in Mote Aquarium’s shark habitat. Building on this momentum and early success, Mote launched SeaTrek in 1996, a premier virtual learning program that connected students around the world to real marine science research. SeaTrek featured high-energy, multimedia science lessons and interactive classroom experiences on topics ranging from shark migrations to coral reef ecology. By 2006, SeaTrek had reached over 15,000 students worldwide.

Over the years, Mote’s leadership in virtual learning earned widespread recognition. In 2017, Mote received the Interactive Video Conference Content Provider Award from the International Society for Technology in Education. In 2020, the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) inducted Mote into its inaugural Pinnacle Hall of Fame, recognizing more than a decade of award-winning excellence. Mote has received multiple Pinnacle Awards, with educators consistently praising the quality and impact of its virtual programs.