High School Marine Science Symposium
The Symposium (HSMSS) hosts hundreds of high school students and their teachers each year to explore marine science through expert speakers, science demonstrations, and hands-on workshops led by scientists, policymakers, graduate students, and other professionals in the field.
HSMSS will take place this year on Thursday March 5, 2026 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.
Overview
The Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME) have hosted the Marine Science High School Symposium since 1984, with Northeastern’s Marine Science Center joining as co-host in 2013. Students connect with marine science experts through hands-on workshops, interactive demonstrations, and keynotes. Students attend two workshops and have one time slot devoted to the demonstration fair where they can meet and network with multiple presenters throughout the session.
2026 Date and Location
- Thursday, March 5, 2026
- 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Northeastern University
Curry Student Center
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Event Format
Attendees check in at the Curry Student Center and begin the day with a Welcome and Keynote Panel in the Ballroom. Then there are 3 sessions, during which time students attend 2 workshops and spend the remaining session in the Exhibit Fair where they meet and network with many marine science and conservation organizations throughout the session. Finally, attendees are served a light lunch before departing.
Cost
$25 per student, including lunch provided for all attendees. Teachers/chaperones attend for free.
All schools (even those receiving scholarship funds) are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the event.
Please note there may be additional fees for parking on campus.
Scholarships
We are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships to students attending school in districts where more than 40% of students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
Check eligibility here based on district profiles .
Scholarships will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are allocated. Due to the limited amount available, there is no guarantee that an entire class or school will be covered.
Transportation
All schools are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the event, including those receiving scholarship funds.
Please note: there may be additional fees for parking on campus. Northeastern’s parking lots are managed by an external contractor, MasParc. Visitor parking information can be found here.
Student Supervision
Students are not permitted to attend the event alone or without adult supervision. All students attending the event must be chaperoned by an adult.
Registration
Registration for HSMSS 2026 is full.
Space is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once capacity has been reached, registrants will be added to a waiting list.
Registration is typically completed by teachers for a class, club or other group of students. Individual students can attend but must be registered and supervised by a parent or guardian.
After registering, teachers will receive:
- an Invoice
- a Northeastern Waiver & Release Form, to be completed by each student; this can be completed digitally and submitted via email, or printed and brought on the day of the event.
- Workshop and Lunch Preference Form to be completed by students (Workshops are capped based on room capacity, and choices are first-come, first-served. This is optional, if none selected, students will be placed in available workshops.)
2025 Highlights
Presentations and workshops by
- Atlantic Shark Conservancy
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- New England Aquarium
- Seacoast Science Center
- Center for Coastal Studies
- Mass Audubon
- MIT Sea Grant
- Ocean Genome Legacy Center
- Northeastern University
Present at HSMSS
Visit this link or click the button below to apply.
Including setup and breakdown, presenter time commitment on 03/06/25 will be approximately 8:00 am-12:30 pm.
We offer two different presenter options:
Option 1: workshop presenter: lead 2 back-to-back 40-minute workshops (same content, repeated twice)
Option 2: exhibitor: engage students via a shorter interactive demonstration/activity at a table, in a “career fair” type format, where students will be able to move between different tables
NOTE: Presenting groups are welcome to sign up for either or both opportunities. If you sign up for both, please send at least two presenters from your organization because the workshops and interactive demonstrations will happen simultaneously.
Sponsorship opportunities
If you or your organization is interested in providing scholarship funds for students from low-income school districts to be able to attend, it can do so at the $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or higher level. Sponsors receive special mention in our program as well as at the events, and donors at the $500 level or higher will also receive special mention on event signage.
Please contact Emily Duwan, Massachusetts Marine Educators President for more information.
Questions?
Reach out the Marine Science Center Outreach Team