Seawolves Connect at the Blue Innovation Symposium

Science Teachers Elizabeth Leary, Julia O’Connor, Jason Cassista, and Ali Mitchell took a group of Tabor marine and nautical science students to the Blue Innovation Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island, in early February. Hosted by the Blue Venture Forum, the symposium is now in its 11th year. The event brings together innovators, builders, and leaders from across the “bluetech” ecosystem.

“Blue technology” encompasses a broad range of technologies designed to improve the world’s oceans and support a sustainable blue economy. The field includes, for example, marine autonomous platforms that enhance monitoring and conservation, sustainable aquaculture, harnessing tidal and wave power as sources of renewable energy, pollution control, and climate resilience. The Blue Innovation Symposium, according to its event program, “explores the ideas, innovations, and partnerships that are shaping the next generation of marine and oceanographic technologies.”

Leary says that students were exposed to real-life applications of the lessons they’re learning at Tabor, including how they collect data and use different forms of technology. Mitchell, meanwhile, notes that students were also exposed to the ways in which blue technology finds homes in different professional fields: Students attended a talk by a Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate, for example, who spoke about myriad ways in which blue technology impacts the state economy.

Student-attendee Hanna Anderson ’26 calls the conference “an amazing experience.” She’s been engineering an upweller for clams in her AT Marine Science class. “It was very cool to see so many projects like mine at a larger scale,” she says, “and the conference showed me how I can integrate business and marine biology when I go to college next year.”

The conference had a notable Tabor presence. At least five Tabor graduates were in attendance, with two taking leadership roles for the conference. Nate Walton ’04 provided the Tabor student and faculty attendees with tickets. As board chair of the Blue Venture Forum, Walton was one of the event’s organizers. He also participated in the program as a session moderator and presenter. Walton is the founder and principal of Sachem Strategies, a government relations firm focusing on early-stage ventures in the defense, energy, and biotech sectors. He has also been a champion for New England’s dynamic innovation ecosystem as a member of several government and nonprofit boards. Mark Parsons ’86 was also a steady presence at the conference and participated in two panel discussions. Parsons is a technologist, entrepreneur, and educator. He is founder and executive director of New Bedford Research & Robotics, a non-profit incubator established to provide equitable access to frontier technologies like industrial robotics, artificial intelligence, marine technology, and clean energy.

Roger Race ’70, Jake Soares ’04, and Dean Fougere ’04 also attended the conference. Race has decades of experience in the oceanographic sector, having started and successfully ran two businesses that produced patented products for the global marine market. Fougere and Soares previously donated a conductivity, temperature, and depth sensor (CTD) to Tabor, and they sat down with student-attendee Willard Garside ’27, who works with the CTD for his AT project.

“When I was at Tabor, I benefited from my experiences both on and off campus,” Walton says. “It’s great for students to get off campus and imagine what their careers could look like someday. It’s particularly helpful for them to experience real-world work settings and to see how professionals interact with each other. This exposure can provide really valuable perspective for students, just like it did for me.”

Leary also appreciates the chance current students had to meet with graduates and tell them about their work at Tabor. “Our alums really connected with our students,” she says. “Listening to our students talk about their research, talk about collecting data, and then ask questions of our alums was the highlight for me. I was really impressed with the way that our students and alums were able to connect, be interested, and demonstrate curiosity.”

The students enjoyed a packed conference schedule that included opening remarks from industry leaders, including Walton, and Governor of Rhode Island Daniel J. McKee; a keynote speech by the deputy director and vice president of science and engineering at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; panel discussions; flash talks; fireside chats; and award presentations.

“It was a really cool opportunity for students to be exposed to what marine and nautical science look like post-school,” Leary says. “Students got to see a lot of different technology in absorbable increments. They also saw that you don't have to be a marine scientist to be involved in this field. There were some politicians, engineers, data scientists; there were a lot of different roles combining, and they were all about collaboration.”