Join us for these add-on events to continue learning and networking!

Make your selection on the Conference Registration Form either during or after registration. There is limited space available on all field trips. Reserve early as they may sell out quickly!

Pre-Conference Workshop | Wednesday Evening Events


This workshop will be offered on Sunday, July 23 and can be purchased during registrations.

Seamless Evaluation and Program Planning

Dr. Shawn Rowe, Associate Professor, Oregon Sea Grant Free Choice Learning Specialist

Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Cost: $30 — includes lunch and coffee

The Prime Directive of good evaluation built into programming is that it should be seamless to the experience for participants and never burdensome to anyone involved. However, most of our models for doing formative or summative evaluation require stepping out of the experience itself for participants as well as add on work for program staff.  These disconnects often result in incomplete or insufficient data, data not directly able to answer key evaluation questions, and data that simply sits on office desks and desktops for want of staff time for analysis and reporting. Additionally, many of the standard tools of evaluation such as interviews and surveys are distrusted by key communities and individuals because they carry the significant baggage of their roots in colonial, racist social science. In this 4-hour workshop, we will:

  1. Explore the ways backwards design can help us live out the prime directive

  2. Identify strategies for articulating documentable outcomes from programs

  3. Discuss the theories of change underlying our projects

  4. Share tools for documenting the changes we expect programs to produce

  5. Share decolonizing resources for evaluation

While no preparation is necessary, participants will gain the most by bringing with them a specific project design/evaluation need as small group time will be devoted to brainstorming and workshopping these projects.  

Maximum number of participants: 30

Dr. Shawn Rowe has almost two decades of experience in research and evaluation of teaching and learning as part of informal science learning experiences in zoos, aquariums, museums, and everyday decision-making processes. Dr. Rowe heads up the OSG Free-Choice Learning Lab which has worked since 2004 to design experiences that support evaluation and research with families visiting the Oregon Sea Grant managed Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitors Center in Newport, Oregon has been supported by NSF, NOAA, EPA and others and has generated nearly six-million dollars in external funding and 50 publications about place-based, informal STEM learning.


These two evening events are scheduled for Wednesday evening, July 26, and can be purchased during registrations.

Bioluminescence Paddle (Full)

Cost per person: Adult: $90

Time: 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm 

{This event is sold out}—Join us for a guided nighttime kayak paddle to witness the display of this enchanting light. We will take you to some of the best places in the region to see their glow! This trip is great for beginning and experienced paddlers alike. All skill levels welcome! We use tandem sea kayaks for optimal stability so if you come with friends, choose your partner wisely! (Friends not required)

Transportation: Carpool/Uber (approx. 2 miles from WWU)

Age limit: All ages

Maximum #: 24


Bellingham Bay BREWers Cruise

Cost per person: $48

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Stay cool with a beer tasting cruise aboard the Victoria Star 2. Boundary Bay Brewery will be joined by other local breweries to feature their delicious ales and lagers. This cruise around Bellingham Bay & Chuckanut Bay includes beer tastings and snacks. Depart from the Alaska Ferry Terminal in Fairhaven.

Transportation: Carpool/Uber (approx. 2 miles from WWU)

Age limit: Must be over 21

Maximum #: 40


Ocean Networks Canada will be hosting the IPMEN 2023 conference at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island BC, Canada, from Tuesday July 18 to Thursday July 20. More information can be found on the IPMEN website.