More than 1,000 visitors took part in a free World Ocean Day event at the University of Georgia Aquarium on Skidaway Island on June 6, 2026, according to a NASA Science Activation report published September 8, 2026. The event was supported by NASA's Science Activation program through the Sea Level Education, Awareness, and Literacy (SEAL) project, a partnership between NASA and four NOAA Sea Grant programs.

SEAL partners at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and the Coastal Equity and Resiliency Hub at Georgia Tech led hands-on activities. These included a "Tumbling Tower" game, in which removing blocks represented community impacts from rising seas, and friendship bracelets using colored beads to represent observed local sea level rise. The event also marked the debut of a new augmented reality sandbox developed through SEAL, letting guests shape coastal terrain and watch NASA-informed sea level rise projections change their creations in real time. Educators could take home four SEAL lesson plans.

Shannon Matzke, a marine educator and public program coordinator at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, said the free admission allowed the event to reach more people and different audiences than usual, and that many visitors live in coastal communities already experiencing sea level rise effects. The report says SEAL intends to make all its lesson plans available online, with digital copies currently available by email request.