Virginia Beach, VA — June 2025 The MEESA team from the Maritime Engineering & Environmental Science Academy—a partnership between Old Dominion University and Newport News Public Schools—recently took part in an immersive visit to the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project off the coast of Virginia Beach. Hosted by Dominion Energy and supported by faculty from the ODU Center for Education Partnerships, the visit offered a firsthand look at how Virginia’s Lab Schools are connecting K–12 education to one of the Commonwealth’s most promising industries.
The MEESA Team gets up close and personal with the Offshore wind turbines off the coast of VA.
This experience gave students and educators a deep dive into the science, technology, and infrastructure behind offshore wind development—an industry poised to drive clean energy growth and create thousands of high-quality jobs across the region. As one of the largest renewable energy projects on the East Coast, CVOW provided the MEESA team with a real-world lens on how classroom learning can lead directly to workforce opportunity.
“This isn’t just about learning new content—it’s about helping students see themselves in the careers that will define the next generation,” said Kaitlyn McCoy, Program Manager at MEESA. “By connecting middle and high school students to real projects and industry leaders, we’re helping them build a sense of purpose, direction, and possibility.”
MEESA is one of four ODU-led lab schools launching in Fall 2025 as part of Virginia’s statewide investment in career-connected, future-focused public education. With a focus on maritime engineering and environmental science, the school prepares students to engage with coastal innovation, sustainability, and hands-on STEM learning that is both academically rigorous and regionally relevant.
Monarchs leading the way for the future of offshore energy
The visit also reflects the broader mission of the ODU Center for Educational Innovation & Opportunity: to reimagine public education through real-world application, cross-sector collaboration, and long-term workforce alignment. ODU’s Lab School Network is helping redefine what innovation in public education looks like—at scale.
“Dominion Energy’s support of this experience shows what’s possible when public schools, higher education, and industry come together around a shared vision,” said McCoy. “This is what education can and should look like—authentic, applied, and deeply connected to the world students will inherit.”
Virginia’s Lab Schools are not only creating new opportunities for students—they are investing in the future of the Commonwealth by building the talent pipelines, partnerships, and purpose-driven learning models our state needs now.
