Dr. Aly Busse is the Vice President for Education at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. Her research focuses on pathways into marine STEM, with emphasis on mentoring frameworks, psychosocial factors that influence persistence in STEM (such as self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and science identity), and place-based education that connects learners with local marine and coastal environments. Prior to her current role, she worked in aquariums, museums, and community outreach, experiences that shaped her commitment to creating intellectually, socially, and emotionally rich science learning opportunities. She leads several National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded initiatives, including the Louis Stokes Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence (MarSci-LACE), which broadened participation in marine STEM through enhanced mentored undergraduate research experiences; the Marine Science Undergraduate Research Experience Professional and Research Preparation program (MarSci-URE-PReP), which develops scalable models for undergraduate research readiness; and the GP-IN:VERT program, which introduces high school students to marine science careers through vocational experiences and research training. Her work, supported by NSF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other funders, integrates mixed-methods approaches, AI-assisted analysis, and cross-sector collaborations to better understand and expand access to STEM pathways. In addition to research, Dr. Busse oversees Mote’s education programming, internship programs, and volunteer corps. She holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, an M.S. in Education from Old Dominion University, and a Graduate Certificate in Evaluation from the University of South Florida (USF). She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Measurement and Research with a concentration in Evaluation from the USF in 2024.