COSEE-NE News
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 Whyville Citizens to Visit Deepsea Hydrothermal Vents Paul Craddock, WHOI researcher now studying mineral deposits at seafloor hydrothermal vent sites, describes how he's using COSEE-NE opportunities to increase the broader impact of his research through Whyville, a popular educational website for kids. Read the interview. [Photo credits: Colony of Brisingid Seastars from TowCam hydrothermal vent field, Lau Basin, SW Pacific Ocean. Image captured by digital cameras operating on the Jason2 ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Copyright - Margaret K. Tivey, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]
Real-Time Data and OSEI-V During the most recent Ocean Science Education Institute (OSEI) at UMass Boston, teachers and science coordinators from the Milton (MA) Public Schools and the Boston Public Schools worked with ocean scientists to infuse ocean science research into existing school curricula. They concentrated on incorporating the use of real-time data via sensor networks into three foci: Observations of Marine Biota, Water Quality Monitoring, and Weather/Climate Stations. Read more about OSEI-V.
NEOSEC Meeting Members gathered at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portlan, Maine, before the start of the July NMEA conference, for a meeting of NEOSEC (New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative). Goals for the meeting were to develop an action plan for NEOSEC based on outcomes of the Ocean Literacy Summit, focusing in particular on a collaborative product; developing the NEOSEC brand; and outreach to targeted audiences for Ocean Literacy. Read the complete meeting notes here.
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Reports, Publications and Announcements
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National Science Board Approves National Action Plan for 21st Century STEM Education The National Science Board unanimously adopted a motion to release for public comment a draft action plan to address critical 21st century needs in the nation's STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education system. Two overarching actions stressed in the plan are increasing coordination of STEM education - both horizontally among states and vertically through grade levels - and increasing the supply of qualified K-12 STEM teachers. Read the summary
Survey of Invasive Species In July, the Massachusetts Bays Program and the MIT Sea Grant coordinated a rapid assessment survey in coastal waters stretching from Woods Hole through mid-coast Maine, searching for invasive species. The goals of this study are to develop a baseline inventory of species in the coastal waters, identify plants and animals that have been recently introduced into the ecosystem, and assist managers in preventing and controlling future invasions. See the EOEEA press release about this effort.
Seafloor Mapping Cruise The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management office, is working to map the seafloor of western Cape Cod Bay. From July 23 to August 8, the research vessel Meghan Miller traversed the waters of the South Shore and Cape Cod Bay to collect high-resolution data on seafloor topography and geology. A second cruise intended to groundtruth the data is planned for September 5-14. These cruises are part of the CZM-USGS seafloor mapping program. For more information, contact Seth Ackerman.
Harmful Algal Bloom Documents NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has released the report Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy, which summarizes research needs to support harmful algal bloom mitigation and serves as a companion piece to previously released, Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National Environmental Science Strategy 2005-2015.
Project Kaleidoscope Volume IV The most recent installment of What Works, What Matters, What Lasts, in the context of thinking about leadership development on campus, is now available online. |
Online Ocean Education Resources
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Seafloor Mapping for Kids Students in grades 3-5 can now learn about mapping the seafloor and why it is important. NOAA's Ocean Service Communications and Education Division, in cooperation with NOAA's Office of Coastal Surveys, recently launched an interactive seafloor mapping website
Immersion Presents BLACK SEA 2007 View live 15-minute updates of Dr. Robert Ballard's latest Black Sea expedition. From August 18 to 26 the live video will be posted at noon EDT on the Immersion Presents website Check out the special location on the website where the public is encouraged to email questions to the expedition team. Select email questions will be answered live during the broadcasts.
MarineNZ MarineNZ is a new conservation and education website that features hundreds of underwater photos, videos and documents. It also has lots of resources for teachers
and students, and interviews with people working in
marine conservation. The site developers' aim is to inform, to educate, and to inspire marine conservation projects around New Zealand. Visit MarineNZ |
| Policy Updates |
Congress Gives Final Approval to Major Competitiveness/Science Education Legislation Before adjourning for the August recess, both the House and Senate passed major competitiveness legislation that includes key programs for science and math education. H.R. 2272, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (COMPETES), is the culmination of Congressional efforts over the past year and a half to pass legislation in response to the recommendations made in the 2005 National Academies report, Rising above the Gathering Storm. Read more from NSTA about this key legislation and news on the efforts to fund FY2008 federal science and math education programs and the amendment to increase funding for math and science partnerships.
House Passes Ocean and Coastal Mapping Bill Recently the House approved HR 2400, The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act. Introduced by Delegate Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), the bill would authorize nearly $300 million to create an integrated federal program to map U.S. ocean and coastal waters. The bill would also direct NOAA to create a national registry of federally funded ocean and coastal mapping data and work to integrate onshore and offshore maps.
Representative Ehlers Introduces Bill to Strengthen the Department of Education Math and Science Partnerships
Representative Vernon Ehlers introduced the Improving Math and Science Teacher Quality Act, a bill to strengthen the Math and Science Partnerships program. Read more in the fact sheet distributed by his office. |
Grants, Awards, Fellowships and Funding Opportunities
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Affordability Scholarships to NAAEE Conference The North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) is offering a scholarship opportunity to help NAAEE members without adequate funding attend the annual conference. A limited number of Affordability Scholarships will be awarded and will provide discounted full conference registrations to members who have lower incomes and little or no financial support from their employer. (Students are not eligible for this scholarship because their registration rate is already discounted.) Application deadline is August 22, 2007. Apply for an Affordability Scholarship online
Harmful Algal Bloom Research Funds NOAA's Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms program is seeking applications for studies that assess the socioeconomic impacts of harmful algal blooms on coastal communities and identify opportunities to mitigate these impacts. Anthropologists, risk communication specialists, economists, and others with an interest in the human dimensions of coastal resource management are encouraged to apply. The deadline for application is October 4, 2007. More information online
NOAA Researcher Award The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program is seeking a researcher for the African-American Maritime Heritage Voyage of Discovery. This opportunity will provide the successful applicant(s) with award(s) up to a maximum of $12,500 for six months of research.To download the requests for proposals, visit Earth Resources Technology, Inc. For more information on this Voyage of Discovery, visit online.
Toyota Tapestry Grant Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc., and NSTA announce the 18th Annual Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers Program. The program is open to middle and high school science teachers who teach at least two science classes a day and to elementary classroom teachers who teach at least some science in the classroom. This year, Toyota will offer $550,000 in grants to 70 to 82 teams of teachers throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories and possessions. A total of 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded, along with 20 to 32 mini grants of up to $2,500 each. All proposals must be submitted online via the link at the Toyota TAPESTRY website. The deadline for submission of online mini and large grants proposals is 11:59 p.m., Monday, January 28, 2008.
Environmental Excellence Awards The 2008 SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards recognize the outstanding efforts of students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. In the past decade, $1.5 million has been awarded to more than 135 schools in 35 U.S. states/territories. In 2004, the awards program was expanded to include non-profit community groups. This year eight projects will be selected, and wil be awarded $10,000 dollars each. Learn more online. All entries must be received by November 30, 2007. |
Jobs in New England (and beyond)
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NOAA Seeks Regional IOOS Advisor NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program is looking for an individual who has expertise in the implementation of coastal ocean resources management at regional, state and local levels to help inform the continued design and evolution of NOAA's contributions to the U.S. IOOS. This individual will be responsible for analyzing and advising management on the effectiveness of NOAA's strategy and investment in developing the regional coastal ocean component of the United States IOOS, and for conducting coordinated and effective outreach to Federal, regional and state partners involved in the development of the coastal component of IOOS. The position is for one year with possible renewal. The duty station is Silver Spring, MD. If you are interested please contact Timi Vann
National Marine Sanctuary Program Education Program Specialist to assist the National Education Coordinator in day-to-day sanctuary education and outreach to support national educational activities within the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program. This is a full-time temporary (~5 months) position. For more information, visit online or contact the career office.
NOAA Volunteers This new website encourages environmental stewardship through NOAA volunteerism. It includes nation-wide volunteer opportunities at NOAA Fisheries Service, National Ocean Service, and National Weather Service. Volunteers, for example, can be coastal life samplers, Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle guardians, divers, educators or critical eyes-on-the-ground storm spotters.
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Requests
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Measuring Ocean Literacy Cynthia Cudaback, Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University, is attempting to measure the effect of college level introductory oceanography courses on ocean literacy. She is looking for people willing to use her surveys in their own college classrooms. The surveys should be suitable for use in high school and informal education, as well. Contact Cynthia if you are conducting similar research or are interested in collaborating. Extensive discussion of her work can also be found online.
Input Needed on OSL Products NMEA
members and interested educators have the opportunity to collaborate
with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to create Ocean Literacy
Principle #3 (weather and climate) products for educators. Those
interested are invited to provide topics, ideas and suggestions for
products that JPL would produce. JPL would determine what product(s)
they can fund based on suggestions. As the product goes through the
development process teachers would also be able to provide feedback and
review before it is finalized. JPL would provide the funding for the
product, and the product would be free to educators. Contact Annie Richardson for more information.
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Seminars, Workshops, Online Courses
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Oceanography for Educators at URI
Learn about marine life, the properties of seawater, structure of the
oceans, atmospheric and oceanic interactions, and coastal processes. Courses includes application of ocean science
content to support the new RI Science Grade Span Expectations and
development of inquiry-based activities for the classroom. Classes held at the Coastal Institute, URI Narragansett Bay Campus. Visit online for more information.
Massachusetts Coastal Training Program The Massachusetts Coastal Training Program is designed to help meet coastal
challenges with local solutions by providing support to coastal decision-makers
in the form of science-based training and information that can be readily
applied to management issues. The program maintains a calendar of workshops and
other training events for coastal decision makers and others interested in
managing the coastal zone. Visit the website.
CZM Water Quality Data Storage and Analysis Workshops
Coastal Zone Management, in conjunction with Geosyntec Consultants,
will be holding two morning workshops (9 am to noon) on the use of the
new Water Quality Tool Pack. CZM has developed this set of digital
resources to aid water quality monitoring organizations in storing,
querying, and analyzing water quality data collected in Massachusetts
watersheds. The August 20 workshop
is at Ipswich Town Hall, and the September 6 workshop is at the Manomet
Center in Plymouth. For more information, see the workshop flyer. To register for either workshop, email Bryan Heald.
Seminars on Science with AMNH The American Museum of Natural History offers
Seminars on Science online courses this fall. Courses include The Ocean System, running October 22-December 2, 2007; the registration deadline
is October 8, 2007. Designed for K-12 educators, each online six-week course
is led by an experienced classroom teacher and a scientist affiliated
with the American Museum of Natural History. More information
available online
The National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN)
is offering online science courses this fall and registration is now
open. Teachers can choose among 10 online courses in eight disciplines,
including astronomy, evolution, Earth science, environmental science, oceanography, soil science, weather, and physics. See more.
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Conferences
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AGU Session on Research in the Classroom Papers are invited for
Session ED13: Teacher Professional Development Programs Promoting
Authentic Scientific Research in the Classroom being convened at the
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting on December 10-14, 2007 in
San Francisco. This session will focus
on scientists, educators, education researchers, evaluators, and
funding agency program officers providing K-12 teachers with authentic
research experiences in science and engineering. Presentations
should highlight best practices for the Teacher Research Experience
(TRE) model. Presentations by those who design, facilitate, evaluate,
and fund TRE programs, as well as presentations by scientist-teacher research teams who have participated in such programs, are especially
encouraged. Abstract Submission Deadline is September 6. For further information on this session, visit online
AGU Session on Partnerships In addition to the above session, papers are invited for a session on science education partnerships. Have you participated in a successful ocean science education partnership? If so, then share it with your colleagues. Abstracts are due by September 30. Contact Leslie Peart or Frank Rack for more information, or visit the meeting website
New England Environmental Education Alliance Conference On September 14-16, the 2007 New England Environmental Education Alliance Conference Building Bridges-Creating Change for a Common Good, will be held in Smithfield, Maine.
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Events
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Lecture series at the National Marine Life Center Wednesday nights at 6 pm in the NMLC's Marine Animal Discovery Center at 120 Main Street in Buzzards Bay, MA. On Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 6:00 pm, Dr. Dave Wiley, Research Coordinator, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, will speak on Underwater Behavior of Humpback Whales using Multi-sensor Tag Technology. More information on the NMLC website.
All Day Marine Adventure Join the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) for the fall edition of Seabird & Whale Tales, Sunday, September 9, 2007. Listen to onboard wildlife experts Wayne Petersen (Mass Audubon), David Clapp (Natural History Services) and Dr. John Jahoda (Bridgewater State College) as they provide commentary on the seabirds, whales, seals, ocean sunfish and basking sharks that can be sighted off Cape Cod. Leave from Plymouth Harbor aboard a 110-foot luxury commercial whale watching vessel. Offshore activities include chumming for seabirds, towing for plankton, plankton observation using onboard microscopes and a free nature-themed raffle. Proceeds benefit two of NECWA projects. For more information visit online Save the Date for Oceans a la Carte On October 27, 2007, the University of Rhode Island Office of Marine Programs in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries will be offering Oceans à la Carte to celebrate NOAA's 200th Anniversary. This special day-long workshop for educators, students and the public will feature presentations by leading scientists, hand-on activities and content information sessions. More information will be available soon.
COASTSWEEP 2007 COASTSWEEP, the state-wide beach cleanup sponsored by CZM and the Urban Harbors Institute of UMass Boston, will kickoff its 20th year on September 15, 2007 at Carson Beach in South Boston. Volunteers throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each year for this event, which is part of an international campaign organized by The Ocean Conservancy Cleanups are scheduled all along the Commonwealth coast in September and October. For details or to get involved with a cleanup near you, see the COASTSWEEP website.
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NEwswave Schedule
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The next issue of NEwswave will be sent August 30, 2007. Please send announcements and news to the editor, Catherine Cramer.
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Real-Time Data Links
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| The COSEE-NE program OSEI is focusing this year on the use of real-time data in the classroom. Connect to real-time data links here! |
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Marine Science at URI
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URI's Narragansett Bay Classroom is a vehicle through which URI's Office of Marine Programs offers a variety of marine and environmental short courses, lectures, tours, field trips, interpretive programs, camps, and training opportunities for people of all ages. Visit online.
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Website of Note
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Phoenix Island Protected Area
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The New England Aquarium recently announced the launch of the website for the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), located in the Central Pacific Ocean. PIPA is the third largest marine protected area in the world and was recently nominated as a world heritage site. The New England Aquarium, under the direction of VP Gregory Stone, has played a critical role in the development of the PIPA, starting with two expeditions to conduct biological surveys of the islands in 2000 and 2002 and a National Geographic article in 2004. Visit the website
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New Sea Grant Documents
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The Sea Grant acquisitions list for July 2007 is now available
Copies of these documents are usually available from the originating Sea Grant program or may be borrowed from the National Sea Grant Library Some of these titles are also currently available online and several others will be available electronically in the near future.
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Marine Photobank
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The Marine Photobank is a leading visual resource that encourages people from all over the planet to collect, share and download marine photos, images and graphics that shed light on how humans have affected life in the ocean. The Marine Photobank was founded in response to a lack of readily available, high quality underwater and above water ocean conservation images. These images are available at no cost for non-commercial purposes as well as for media use. Visit the photobank. |
Good Science Questions Needed
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The Science Teacher, NSTA's peer-reviewed journal for secondary science teachers, invites teachers to submit questions for the journal's "Ask the Experts" department. In addition, the journal is always looking for experts from industry, research, and government to volunteer their time to answer questions.
Contact Marc Rosner |
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World Ocean Observatory News
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The World Ocean Observatory is pleased to announce the launch of Sea Turtles - a comprehensive examination of the plight of sea turtles in the world's oceans today.
Sea Turtles is the latest in the World Ocean Observatory's World Ocean Events, a catalogue of comprehensive websites on such key ocean issues as Ocean Acidification, High Seas Fisheries, Cities and Oceans, International Polar Year, and Exporting Pollution.
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Sea Stories
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The new issue of Sea Stories is now online.
Sea Stories, an online journal of creative writing and art about the world's
oceans sponsored by Blue Ocean Institute, features contributions by
ocean-lovers from all backgrounds and walks of life - writers, artists,
educators, students, scientists, fishers, conservationists, explorers, and
just regular people. Educators are invited to use Sea Stories as a resource, and as a publishing opportunity for yourself or your students.
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NOAA Online Seminars
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''One NOAA" science discussion seminars are a joint effort to help share science across NOAA and its partners. To join the seminar email list contact Hernan Garcia.
For on-line public access (no login/password required) go to GoogleCalendar
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Downeast 2007 Materials Online
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NMEA's conference Downeast 2007 is over, but the Participants List and Presenter materials are available on the NMEA website.
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Boston Harbor Educators' Conference
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The 2007 Boston Harbor Educators' Conference will be held on Saturday October 13 at UMass Boston. This will be a full day of hands-on workshops, exhibits and field trips. For registration information visit the Massachusetts Marine Educators website or contact Peg Collins.
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Include Your News in NEwswave!
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Send news and announcements of interest to the New England Ocean Science Education community to the editor, Catherine Cramer.
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