NEOSEC News
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Ocean Literacy Summit The New England Ocean Science Education
Collaborative (NEOSEC) will host ocean scientists,
science writers, educators, education administrators and policymakers at Boston University for the second Ocean Literacy Summit, November 7, 2008. A collaboration among a range of institutions from across
the region, NEOSEC has identified global
climate change as the topic for this year's Summit. Registration is now open. For details, visit online. Please email Catherine Cramer
if you would like more information
as it becomes available. Curious about the First Ocean Literacy Summit? Visit online. |
Partner News
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BioBlitz at Sea Coast Science Center The Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire will be hosting a BioBlitz - an extreme nature scavenger hunt - on Saturday September 20, 2008. The event begins at dawn and continues to dusk, but participants can join for part of the day. Volunteers are still needed to help identify as many species as possible within Odiorne Point State Park. To date over 1200 species have been identified within the seven habitats of the Park. There will also be programs going on all day. Families, scout groups and students looking for extra credit are all encouraged to attend. Contact Perrin Cothran Chick for more information or to register. Sponsored by Normandeau Associates, Center admission is free of charge for registered BioBlitz participants.
Census of Marine Life Update The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The affiliated World Register of Marine Species announced that it now contains over 120,000 validated marine species names, more than half of the estimated 230,000 marine species known to science. The project's education and outreach programs are coordinated by the Office of Marine Programs at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Each Census project has an education and outreach initiative. These include Arctic Ocean Biodiversity, Abyssal Marine Life, Natural Geography In Shore Areas, and more. For more information visit online.
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Reports, Publications, Announcements
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Stellwagen Plan Comments Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is revising its management plan and is now in a draft comment period. Eight public hearings were completed in June, and written comments on the plan are now being accepted, via postal mail, email or fax. Comments must be received by August 4, 2008.
Ocean Surface Topography Mission JASON-2 A new oceanography satellite sponsored by NASA, NOAA and the French space agency was launched in June from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The satellite, JASON-2, is on
a three-year mission to record sea level, a vital indicator of global climate change. The mission is expected to return a vast amount of new data that will allow greater precision in weather, climate and ocean forecasts. Read more about the JASON-2 mission online.
Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Guide The Quebec-Labrador Foundation has published Seascapes: Getting to Know the Sea Around Us, A Guide to Characterizing Marine and Coastal Areas, by Peter H. Taylor and Jennifer Atkinson. The guide describes a process for developing a well-rounded, comprehensive, and reliable compendium of basic information about any coastal marine area in the Gulf of Maine. More information and a free download of the 80-page guide is available from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment.
Stellwagen Advisory Council Seat The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for one vacant at-large seat on its Sanctuary Advisory Council. To receive an application kit, contact Elizabeth Stokes. Applications are due by September 15, 2008.
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Policy Matters
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Ocean Acidification Bill and Sea Grant Reauthorization On June 25, the House Committee on Science and Technology passed two bills, H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2007 (FOARAM), and H.R. 5618, the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008. FOARAM directs an Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Technology to oversee the planning, establishment, and coordination of an interagency research and monitoring program to improve the understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and establish techniques to conserve marine ecosystems. (See also the new NOAA PMEL website on ocean acidification.) H.R. 5618 would increase the funding levels for Sea Grant as well as increase interaction between the National Sea Grant Office and individual state programs. |
Online Ocean Education Resources
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NASA Global Climate Change Website NASA has announced a new website containing the latest climate information from NASA's Earth-monitoring missions and research. Managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the site aims to contain accurate, unbiased, scientist-approved news, articles, interactive features, and background information. Visit the site. The site also offers a PC/Mac widget to keep you up to date on the Earth's vital signs.
Animals in Curriculum-based Ecosystem Studies (ACES) is an expansion of Signals of Spring, a classroom-based curriculum program in which students use Earth imagery to explain the movement of animals that are tracked by NOAA's operational satellites. Students in middle and high school study aspects of the animals' life history, conservation status, food web, and connections to ocean processes and remote sensing data. The curriculum also introduces environmental issues that the animals face, and the environments of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries. Visit online.
IOOS Messaging Materials The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is a system of systems that routinely and continuously provides quality controlled data and information on current and future states of the oceans and Great Lakes, from the global scale of ocean basins to local scales of coastal ecosystems. It is a multidisciplinary system designed to provide data in forms and at rates required by decision-makers. Partners have begun development of an IOOS communications toolkit with key messages and design template, available for downloading.
Ocean Technology Foundation Lessons Plans The Ocean Technology Foundation supported an expedition in June to search for the Bonhomme Richard, lost in the North Sea during the American Revolution. In conjunction with the search, there are lesson plans available online: Surveying the Ocean, Exploring a Shipwreck Site, and Working the Oceans.
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Seminars, Workshops, Online Courses
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Progress and Plans for NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program As part of the One NOAA Seminar Series, Zdenka Willis, Director of the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program, will present a talk on the IOOS program progress. NOAA leads a national partnership of 17 federal agencies and 11 regions working together to link marine data in an easy-to-use standard format that will provide users with a composite picture of the ocean in an accurate and timely manner. This seminar will discuss some of the complexities of the national IOOS efforts, what NOAA and its partners are doing to integrate ocean and coastal data, and IOOS benefits to data users and the general public. July 17, from noon-1pm. For Teleconference and further information contact Mary Lou Cumberpatch.
Free Professional Development Institute The New England Aquarium is offering a free summer Professional Development Institute for Massachusetts science teachers, July 28-August 6, 2008 and two Saturdays in Fall, 2008, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the institute will serve upper elementary and middle school science teachers from districts of need, but all Massachusetts teachers are welcome to apply. For more information contact the Aquarium's Teacher Resource Center.
Summer Workshop for Educators on Cape Cod WHOI's Topics in Oceanography presents Happy as a Clam? How Do We Know? The secret lives of shellfish in our coastal waters, a hands-on workshop presented by William Walton, fisheries and aquaculture specialist with Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. The workshop will be held Friday, August 22, 2008, 9am-2:30pm. Meet at Scudder's Landing, Barnstable, Cape Cod. For directions and information, and to register, visit online.
Learning Ocean Science Through Ocean Exploration The New England Aquarium is hosting NOAA's Learning Ocean Science Through Ocean Exploration professional development workshops for grades 5-12
science teachers. Participants will receive the Ocean Exploration curriculum on
CD-ROMs, and will join NOAA biologists and science education consultants in inquiry- and standards-based activities tied directly to ocean expeditions. The workshop will be held on October 11, 2008, 8am-3:30pm, with a follow-up workshop May 16, 2009. Registration is required and space is limited. For more information contact Jayshree Oberoi. |
Conferences
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Oceans '08 MTS/IEEE On September 15-18, 2008, the Oceans '08 MTS/IEEE conference and exhibition comes to Quebec City, Canada. The theme Oceans, Poles and Climate: Technological Challenges will enable scientists and engineers from all over the world to discuss and debate the technological challenges raised by the study of the ongoing transformation of polar and non-polar oceans. Details online.
Case Study Teaching in Science Presented by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, the annual conference wil be held at the State University of New York at Buffalo, September 26-27, 2008. The aim of this annual fall conference is to bring together people who are interested in teaching science using case studies. More information available on the conference website or contact Carolyn Wright.
Teacher Day at NAAEE Teacher Day is October 18, 2008 at the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) Annual Conference, with teacher-focused breakouts designed specifically for their needs. Beginning with the Exhibit Fair, teachers are offered resources and the chance to meet with providers, make new contacts, and find information and materials to help students learn about the environment There will be dozens of other sessions on how to make teaching more effective using the environment as an integrating context for learning. More information online.
Blue Vision Summit The Blue Frontier Campaign is sponsoring the Blue Vision Summit, March 7-10, 2009, in Washington D.C. The 2009 Summit will aim to strengthen the Blue Movement, highlight best practices for marine conservation, and promote effective laws and policies including passage of an American Ocean Act. For more information, contact info@bluefront.org |
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Jobs in New England (and beyond)
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Advocacy Specialist, Massachusetts The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of Buzzards Bay and its watershed, is seeking applications for an Advocacy Specialist to provide policy and legal support to the Coalition's advocacy program. For full job description, including application instructions, see the Coalition's website or contact Korrin Petersen.
Strategic Communications RFP, Massachusetts The Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) is seeking a qualified consultant (or team of consultants) to support the creation of the overall strategic communications (StratCOM) plan. Proposals are due via email by the EOB on 7/30/08. A draft StratCOM plan is due by 9/30/08 and the final by 10/15/08. The RFP is posted on the MOP's contracting & employment page.
Volunteer Services Coordinator, North Carolina The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo, North Carolina has an opening for a Volunteer Services Coordinator. For more information contact Patricia Raves.
Foundation Senior Program Officer, California The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is seeking a Senior Program Officer for its Marine Conservation Initiative. The Senior Program Officer will oversee a portfolio of grants within the Marine Conservation Initiative, which seeks to ensure resilient and productive marine ecosystems in British Columbia, the California Current ecosystem, and New England. For more information on the position visit online.
Director of Programs and Operations, Alaska The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) is seeking a new Director of Programs and Operations. Job responsibilities include coordination and expansion of coastal science and environmental education programs for K-12 and general audiences; community outreach, recruitment and supervision of seasonal instructional staff; and oversight of facility maintenance and land management. Based in Homer, Alaska, CACS manages a land base of 145 acres on both shores of Kachemak Bay and provides statewide outreach. Full job description is available online.
Education Department Instructor, California Birch Aquarium at Scripps has an opening for an Education Department Instructor. This position is responsible for performing year-round program instruction, development and assessment. Program audiences include pre-K to 12 and college students, teachers, multi-generational groups, families, infants and toddlers, and adults. To apply visit www.joblink.ucsd.edu and click on New Job Listings.
Director of Education, California The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California is looking for a new Director of Education. For more information visit online.
Environmental Educator, Maryland The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks seasonal educators for island residential centers in the Bay. The staff leads 3-day field experiences for students in grades 5 through 12. For more information contact Laura Burrell Baxter
Ocean Literacy/Arts Educator, Texas Artist Boat has openings for two educators to deliver Eco-Art Residencies to middle schools in Houston, Texas. Educators will deliver and develop Artist Boat hands-on arts curriculum to 6th-8th grade students, based on environmental and ocean literacy curricula. For more information contact Karla Klay. |
Student Opportunities
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Summer Ocean Science Academy, Boston The Marine Science Center
of Northeastern University is offering a Coastal Ocean Science Academy for students entering 9th and 10th grades. The Academy runs from August
11-23, 8am-3pm. Registration is now open. For more information contact Tracy Hajduk.
Center for Ocean Solutions Early Career Fellowship The Center for Ocean Solutions offers an Early Career Fellowship program for one or more recent graduates (JD, MBA or PhD) in the natural, physical, or social sciences in the last five years, and who have completed substantial course work and/or gained experience in ocean or coastal science, law, or policy. Ocean Solutions is working to develop current and future leaders who understand the value of interdisciplinary problem solving. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting July 15, 2008. Find out more. |
Grants
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E-Book Access for Educators Sylvan Dell Publshing is offering a resource grant for a free, one-year (school year 2008/2009) site license providing unlimited access to all 35 (soon to be 45) Sylvan Dell eBooks, featuring flipviewer technology with selectable English and Spanish text and audio. The license can be used on all school computers and may be placed on secure school websites, enabling students and their families to login and have access from their homes. Grants will be awarded to one elementary school per district and are open to every district in the United States. To facilitate submission, individual schools may submit the grant application directly. For more information or to apply, visit online. |
Calendar
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We are happy to include events from around New England. If you would like your organization's event published here, please send the information to the editor, Catherine Cramer. Thanks!
Family Science Camp at the Seacoast Science Center The Seacoast Science Center is offering Family Science Camp, featuring hands-on activities for all ages. On Saturday, July 12, Rocky Shore Exploration will be featured, and on Saturday, August 9, families can explore Salt Marsh Science. Family Science Camp meets from 10am-2pm. For more information and to register, contact Education Director Perrin Chick.
Summer Nights at the Harvard Museum of Natural History On July 17, the Museum will screen Island of the Great White Shark (RTSea Productions, 43 minutes), a new movie about the white sharks found off the island of Guadalupe, Mexico, and the ongoing scientific research and conservation efforts taking place there. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Dr. John Mandelman, resident shark biologist/research scientist from the New England Aquarium's Research Department. Museum admission is half-price from 5pm-8pm. For more information, visit online.
Science Made Public Lecture Series All talks held at the WHOI Exhibit Center Auditorium, 15 School Street, Woods Hole, at 2:30 pm.
July 15 Live from the Poles: The Greenland Ice Sheet, Dan Lizarralde, Geology and Geophysics Department
July 22 The Ocean Crust, or Just What's Under all that Water?, Henry Dick, Geology & Geophysics Department
July 29 Sound in the Ocean, Ken Foote, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department
For more information, contact Kathy Patterson,
Seabird and Whale Tale Cruise The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance and Bridgewater State College are hosting the fall edition of Seabird & Whale Tales September 7, 8am-6pm. Join wildlife experts Wayne Petersen of Massachusetts Audubon Society, David Clapp of Natural History Services and Dr. John C. Jahoda of Bridgewater State College as they lead this excursion to view coastal marine wildlife. Leave from Plymouth Town Pier. To learn more about this trip or to download the registration form visit online. |
NEwswave Schedule
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The next issue of NEwswave will be sent July 24, 2008. Please send announcements and news to the editor, Catherine Cramer.
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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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Harmful Algal Bloom Update
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For the latest news on this summer's "red tide" visit the NOAA New England Red Tide Information Center website.
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Gulf of Maine Times
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The summer 2008 issue of the Gulf of Maine Times
is available online.
Among the web-only stories:
the controversy over creating a male-only dogfish shark aquaculture industry; the Marine Biological Laboratory's work in Haiti using local plants as feed to increase the size of tilapia grown in aquaculture pens; and additional information about new technologies used for predicting hurricanes.
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Ocean Geographic
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The Ocean
Geographic Society
produces the magazine Ocean Geographic, a quarterly devoted to the ocean.
The most recent issue is currently available as a free downloadable PDF
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Photo Contest
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Photographers are invited
to enter the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve's 2009 Tide Calendar Cover Shot Contest.
The winning photograph will be on the cover of the 2009 Tide Calendar.
Questions and submissions should be sent to Kristin@nbnerr.org
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SeaWeb Publications
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Recent SeaWeb Marine Science Reviews on Climate and Climate Change, and Habitats and Ecosystems are available online.
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CoastSweep 2008
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The 21st Annual Massachusetts Coastal Cleanup: COASTSWEEP 2008
is now being planned
Coastsweep is the annual coastal cleanup sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the Urban Harbors Institute.
To plan your own cleanup event, or to join a cleanup in your area, visit online.
The Coastsweep Poster Contest
is open to students in grades 4-12.
For more information, contact the
Urban Harbors Institute.
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Yale Environmental Nagazine
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Yale University has introduced a new online magazine, Yale Environment 360.
The inaugural edition features articles by environmental advocate and author Bill McKibben, New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, climate scientist Richard C.J. Somerville, marine biologist and author Carl Safina, and British journalist Fred Pearce.
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Coastal Services Magazine
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The May/June 2008 issue of Coastal Services, a NOAA Coastal Services Center magazine, is now available online.
This issue features stories about sea level rise in Rhode Island, beach replenishment in North Carolina, and California's Sharkmobile..
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Include Your News in NEwswave
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| Send your news and announcements of interest to the New England ocean science education community to the editor, Catherine Cramer. |
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