Online Grad Course – Teaching the Marine Environment

The Department of Environmental Studies and Watson School of Education at UNC Wilmington are offering a new course for spring semester 2010: Teaching about the Marine Environment, 3 graduate credits, completely asynchronous. Join former NMEA President Rosanne Fortner to explore the range of instructional resources for in-class, no-ocean-required teaching and learning based on the Ocean Literacy principles and concepts. Course begins January 6 and ends May 1. Regular tuition and out-of-state fees apply. For more information and link to the syllabus, visit online

National Environmental Education Week – Registration

Register today for National Environmental Education Week, April 11-17, 2010

National Environmental Education Week connects educators with environmental resources to promote K-12 students’ understanding of the environment. Held each year the week before Earth Day, EE Week is the nation’s largest environmental education event.

When you register for EE Week, you will join a national network of educators dedicated to increasing the environmental literacy of K-12 students. You will also receive certificates of participation, free online resources, information on professional development and funding opportunities, and access to discounts and special offers on educational materials just for EE Week participants. Register

Job Opportunity – Marine Science Educator, Washington

Salish Sea Expeditions has numerous openings for Spring 2010, including Marine Science Educators.  For more information contact Nikken Palesch, Education Director <nikken@salish.org>

Lecture and Book Signing at URI

Lecture: The Search for the Last Virgin Coral Reefs by Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic Fellow,  Friday, December 4, Noon, Coastal Institute Auditorium, URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Dr. Sala’s public lecture will focus on his National Geographic’s Pristine Seas expeditions. Sala believes what we think are natural coral reefs are not, because most scientific studies have been conducted on degraded reefs. A series of recent expeditions to a few remote, pristine reefs in the central Pacific have revealed a world that was unknown to most people, including reefs where predators are more abundant than their prey. His research has provided clues to what is truly natural in the ocean, offering important implications for their future.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Book Signing: World Ocean Census: A Global Survey of Marine Life
This illustrated 256-page book tells the amazing inside story of the Census of Marine Life. Published by Firefly Books and written by Census Education and Outreach Team members Darlene Crist, Gail Scowcroft, and James Harding, with a foreword written by Sylvia Earle, the book highlights the stories behind the Census through lively text and over 250 images, the majority graciously provided by Census scientists. The book sets the stage for the release of the first Census of Marine Life in 2010.  Friday, December 4, 11 am-Noon and 1-2 pm.  Books may be purchased at the Coastal Institute Bookstore prior to and following the Fish Lecture.

Job Opening – Sea Grant Program Officer, Maryland

NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program is advertising for a Social Scientist/Program Officer to work in the Silver Spring, MD, headquarters office. The position will serve as both a Program Officer and the National Sea Grant Social Science Specialist.
Learn more about the job, the qualifications, and to apply
Internal or Status applicant should apply to OAR-AA-2010-0003
External or Non-status should apply to OAR-AA-2010-0002

If you have questions about this position, contact Nikola Garber at 301-734-1079 or nikola.garber@noaa.gov.

COSEE-China Planning Workshop Application

A COSEE-China Planning Workshop has been funded by NSF International Planning Grants and Workshops.  It will take place in Beijing, China, March 6-13, 2010. Travel funds and participation support will be provided for five (5) students/postdocs, one (1) US Ocean Scientist, one (1) COSEE PI (or COSEE Council Member), one (1) US K-12 teacher, and one (1) US Education Specialist to participate in this first COSEE-China Planning Workshop. Applications are due December 4, 2009.  US participants (1 teacher, 1 ocean scientist, 5 students/postdocs, 1 COSEE PI, 1 education specialist) will be selected by the Selection Committee (Bob Chen and Xuchen Wang) based on experience in Ocean Education, diverse and unique potential contributions to this workshop, interest in China, and potential impact that this workshop may have on your career. Underrepresented minorities applicants will be viewed favorably to ensure a diverse group of participants.For details contact <Bob Chen> bob.chen@umb.edu.

Ocean Summit for High School Students – Boston

The  Ocean Summit is a one-day opportunity for local high school students to creatively address the challenges surrounding marine environmental issues.  Student groups gain perspective on various marine issues through presentations by stakeholders, with each one representing a differing point of view.  After a day’s activities, each group of students negotiates among their peers and decides on concrete actions to be taken in order to protect and preserve our ocean world.  The Ocean Summit is an inspiring, thought-provoking day for all.  Thursday, December 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Federal Reserve Bank Building in downtown Boston.
Advance registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Vickie Cataldo at vcataldo@neaq.org, or call 617-973-0235.

Making Waves – Middle School Resources and Activities

Making Waves is a multimedia outreach project designed to help bring science and math to life in your middle school classroom by unlocking the mysteries of the oceans.  Partners for the website include the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida, USGS, and InterActive Teacher Magazine.  Resource topics include Sea Level Rise, Red Tides, Oceans from Space, Real Time Data, and much more.  Check out the background information, activities, and links.

High School Marine Biology Course – Resources and Request for Input

COSEE-West has developed a comprehensive Marine Biology course for Grades 9-12.  The course focuses on marine life and includes lesson plans, labs, activities, games, and web interactives/web quests. The course matrix links every California Biology Standard to multiple marine Biology activities.  We hope this will show how easy it can be to pull out activities – or to propose a change in courses to administrators by showing how all the activities are directly aligned. Although the course is written to teach all required California Biology standards, it can be adapted by teachers outside California. All of the materials on the website are available for free. Access the course, resources and information

The course is in development and your input would be appreciated.

How you can help:
• Submit your favorite lesson plans, labs, resources, etc.
If you are a California teacher, tell us which CA Biology standards they support.
We promise to credit you for any of your resources that we post on the COSEE-West website (only with your prior permission!).

• Help align the existing and incoming materials with the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts (OLEPFC).
(For more information about Ocean Literacy, visit this website
You can download a PDF brochure about the OLEPFC here

• If you are a scientist who has data or biological information that we can use to create new lesson plans or incorporate into existing ones, please let us know.

We would much appreciate feedback if you use any of these materials!  We’d like to know, for example, if you use them to integrate marine science into an existing course or create a new marine course.  Any other information, such as who supports your efforts (e.g., other teachers, administrators), would be useful to us.  We also, of course, need to know about any errors that must be fixed.

Send your input to
Gwen Noda
Co-Director, COSEE-West, UCLA

email: gwennoda@ucla.edu
phone: 310-206-8247
fax: 310-206-3987

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco Opens Facebook Page

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, has established a Facebook page to connect a growing online community of constituents, partners and citizens around the world to NOAA news, people, information and initiatives as they happen. On Dr. Lubchenco’s Facebook page, you’ll find updates, videos and photos, and a host of new features to come in the weeks and months ahead. Visit