Massachusetts Marine Educators

Whale Line

Teacher Workshops/Opportunities




Teacher at Sea – Antarctica
Bringing Real – World Field Research to the Classroom

Palmer Station website
Contact Beth Simmons, Education and Outreach Coordinator
More information and to apply for this opportunity! (36MB pdf download)

Our mission at the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research program is to monitor the progression of changes along the western Antarctic peninsula (WAP) region - a polar marine ecosystem in the Southern Ocean experiencing the fastest winter warming on earth! The peninsula extends approximately 1,200 miles long and 610 miles south of Cape Horn. It is essentially a mountain range with peaks rising 9,186 ft. above sea level the further south you go.

A large-scale sampling grid covering roughly 900km and 200km offshore requires the Palmer LTER team to utilize a suite of interdisciplinary observational studies via ship-board sampling. Unattended moorings, satellite sensing imaging and automatic weather stations contribute to our time series data collections. Experimental procedures and new innovative technologies help to monitor the region consisting of open ocean, frontal regions, continental shelf-slope waters, sea ice and biogeochemical process studies.

The project is driven by site-specific hypotheses to document and quantify the climate processes occurring along the WAP. Collectively, these hypotheses guide the research and contribute to a better understanding of the ocean-atmospheric interactions in the region and how they influence the biological productivity within the ecosystem - spanning from tiny microscopic plankton up to the apex predators like penguins and whales.

Teaching Theme:
The mission of the Palmer LTER programs Teacher at Sea opportunity is to provide one teacher a real-world research experience in Antarctica investigating interrelated phenomena across chemical, physical and biological platforms. The goal is to explore why the polar regions are so important for understanding global climate change and for building stronger education, outreach and communication efforts that inform human response to climate change.

Teaching Assignment:
You will be paired with the Palmer LTER "glider team" aboard the Laurence M. Gould icebreaker. This team uses the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) called a Slocum glider and the CTD to complement much of our underwater sampling in the Antarctic peninsula along the research grid. The equipment is fitted with a variety of sensors measuring ocean physics, chemistry, optics and acoustics. These tools aid scientists in generating a more comprehensive understanding of the polar marine region along the WAP.

Teaching Commitment:
A two-year commitment is required with the first year dedicated to travel (+/- Dec 27th - Feb 3rd 2012 - 2013), design of instructional experiences and telecommunications (blog, photographs, videos and phone calls) with your classroom and the public. The second year is for lesson implementation, assessment and evaluation of experiences. You will have complete educational support from the Palmer LTER Education and Outreach coordinator throughout your experience.

More information and to apply for this opportunity! (36MB pdf download)





Green Eggs & Sand
A Middle and High School Teacher Workshop on Horseshoe Crab Ecology

Workshop Details
Where: Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod, MA
When: Friday, June 1 (starting at 6 p.m.) through Sunday, June 3 (ending at noon), 2012
Questions:
Registration:
Workshop Fee: $100, includes all lectures, activities, curriculum materials, and meals (Friday dinner, 3 meals on Saturday, and Sunday breakfast)
Lodging (optional): A block of rooms has been reserved at the Wellfleet Motel (directly across the street from the sanctuary) for an additional fee

Registration Deadline: May 1, 2012

Looking to infuse a globally-significant ecological phenomenon and current real-world resource management controversy into your classroom? Interested in meeting and learning firsthand from a select and diverse group of experts and stakeholders offering a wealth of knowledge and experience with the issues?

Take part in an intensive, full-weekend, not-to-be-missed, field-enriched workshop during the peak horseshoe crab spawning and shorebird-viewing time on Wellfleet Bay in June. Take home the award-winning, national-standards-keyed, M.S./H.S. targeted, video-and-activity-rich, Green Eggs & Sand curriculum.

The Green Eggs & Sand workshop explores the Green Eggs & Sand curriculum modules and provides demonstrations of the rich assortment of hands-on activities it offers. Throughout the workshop, you’ll hear from expert presenters on horseshoe crabs (HSCs), shorebirds, biomedical use of HSCs, and HSC management. We’ll visit the sanctuary beach at high tide to observe horseshoe crab spawning and shorebird feeding, and have the opportunity to help biologists tag horseshoe crabs. Before and after the formal workshop sessions, you’ll have an opportunity to explore Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, a 1,100 acre preserve with 5 miles of trails that traverse pine woods, salt marsh, coastal heathland, freshwater ponds, tidal creeks, and sandy beaches.

Please call 508.349.2615 to reserve your space

Visit www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay for more information.





Educational Coordinator II / School Programs Coordinator

Location: South Wellfleet, MA
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary seeks a self-motivated, passionate educator with experience developing, coordinating, and teaching natural history programs in school settings, in the field, and on the water. Under the direction of the Education Director, the school programs coordinator will

  • Manage extensive relationships with local schools.
  • Train and supervise contract teaching staff.
  • Develop new programs that meet the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, promote scientific literacy, and an appreciation for the natural world.
  • Teach a variety of natural history programs for school audiences (and for family and group audiences as needed) in formal settings, in the field, and in/on the water.
  • Market programs to off-Cape schools.
  • Manage school program budgets and scholarship funds, and keep accurate records of program registrations and participants.

Other time may be used to teach educational programs in accordance with Mass Audubon’s philosophy, goals, standards, and practices.

Qualifications: Bachelor&rsqo;s degree in biological or earth science, environmental studies, nature interpretation, or education or equivalent, and a minimum of 3 years’ experience in environmental education or Master&rsqo;s degree in biological or earth science, environmental studies, nature interpretation, or education or equivalent and a minimum of 1 year experience; or any equivalent combination of education and experience. Requires 2 years of prior supervisory experience of staff/volunteers. Requires 2 years of prior experience in budget development and management, as well as revenue forecasting and financial recordkeeping. Ability to relate to a diverse range of people and exercise cultural competence and inclusion. Successful candidates will be comfortable teaching on boats and wading in marine environments, have strong birding skills and/or an ornithology background, and experience teaching at the middle/ high school level. Knowledge of local natural history, environmental policies, and conservation science issues desirable. Requires First Aid and CPR certification upon hire. Requires successful completion of a CORI and SORI.

Please send a cover letter and resume to Amy Fleischer, Education Director/ Public Programs Coordinator .





Marine Science Literacy field trip program

Students participate in the deployment and retrieval of a naturalist benthic dredge and plankton net to discover the rich variety of marine animals living in the waters off Woods Hole. A Naturalist assists in the identification of the organisms collected and provides an overview of the local natural history. Students also participate in making oceanographic measurements and observe tidal currents around Woods Hole. An additional side-trip to the Sippewissett Salt Marsh can be arranged to discover the diversity and importance of the estuarine environment.

Through collaboration with research institutions in Woods Hole, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, we engage the class in the techniques, results and relevance of current research projects.

The Zephyr Education Foundation is a non-profit organization created to support marine science awareness and education through hands-on field activities. Areas of interest include marine biological, environmental and oceanographic field data collection studies.

Please visit http://www.zephyrmarine.net/ for details and more information.





Announcement: Marine science kits available for use by regional teachers
The Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program (www.us-ocb.org), whose Project Office is based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), recently acquired science kits from the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research & Education (C-MORE) (based at the University of Hawaii) for use by regional teachers. Teachers can use these kits free of charge. See below for instructions on requesting a kit.

About the science kits
C-MORE has developed a number of science kits covering various topics in oceanography (http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/education/teachers/science_kits.htm). C-MORE science kits offer lesson plans and materials for hands-on science activities in a self-contained format. They are designed for use with a range of grade levels. Each kit provides the information and supplies necessary for educators to teach their students about a particular topic in oceanography. These easy to use kits are a great resource for any classroom.

Read more about the kits available in Woods Hole
Ocean Acidification kit (6-12th grade): http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/education/teachers/science_kits/ocean_acid_kit.htm
Marine Mystery kit (3rd-8th grade): http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/education/teachers/science_kits/marine_mystery_kit.htm

To request a kit
Visit http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/education/teachers/science_kits/requestform.htm and select Massachusetts as state. Choose the kit you are most interested in and an email message will automatically be sent to us. We will contact you directly. You can either pick up the kit in Woods Hole, MA or we can ship it to you - we will pay shipping charges to get the kit to you and you are responsible for covering return shipping charges.





 
This page updated on March 22, 2012 07:57 pm
 

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