|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| National COSEE Office |
|
COSEE Planning for the Future
From Billy Spitzer
The National Science Foundation has requested that the COSEE Network wait until Spring 2013 for another national COSEE meeting, after the election when federal budgets will hopefully be settled. So there will be no November COSEE Council meeting. However, the COSEE Council has decided that we need to meet sooner than May to develop a new strategic plan for the Network. This will enable us to move forward, despite the federal funding situation. The National COSEE Office has successfully secured non-NSF funding to hold a strategic planning workshop from November 11-13, 2012 at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Cindy Zook, a strategic planning consultant who has facilitated the previous two strategic planning workshops for COSEE, will once again serve in this capacity. We have commitments from nearly all Center PIs to participate, and hope to include key National Advisory Committee members as well as a representative from the Evaluation Working Group. A small working group is preparing for the workshop, and includes Billy Spitzer, Gail Scowcroft, Andrea Gingras, Robin Dublin, Bob Chen, Ivar Babb, and Jan Hodder.
Through this planning process, we will address key questions, such as:
Why: Why should there be a COSEE Network? What are we collectively passionate about? Where is the overlap between our interests and expertise? Who: Who are the key stakeholders for COSEE? Who does the next generation of the National COSEE Network include? How can we ensure participation and buy-in from folks who will not be at the workshop? What: What is COSEE’s unique and valuable niche? What are the collaborative vs. competitive opportunities, which will enable us to work together? How: What is the appropriate model for a National COSEE Network? What is the right unit of participation (i.e. Centers, PIs, institutions, interested individuals)? What is the right organizational model (PI-driven, collaborative, association)? How much should we become independent of NSF?
We anticipate that the workshop will produce a draft strategic plan for the National COSEE Network. The Council will use this draft plan to solicit feedback from Network members and others beyond the COSEE community. We will work hard to ensure that the COSEE community remains informed as we move through the process, and we welcome your thoughts on the questions above in addition to any other ideas you may have. Please send your thoughts, questions, comments, or suggestions to Billy Spitzer.
The COSEE Best Practices Work Session on Broadening Participation and the Evaluators' Workshop were both held in September at the University of Rhode Island. Look for reports coming soon. (See below for Broadening Participation resources.) |
|
|
| Network Topics |
|
| Resources for Broadening Participation After the very successful workshop held recently, several COSEE Network members suggested additional resources. To view the resources, click here. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Sant Ocean Hall |
|
Drugs From The Deep by Dr. Shirley Pomponi
A NMNH/COSEE-sponsored Public Lecture
National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium
Washington DC
October 17, 2012 at 5:30pm
Dr. Shirley Pomponi is a Research Professor and Executive Director of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology (CIOERT) at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, in Fort Pierce, Florida. She received her Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami. Her research focuses on marine biotechnology, in general, and on sponges that produce chemicals with pharmaceutical properties, in particular. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific publications and is co-inventor on several patents. She has led numerous research expeditions worldwide and has made more than 300 dives in Harbor Branch¹s Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles. Dr. Pomponi serves on several state, regional, and national organizations on which she helps develop and implement priorities for ocean and coastal research. Her talk will focus on manned undersea exploration of the U.S. outer continental shelf and deep coral reefs, and the quest to discover novel, sponge-derived chemicals for drug development.
The Changing Tides series runs at Sant Ocean Hall throughout the year and features ocean scientists leading discussions on a range of topics. Visit the Changing Tides Series.
Two opportunities to get involved in NMNH events:
Suggest ocean films and speakers for March 2013's Environmental Film Festival (EFF). The 2013 EFF will take place March 12-24, and films will be shown in many venues, including museum auditoriums, embassies and libraries. EFF will include an ocean-themed day in the National Museum of Natural History's Baird Auditorium. Send suggestions of films, and speakers to introduce the films and answer topic related audience questions, to Trish Mace. Film guidelines:
- EFF is looking for films dealing with what is happening in the ocean, human interactions, ecosystems and species
- Feature length (an hour more or less), or paired shorts to add to approximately an hour
- Newer films or high quality older films that have not been viewed much
- Premier films do get more media attention, but many non-premier films are shown
- Geared to a general audience
Help Design a Marine Photography exhibit opening in the National Museum of Natural History in DC. "Portraits of Planet Ocean", an exhibit of Brian Skerry's award winning photographs, will open in the museum's Sant Ocean Hall in February 2013. Help us select some of Brian Skerry's photos to include in the exhibit. Do you have a marine themed photo of your own? Brian Skerry and museum curators will select some publicly submitted photos to digitally display in the exhibit alongside Skerry's work. Vote on Skerry's images and submit your own. |
|
|
| COSEE at Conferences |
|
SACNAS National Conference, Seattle, October 11-14 The COSEE NCO is helping coordinate the second Ocean Sciences “street” in the exhibit area, which involves several ocean sciences-focused organizations (including the COSEE booth!) and highlights the growing presence of OS within the SACNAS community. The NCO will also present a Professional Development Session: Developing a Workforce to Support a Healthy Ocean, scheduled for Saturday, October 13 from 3:15 – 4:45 PM, Room 620, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, Washington.
COSEE staff will also host an Ocean Sciences table during the Meet the Scientist session, an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to sit down in a casual setting to ask practicing professionals about their field and what it takes to establish a career. Please contact Liesl Hotaling if you are interested in volunteering for the Meet the Scientists session.
2012 AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 2, 2012 The COSEE NCO will host an Ocean Sciences Exploration Station during the Exploration Station Event, a free family informal science event held the weekend before the Fall Meeting. The event is held at the Moscone Center where many exhibitors from all areas of Earth and space science encourage Bay Area families to learn about science and participate in experiments and other activities. |
|
|
| Working Group Updates |
|
Scientist Engagement Working Group The case studies for Dr. Jude Apple (Western Washington University, COSEE Pacific Partnerships) and Dr. Joel Hoffman (Environmental Protection Agency, COSEE Great Lakes) have been approved and are now posted on the COSEE Scientists Making an Impact website. Work on the case study for Dr. Mary Jane Perry (University of Maine, COSEE Ocean Systems) is nearing completion. Please visit the COSEE Scientists Making an Impact website and contact Jessie Kastler with any questions or comments.
Web Working Group This month the WWG and RWS launched a new home page for COSEE.net featuring the work of COSEE scientists around the globe. The selected scientists were pulled from the COSEE Scientists Making an Impact website. If your Center does not have a featured scientist and you'd like to add one to the COSEE.net home page rotator, please contact Lisa Taylor. For more information, contact Annette deCharon, WWG Chair.
ENT Sub-Group Excellence in Network Tools subgroup (ENTs) members have been discussing productive ways to organize COSEE Resources on COSEE.net. For more information, contact one of the ENTS co-chairs Catherine Cramer and Carla Companion. |
|
|
|
|
| Center News |
COSEE-Ocean Systems The New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative is hosting its fourth biennial New England Ocean Literacy Summit, November 1-2, 2012 at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus. Our theme this year is Ocean Literacy Principle 7, “The ocean is largely unexplored.” Here are some highlights:
- Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Deputy Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator will speak at a kick off evening event Thursday evening, November 1, in association with a Gallery of Ocean Discoveries and reception featuring our New England National Marine Educator Association chapters.
- Dr. Robert Ballard, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and President of the Institute for Exploration, will be our keynote speaker on November 2, speaking about Ocean Exploration. Ocean scientists and educators will team up to provide fifteen concurrent sessions expanding on multiple aspects of Principle 7.
- A plenary panel discussion will focus on "why should we explore the ocean?" and will include a multidisciplinary group of professionals connected to ocean exploration.
- The Inner Space Center, a direct link to offshore research vessels, will be open for tours and demonstrations.
Past Summits have attracted up to 175 formal and informal educators, ocean scientists, and policymakers from around New England. To demonstrate the power of collaboration and communication among professionals in these sectors, all of the Summit’s concurrent sessions feature scientists and educators as co-presenters. For more information and to register, visit the Summit webpage.
| |  | | Phoebe Jekielek |
Phoebe Jekielek, COSEE-OS Marine Education Associate, attended the 2012 Maine Science Teacher's Association Annual Conference to present on-line resources and tools focused on bringing the ocean into Maine classrooms. With the Framework and NGSS specifically highlighting the role of the ocean in Earth systems, COSEE-OS's on-line and freely-accessible resources are a perfect fit. Highlights emphasizing the role of salinity in regulating ocean circulation and Earth’s climate and weather included content-driven webinars, scientist-created interactive concept maps, an overview of on-line concept mapping software and access to data sets and resources related to the NASA Aquarius and SPURS (Salinity Processes in Upper Ocean Regional Study) missions focusing on measuring ocean salinity from space. In addition, workshop attendees were introduced to activities from the COSEE-OS/UMaine publication Teaching Physical Concepts in Oceanography: An Inquiry-Based Approach.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (BLOS) hosted the Exploring Oceanography Summer Workshop for six Maine teachers from July 24-July 27, 2012. This professional development workshop provides teachers with training, tools and hands-on research experience so that they are better equipped to bring ocean science materials into Maine classrooms. In addition to field experience, seminars by Bigelow scientists and hands-on laboratory time, teachers attended Phoebe's presentation of on-line classroom resources, including the Ocean-Climate Interactive, webinar series archives and the COSEE-OS Concept Mapping tool. In addition, teachers were also directed to data sets provided by participating webinar scientists and data manipulation tools connected with the Aquarius mission.
COSEE OCEAN The World Maker Faire took place at the New York Hall of Science (a COSEE OCEAN partner) on September 29-30, attracting over 55,000 visitors. COSEE OCEAN and MATE (a COSEE NOW partner) teamed up to provide a very popular Ocean Sciences activity hub. Hundreds of families participated in Plankton Race and Plankton Net building activities, and flew ROVs in our 12-foot pool. Over 200 of the Best of COSEE Hands On Activities CDs were given out, and hundreds of Faire-goers learned about COSEE and Ocean Science. COSEE has already been invited back to participate in Maker Faire 2013!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Announcements |
|
NASA Career Discovery During October 14-20, 2012, NASA will introduce students of all ages to an incredible group of NASA Earth Explorers – from scientists and engineers, to multimedia producers, educators and writers. Under the theme “Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences,” this year’s Earth Science Week will focus on the stories of the many Earth Explorers who contribute to our understanding of the planet.
We invite you and your students to join us on this adventure. Find out about Earth Explorers - their careers, why and how they study the planet and what their typical day is like. Blog posts, Google+ Hangouts, and Twitter chats are just some of the media activities that will allow explorers to tell their stories. Students can directly participate by asking questions during the live events or sending in questions beforehand.
Our current schedule includes:
- Tuesday, October 16 – Twitter Chat with polar scientist Thorsten Markus
- Wednesday, October 17 – Google+ Hangout with Operation IceBridge scientist Christy Hansen, on location near Antarctica
- Thursday, October 18 – Twitter Chat with atmospheric research scientist Erica Alston
- Thursday, October 18 – Reddit Interview with Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist
In addition to our wide array of English-language events and resources, there will also be content in Spanish on our website and events for Spanish speakers including a Univisión radio interview on Tuesday, October 16 with scientists Erika Podest and Miguel Román, and a webinar with engineers from NASA’s Aquarius mission on Wednesday, October 17 for high school and college students.
Visit the NASA Earth Science Week website for a collection of articles, event information, blog posts, educational products in English and Spanish, and more!
IMarEST Marine Science Skills and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Assessment: Developing a Career Path for a New Generation of Marine Science Professionals The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology, an international Professional Body and Learned Society, is undertaking this study to identify skills gaps as part of a review of the professional development needs within the marine science community. The results will be used to develop tools to fill these gaps and address these needs, working in conjunction with other marine science societies and associations, industry, governments and academia.
The information provided will be used to:
- Develop a Career Path Guidance document for Marine Scientists.
- Inform the IMarEST and other international and national Professional Bodies and Learned Societies of the professional development needs of their marine science members and the marine science community in general.
- Provide guidance to employers of Marine Scientists as to the professional development needs of their employees and those of Marine Scientists in general.
- Inform education providers of the current gaps identified by individuals and employers in order to assist them with planning.
- Establish, for example, methods of addressing any significant differences in responses from different sectors and countries.
There are two parts to the consultation:
- Part One – For individual Marine Scientists
- Part Two – For employers of Marine Scientists
To complete the survey(s) electronically please go here and click on the relevant link. The online survey will direct you to different questions depending on your stage of career, which can be selected under a section on personal information. In addition, questions regarding employment sector, academic background, and current role are also asked.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Respondents are more than welcome to complete both parts of the survey if desired.
- There is no obligation to answer all the questions contained within this document.
- All answers to this questionnaire will be unattributed and treated in the strictest confidence.
- No individuals, academic providers or company names will be mentioned within the final report.
- If you prefer to respond by email please contact technical@imarest.org.
The closing date for responses to this consultation is 31st December 2012. Every completed survey will be entered into a draw with the chance to win one of two iPads. You will need to enter your email address to be eligible for the draw. |
|
|
| Resources |
|
Google Coral Reef Panoramas Panoramic images of several coral reefs have been added to Google’s Street View service in its maps, allowing users to navigate their way around the sites. The material was gathered by the Catlin Seaview Survey, a project studying the health of the reefs, including the impact of global warming. The program’s director said the effort would help scientists analyze ecosystems and raise general awareness. To read more, click here.
World Ocean Radio WOR is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays on a wide range of ocean issues hosted by Peter Neill. Available for RSS feed, podcast, and syndicated use at no cost by community radio stations worldwide.
SPURS Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) is a large-scale, ocean-based scientific study lead by NASA that is actively addressing the essential role of ocean salinity in the global water cycle through an investigation at the salinity maximum region in the middle of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Education and outreach materials related to ocean salinity and the SPURS project are compiled here. |
|
|
|
|
Contribute to CNN! Send news and announcements of interest to the COSEE Network community to the editor, Catherine Cramer.
|
|
|
|
|
| COSEE Centers and Council Representatives |
|
| COSEE Alaska (Robin Dublin, COSEE Alaska) |
| COSEE California (Craig Strang, UC Berkeley) |
| COSEE Florida (Edwin Massey, Indian River State College) |
| COSEE Island Earth (Judy Lemus, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology) |
| COSEE Networked Ocean World (Janice McDonnell, Rutgers University) |
| COSEE OCEAN (Bob Chen, University of Massachusetts) |
| COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities (Phil Bell, University of Washington) |
| COSEE-Ocean Systems (Annette deCharon, Darling Marine Center, University of Maine) |
| COSEE-Pacific Partnerships (Jan Hodder, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology) |
| COSEE SouthEast (Lundie Spence, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium) |
| COSEE-TEK (Ivar Babb, University of Connecticut) |
| COSEE-West (Linda Duguay, University of Southern California) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
