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| National COSEE Office |
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New COSEE Council Chair-Elect COSEE Island Earth PI Judy Lemus has been elected to be the next COSEE Council Chair-Elect. Congratulations Judy!
The COSEE National Network Meeting will be held May 6-8, 2013, in Tampa, Florida and will focus on four strands: - Cultivating the 21st Century Oceanographer
- Ocean Science and Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards
- Building a Broader Consortium - Increasing COSEE's Reach and Sustainability
- COSEE's Impacts and Legacy
For more information contact Andrea Gingras.
Report on COSEE and Scientists COSEE’s Influence on Scientists’ Professional Practices: Findings from the COSEE Scientist Study has been published. Read the complete report (PDF, 905 KB) or the executive summary (PDF, 136 KB).
The COSEE Story At the Council meeting in November, members hammered out a brief synopsis of COSEE’s mission and history, called The COSEE Story:Earth is experiencing a period of unprecedented change due to the activity of humans; and the ocean is in the forefront of these changes. Sea level rise, more intense storms, the warming and acidification of the ocean, serious impacts to many marine species, and an increase in ocean dead zones and marine disease are all part of our future. COSEE, an organization of forward looking ocean scientists and educators, has a proven record of bringing the scientific knowledge and skills needed to understand and solve these problems to a diversity of audiences.
Over the past 10 years, COSEE has built a national network that is able to foster the integration of ocean research into high quality educational materials and programs, build strategic partnerships, disseminate effective practices, advocate for ocean science education, and assist scientists in realizing the broader impacts of their research. COSEE is now poised to further the change in culture needed to make ocean science accessible to all. Through the engagement of ocean scientists and their cutting edge research, COSEE uses state-of-the-art technology and evidence – based solutions to provide high impact programs and resources that can transform the learning and doing of ocean science. |
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| Network Publications |
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Concept Mapping in Oceanography A result of collaborative work among COSEE Centers (California, NOW, Ocean Systems and West) has been published in the March 2013 issue of Oceanography magazine. Titled Concept Mapping Workshops: Helping Ocean Scientists Represent and Communicate Science this article describes how ocean scientists can look to effective educational practices such as concept mapping to present their research in ways that can be readily connected to learners’ pre-existing knowledge while helping to facilitate new understanding.
Lesson Plans in Current Through the partnership between COSEE West and the University of Colorado, lesson plans that illustrate the importance of the ocean to the interior southwest were developed. A sub-set of these lessons are published in this article. The full suite of lessons, along with links to the scientist lectures, are available here. Lesley K. Smith, Marsha Barber, Linda Duguay and Lynn Whitley. 2013. Using the Ocean Literacy Principles to Connect Inland Audiences to the Global Oceans. Current 28(2):1-7. |
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| Sant Ocean Hall |
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In early March, COSEE NOW partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to run two workshops in the Washington, DC area, one for early career scientists and one for volunteers and staff at the Smithsonian. On March 1, COSEE NOW, COSEE-OS, COSEE OCEAN and COSEE California offered their fourth all-day COSEE GEARS workshop at Howard University. The GEARS workshops are aimed at helping early career scientists to more effectively communicate their research and in doing so to better integrate their education and research activities. Twenty-two early career scientists from Howard University, the Smithsonian, Georgetown University, and George Mason University attended the workshop. Evaluation results indicate that the workshop was a success and that the participants felt that it helped them think about how they communicate their science.
The focus of the second workshop, which took place March 2 at the Smithsonian, was to help volunteers and staff from the Smithsonian more effectively communicate with visitors at the museum. Using materials from the Reflecting on Practice program developed by COSEE California, the 20 participants discussed the different communication strategies that they use at the Museum and how they could apply research from the learning sciences to their work. They also worked with Ari Daniel Shapiro on ways to incorporate storytelling techniques into their interactions with visitors. Overall, participants enjoyed the activities and content. |
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| Working Group Updates |
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Scientist Engagement Working Group The SEWG case study on Dr. Mary Jane Perry (University of Maine, COSEE-OS) is complete and now available on the Engaging Scientists website. This completes the work of the SEWG project. We welcome you to visit the SEWG website!
Web Working Group and ENTs On Thursday April 25 at 1PM EDT, the Web Working Group (WWG) and the Excellence in Networking Tools Subgroup (ENTS) will share a series of "website wireframes" that depict tools currently being developed for the undergraduate educators/students as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). Using desktop-sharing software, OOI-EPE team members will show a series of workflows with "mock" content for the following EPE tools: 1) User Registration, 2) Lab Lesson Builder / Database Search, 3) Concept Map Builder / Ontology search, and 4) OOI Data Visualizer. The insights you've gained in working with scientists, undergraduate faculty and students -- as well as any teaching experience that you may have -- will be extremely valuable as the team further develops and test this suite of software tools.
"Best of COSEE" templates, also under development, will be unveiled at the Network Meeting in May for comments. These templates will enable Center admins to post evergreen information on COSEE people and activities. For more information, contact Annette deCharon, WWG Chair. |
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| Announcements |
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Final Next Generation Science Standards Released On Tuesday, April 9, the final Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new set of voluntary, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked standards for K-12 science education, were released. Twenty six states and their broad-based teams worked together for two years with a 41-member writing team and partners to develop the standards which identify science and engineering practices and content that all K-12 students should master in order to be fully prepared for college, careers and citizenship. The NGSS were built upon a vision for science education established by the Framework for K-12 Science Education, published by the National Academies' National Research Council in 2011. The creation of the NGSS was entirely state-driven, with no federal funds or incentives to create or adopt the standards. The process was primarily funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a leading philanthropy dedicated to improving science education in the U.S. The NGSS are grounded in a sound, evidence-based foundation of current scientific research-including research on the ways students learn science effectively-and identify the science all K-12 students should know.
Ocean Research Priorities Plan Released by White House The White House National Science and Technology Council has issued the much-anticipated follow-up to Charting the Course for Ocean Sciences in the United States, our Nation’s first ocean research priorities plan. Science for an Ocean Nation: Update of the Ocean Research Priorities Plan is now available here (PDF, 3.93 MB).
NSF Graduate Education Challenge The National Science Foundation Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge is calling for entries from currently enrolled STEM graduate students and teams. They are invited to submit innovative ideas to prepare today’s graduate students for tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges. Entries are solicited for ideas with the potential to improve graduate education and professional development. Ideas can be directed toward students, faculty, departments, institutions, professional societies, and/or federal agencies. Winning ideas will be shared widely and winners will receive prizes between $1000 and $3000. Click here for more information; to enter the challenge, email gradchallenge@nsf.gov for more information. Entry deadline is April 15.
NECWA Internship Program The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) is seeking qualified high school, college and graduate students within the New England community to assist with various projects and activities through our Marine Wildlife Research Program. Internship positions are non-paid, with interns working alongside knowledgeable staff conducting a variety of educational programs, research projects, and conservation activities. Internship positions are typically 3 months in duration and require a 20-hour a week commitment to the program. For more information, contact Dr. Mary C. Nash. |
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| Center News |
COSEE Alaska On March 23, COSEE Alaska hosted the Ocean Science Fair at the Alaska State Science and Technology Fair. Of the 385 participants, 44 competed in the ocean science fair with 58 projects ranging from experiments in ocean acidification to hydroelectric solutions to energy issues to longitudinal studies of a local creek. First prize in the combined Traditional Native Knowledge and Western Science Award was awarded to Jerilyn Alexie and Kaylee Thompson from the village of St. Mary’s, who conducted A Comparison of the Dissolved Oxygen Levels in Beaver Ponds and Yukon River. In cooperation with the Alaska Chapter of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Education (NAME) association, Alaska SeaLife Center and Alaska Sea Grant, nine awards were given to 12 students for their projects. The COSEE Ocean Science Fair judges students on both scientific and Alaska Traditional and/or local knowledge.
On March 25, COSEE Alaska conducted a pilot workshop, Communicating Climate Change¸ as part of Alaska Sea Grant’s Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium. The workshop centered around results published in The Psychology of Climate Change Communication by Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions and the 2012 results from George Mason University, Global Warming’s Six Americas. The workshop is a preliminary effort that will be developed further into webinars and workshops at other symposium and conferences around Alaska.
COSEE Great Lakes COSEE Great Lakes is actively transitioning to the Center for Great Lakes Literacy [CGLL]. The organization of Sea Grant educators in the region draws its funding through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is a partner with USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office. CGLL is repurposing the COSEE-GL web page as www.cgll.org, and the site announces coming workshops and scientist interactions with educators. The next event is June 3-4 at Purdue University, where special Educator Days support brings scientists and educators together at the annual meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research. See the flyer (PDF, 1.64 MB).
| |  | | COSEE Island Earth Spirit Award winners (click image to enlarge) |
COSEE Island Earth Spring of 2013 has been a competitive time for COSEE Island Earth - science competition that is! February ended with the Hawaii chapter of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, fondly known as the "Aloha Bowl". The competition aims to encourage an interest in marine sciences to high school students while emphasizing the importance of ocean literacy to the community. COSEE Island Earth would like to congratulate the marine science trivia competition winners, Maui High School, who will continue on to compete at the National Ocean Science Bowl. We would also like to offer extra special congratulations to Moanalua High School Team A, who took home the COSEE Island Earth Spirit Award. This award was sponsored by COSEE Island Earth and given to the team who exhibited the most sportsmanship, support, and enthusiasm.
The science fun continued on April 8-9 with the annual Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair. Small teams of students put up posters displaying their research and experiments on a wide variety of scientific topics. Students from middle and high schools around the state got the chance to interact with professional scientists and engineers as they showcased their hard work, and COSEE Island Earth staff served as State Science Fair judges.
COSEE OCEAN This Spring COSEE OCEAN is busy with these next steps: - The Ocean Science Sequence (OSS) in now being piloted in the Boston Public Schools district.
- The Facebook GrOE page now has over 500 likes, and we are developing a strategy for activating and studying this growing community.
- We are developing a plan for education and outreach activities at the ASLO Ocean Sciences meeting in Honolulu in February 2014.
- The Inquiry Group report on the state of Ocean Literacy is nearing completion and publication.
COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities In March COSEE OLC partnered with Washington Sea Grant, NANOOS (Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems ) and Ocean Inquiry Project to host its third Boat Based Education Citizen Science Workshop at the University of Washington. The one-day workshop focused on connecting boat-based education programs throughout the region with scientists studying Puget Sound. Part of the day featured oceanographer Christopher Krembs from the Washington Department of Ecology who studies water quality in Puget Sound. Dr. Krembs is interested in collaborating with boat-based education programs to assist with data collection. The workshop also included updates from Drs. Julie Keister and Robin Kodner; oceanography scientists who study plankton and are interested in citizen involvement with their research.
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COSEE OLC is again a co-sponsor of Sound Conversations at the Seattle Aquarium. The speaker series is targeted to the general public as a way to introduce and inform citizens about science and research related to the health of the world’s ocean and marine life. The series format uses an informal interview-like approach to engage the speaker in a conversation about their career, work and interests. The series started in March with Elliott Norse, Founder and Lead Scientist of the Marine Conservation Institute and will continue in April and May with Ginger Armbrust, Director of UW School of Oceanography and Lead PI for the Armbrust Lab and Ken Balcomb, Executive Director of the Center for Whale Research and PI for Orca Survey.
COSEE-Ocean Systems recently hosted a three-part webinar series on ocean salinity. Seeking Salt: Measuring a Key Ingredient of Climate featured scientists from the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS), 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 North Atlantic. NASA Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom took us on an engaging trip through salinity research and discussed how ocean exploration has evolved over time. SPURS Chief Scientist Raymond Schmitt explained how ocean circulation works and how it impacts the climate. Dr. Fred Bingham discussed the study's armada of technology (from in-water instruments to shipboard measurements to satellites) and presented the results of the team's research to date. A total of 76 participants from 17 states and 3 countries (Argentina, Brazil, and the United Kingdom) attended the webinars while the archived videos have been viewed more than 100 times.
COSEE-Pacific Partnerships will run its community college student internship program, Promoting Research Investigations in the Marine Environment (PRIME), for the last time this summer. PRIME began in 2008 with just four internship opportunities at our Oregon marine station partners and has grown remarkably over the past five years. This summer we are offering 17 positions that will involve 24 scientist mentors at six partner institutions in Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Five of these opportunities are funded by PIs who wrote PRIME internship projects into the broader impacts of their NSF grants. Visit the PRIME webpage to learn more about the program. You can also read about our interns' research experiences on the PRIME Blog.
COSEE Pacific Partnerships and COSEE TEK are co-sponsoring a week-long professional development institute that will bring together community college faculty and ocean research scientists. Using Marine Technology and Ocean Data Resources in Your Science Courses, July 29 - August 3 at the University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, will focus on marine technology, sound in the ocean, measuring the ocean, and analyzing and using ocean data in science courses. Participants will learn how to build and use the hydrophones and basic observational buoys (BOBs) developed by COSEE TEK. Particular emphasis will be placed on helping faculty develop ways to engage their students in research within the community college setting. |
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| Resources |
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Smartphone Citizen Science Phytoplankton Monitoring The recently launched free smartphone Secchi app, combined with a simple to make Secchi Disk, enables all seafarers, marine scientists, sailors, divers, fishermen, anglers, and small boat owners to take part in a long-term, global project to monitor marine phytoplankton. The Secchi app is available for both iOS and Android. The whole dataset will be available to those who contribute to it. Click here for details.
Ocean Explorer Update The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research announces a new Ocean Exploration Facts section of the Ocean Explorer website. The ocean exploration facts section provides short answers to common or intriguing ocean questions with new information being added every few weeks. The questions are categorized according to the seven Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for grades K-12. Ocean Exploration Facts RSS Feed |
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Contribute to CNN! Send news and announcements of interest to the COSEE Network community to the editor, Catherine Cramer.
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| COSEE Centers and Council Representatives |
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| 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 (Carrie Thomas, North Carolina State University) |
| COSEE-TEK (Ivar Babb, University of Connecticut) |
| COSEE-West (Linda Duguay, University of Southern California) |
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