NSTA National Conference
March 9 – 13, 2011
San Francisco, CA
Overall the conference attendance was down this year, approximately 10,000 attendees.
Exhibition Hall Booth
Location: Moscone Convention Center
Dates: Thursday, March 9 – Saturday, March 12
The booth was staffed by a combination of COSEE Center and National COSEE Office staff. Staff greeted passersby and engaged them in conversation to better understand subjects taught by the teachers (including content, for example earth science teachers who are unable to include the ocean in their courses) and where the teachers are located. Based on the information gathered, booth staff attempted to connect teachers with COSEE Centers located near their homes. In cases when that was not feasible, we tried to offer the most productive solutions.
The island booth was located on a central isle of the exhibition hall which improved visibility. The booth was adjacent to the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center booth.
| |  |
| Andrea Gingras demonstrating activities from the COSEE-OS booklet Teaching Physical Concepts in Oceanography: An Inquiry-Based Approach |
The following print materials were available for teachers in the COSEE Booth:
- COSEE Center one page profiles
- COSEE brochures
- COSEE programs at NSTA flyer
- Ocean Literacy brochures
- Climate Literacy brochures
- Materials from individual COSEE Centers
- Hurricanes and Society
- Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS) CDs
- COSEE Oil Spill resources
- COSEE/ITEST programs
- NAS Climate Change and Oceans publications
- Hands-on Physical Oceanography Books (TOS/COSEE publication)
- Hands-on Physical Oceanography CDs (English, Spanish, French, Catalan)
- COSEE Summer Teacher Professional Development and Research Experiences
COSEE branded give-aways included:
- 450 Eco tote bags
- 300 Magnetic clips
- 500 Pens
- 500 Post-its
- 200 First aid kits
An attempt was made to track the number of people who stopped by the booth and the number of people engaged in conversations about the COSEE Network. Although all people interfaced with were not recorded, we did speak with over 500 teachers.
Hands-on Demonstrations
Location: Moscone Convention Center
Date: Thursday, March 9
On Thursday, COSEE Staff demonstrated several activities from the Teaching Physical Concepts in Oceanography booklet and gave away the booklets and CDs containing PDF files of the activities.
NESTA Share-a-thon
Location: Moscone Convention Center
Date: Thursday, March 9
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
On Friday, COSEE participated in the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) Share-a-thon, reaching approximately 60 additional teachers with information about COSEE, classroom resources and information about COSEE Day at NSTA and the luncheon with Dr. David Hollander.
The COSEE Network offered a variety of activities for teachers attending the conference, as described below:
Short Course: An Ocean Sciences Curriculum Sequence for Grades 3–5
Location: Grand Hyatt San Francisco, San Francisco A/B
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Presenter: Catherine Halverson
Lawrence Hall of Science in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has developed innovative tools to bring Ocean Literacy into elementary classrooms nationwide.
COSEE Concurrent Sessions
Location: Willow Room, San Francisco Marriott Marquis
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
On Saturday, COSEE sessions highlighted activities and products designed for classroom science teachers. Session participants came away with links to real-time data, relevant scientific resources, lesson plans, information on regional programs, and connections to a nationwide network of scientists and educators who are dedicated to improving ocean literacy.
A list of COSEE events follows:
| |  |
| Teachers participating in the session Linking Physical Science and the Ocean |
The Role of Discourse as Students Make Meaning of Science Concepts
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am
Sarah Pedemonte and Emily Weiss
Linking the Ocean to the Classroom
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 am
Presenter: Liesl Hotaling
Satellites, Sounds & Storms: Using Satellite Data and Podcasts to Study Coastal Storms
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Presenter: Chris Petrone
What's That?: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Squid Dissections
Time: 11:00 – 11:30 am
Presenters: Emily Griffen and Sarah Pedemonte
COSEE Luncheon
Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Location: Club Room, San Francisco Marriott Marquis
Date: Saturday, March 12
 | |
Dr. David Hollander | |
Toxic Oils in the Gulf of Mexico: Chemical, Biological and Geological Perspectives of the BP Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe
Presider: Gail Scowcroft
Presenter: Dr. David Hollander, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida
The BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe placed focus on the environmental impacts of resource extraction and the need to effectively research the expulsion, transport, alteration and fate of the oil and gas released into the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. David Hollander, an organic geochemist, played a critical role in scientific discovery, public communications of findings, and influencing the research, response efforts and policies of federal agencies. Since the initial explosion, efforts from College of Marine Science faculty have led to the discovery and fingerprinting of sub-surface oil plumes and sedimentary oil, the continuous model tracking of the released surface and subsurface oil, the assessment that released oil/dispersants are both toxic and mutagenetic to plankton and bacteria and the identification of impaired benthic ecosystems in the deep-sea. Please join us for a discussion about the latest understanding of the fate, transport and impact of Deepwater Horizon oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
The luncheon was filled to capacity (80 participants). After speaking with several luncheon attendees, they had either learned about COSEE and the luncheon through the one-page COSEE feature in the NSTA program, or through speaking with people at the COSEE booth in the exhibit hall. The Luncheon attendees were thoroughly engaged and motivated by the presentation. Several people stayed behind to speak directly with Dr. Hollander. Attendees were a mix of teachers, scientists, professional development providers, and COSEE Network staff.
Linking Our Ocean and Climate Through Innovative Learning Connections: Part 1
Time: 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Presenters: Liesl Hotaling and Gail Scowcroft
Linking Our Ocean and Climate Through Innovative Learning Connections: Part 2
Time: 2:30 – 3:00 pm
Presenters: Liesl Hotaling and Gail Scowcroft
Ocean Observing Systems; Benefits for Teachers and their Students!
Time: 3:00 – 3:30 pm
Presenter: Lynn Whitley
Linking Physical Science and the Ocean
Time: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Presenters: Gail Scowcroft and Liesl Hotaling
COSEE: Practical Applications of the Ocean Literacy Principles Scope and Sequence
Time: 4:30 – 5:00 pm
Presenters: Craig Strang and Catherine Halversen
Future Plans for COSEE at NSTA
The COSEE Network plans to maintain a presence at the National NSTA conference for at least two more years (NSTA 2012 in Indianapolis and NSTA 2013 in San Antonio). For the 2012 conference, we will plan to submit a similar format for the conference, including an exhibition hall booth, proposals for short courses, a series of concurrent sessions organized into a day of concurrent sessions and have a COSEE sponsored luncheon.
