COSEE's overall mission to "spark and nurture collaborations among research scientists and educators to advance ocean discovery and make known the vital role of the ocean in our lives" hinges on the researcher's ability to clearly and effectively convey his or her science. The COSEE Centers have long recognized the importance of training early career scientists in communicating and presenting their research to a variety of audiences.
Graduate student initiatives at the COSEE Centers range from traditional, college-level courses and conference workshops to scientist-centered, professional-development models that bring faculty and graduate students together in meaningful, peer-based collaborative contexts. While the methods of delivery vary, each offers concrete tools and techniques to effectively share their science and research experiences with others.
COSEE Highlights
Communicating Ocean Sciences is a major initiative at several COSEE centers and consists of a variety of innovative college courses designed to improve the communication of complex science concepts using inquiry-based pedagogy.
Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences involves scientists at colleges and universities working with local aquariums and marine science centers to deploy undergraduates and graduate students to teach the public about current discoveries in ocean sciences.
COSEE Collaborative Fellowships bridge research, formal and informal education, and traditional cultural practices. Each year, up to four fellowships are awarded to graduate students working as teams from Ocean Sciences and Hawaiian Studies departments to bridge traditional knowledge and ways of knowing with current science research.
The Gears workshops explore a variety of communication techniques organized into four interconnected areas: Deconstruct Your Science, Understand How People Learn, Build Effective Communication Techniques, and Broaden the Reach of Your Science. Attendees participate in hands-on activities focused on learning how people understand science, sharing their message with a non-science audience, and constructing broader impact statements.
The Faculty/Graduate Student Collaborative Workshops consists of a series of scientist-centered, professional-development models for graduate students. The teaming of these groups to create web-based ocean-climate products bring scientists and graduate students together in meaningful, peer-based collaborative contexts and leverages both the scientific expertise of the faculty researchers and the technical capabilities of the students.
HI Sci is a University of Hawaii at Manoa Native Hawaiian graduate student-driven initiative targeted at raising awareness and interaction between Native Hawaiians, the UHM student body, administration, affiliates, community of the Hawaiian Islands and members of the Hawai'i Science community. HI Sci aims to amplify the presence, knowledge and voices of the community at large and Native Hawaiian students within the Hawaiian Island science community.
