In 2001, the NSF-appointed COSEE Implementation Steering Committee recommended that NSF and other funding agencies proceed with establishing COSEE. It was envisioned that COSEE would build on exemplary ocean sciences education already taking place and look for opportunities to catalyze and leverage collaborations between ocean sciences researchers, educators, and the general public. From these initial steps, a national Network of 10 COSEE Centers and a Central Coordinating Office were developed.
Since then, many Centers have, in turn, established other networks, to further expand our collective capacity to disseminate knowledge, create broader public awareness of the role of scientific discovery in society, and enhance educational opportunities in the ocean sciences. These include the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC), a diverse networked collaboration of more than forty institutions (including aquariums, museums, universities, government entities and science and research centers), the online communities of seaHarmony and SEANET, and COSEE OCEAN's GrOE Facebook page.
COSEE Highlights
The COSEE OCEAN Graduate Students for Ocean Education (GrOE) Facebook page is taking off! With over 3,500 users, GrOE is committed to becoming a reliable information hub for a growing network of graduate students who are interested in ocean science education.
Founded by COSEE New England in 2005 and now sustained through ongoing grants, the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) is a regional collaboration focused on ocean science literacy. NEOSEC’s mission is to leverage New England’s extraordinary assets, to engage the public in understanding the vital connections between people and the ocean.
seaHarmony is an online collaboration network connecting ocean scientists who wish to become involved in broader impact education activities, and formal or informal educators and organizations who want to bring science to their students and communities. We do this by matching members with partners based on collaboration opportunities, preferences, common interests, and availability.
COSEE Alaska created and moderates this social networking site and list serve which originated at a series of Communicating Ocean Sciences Workshops at the 2009 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. Membership in the social networking site has grown to more than 230 members; membership on the list serve now exceeds 500.
