Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Seacoast Science Center to host Community Science event in Odiorne Point State Park

(Rye, NH) The Seacoast Science Center will hold its 17th annual BioBlitz on Saturday, September 21 from 6:00 a.m-5:00 p.m. BioBlitz is a dawn-to-dusk Community Science event where families can discover the amazing biodiversity of Odiorne Point State Park while helping field experts collect data.

BioBlitz offers exciting opportunities for all ages to gain knowledge and skill in their favorite area of nature. Exploration teams will be birding, searching for insects, snakes and amphibians, exploring the freshwater pond and salt marsh, tracking mammals, identifying plants and seaweeds, tide pooling and more. You can sign up to participate in all or part of the day. 

BioBlitz is a great way to excite children about science and  a rare opportunity to learn from biologists working in the field. Odiorne’s 135 acres and seven distinctly different habitats make it a unique and fascinating place to explore and learn.

Participants are asked to help make this event Zero Waste by packing refillable water bottles and reusable containers. Team  leaders will review how to explore responsibly and leave no trace. We will collect specimens for observation and identification only, to be later returned to their habitat.

Since the first BioBlitz in 2003, the total number of species identified in Odiorne tops 2,300. This extremely valuable catalog serves as a snapshot of the biodiversity of flora and fauna in the region. 

To learn how you can help the Center add to the list, find a detailed schedule, and register visit www.seacoastsciencecenter.org. The event is free for members of the Seacoast Science Center; $10 for non-members; $30 for non-member families (up to 6 people). Contact Emma at 603-436-8043, ext. 17 or registrar@sscnh.org for more information or to inquire how groups can get involved.

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Elaine Brewer and Mass Division of Fisheries & Wildlife

Elaine Brewer is the NEOSEC representative from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. “I like helping. It’s fun!”

Elaine’s long experience with NEOSEC is valuable to the committee. In her previous role at another Massachusetts agency, Elaine was the NEOSEC representative and was in the midst of her year as NEOSEC chair. When she moved to her current agency, she advocated that they join NEOSEC. How does the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife tie to NEOSEC’s vision? “It sounds kind of odd. It’s an inland agency. But all watersheds lead to the ocean.” She went on to speak about NEOSEC’s involvement with citizen science. “Learning how to incorporate citizen science more in what our agency does is a huge benefit to us. In return, we can make that connection of watersheds to the ocean, expanding NEOSEC’s goal of increasing ocean literacy to more inland areas.”

The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is responsible for terrestrial and aquatic species which entails managing, protecting, and regulating harvest. Elaine is responsible for the communications highlighting species of greatest conservation need within Massachusetts, including those protected under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. “Massachusetts has its own Endangered Species Act, which protects species within the state on top of the federal Act. For example, leatherback sea turtles are listed as endangered on both the federal and state lists. Bald eagles, however, are not listed federally, but are listed in Massachusetts because their population numbers aren’t as high as our experts would like them to be.”

Elaine’s background isn’t in communications though, it’s in the sciences. She knew she wanted to be a marine biologist since she was three years old. “We took a family vacation to the Cape. It was the first time I saw a shark, and it was just on the beach, thrashing about. I couldn’t understand why people weren’t trying to push it back into the water, since it obviously wasn’t comfortable on land. Since then I have wanted to learn more and conserve.” Elaine admits it took awhile to determine her area of focus but a part-time job spurred her interest in science communication. “I went to grad school at night and worked at a nonprofit museum during the day, doing information education. I taught all sorts of marine science to kids of all ages during the school year. In the summer I ran a fishing camp where I taught anglers to not just fish, but to really be connected with the outside world, to experience it fully and understand their impacts on the environment.” Elaine finds joy in her work, transforming sometimes heavy scientific information into something that people can relate to and get excited about. “People sometimes write to me or visit the office to show off a project they worked on to help an area near them or start a coastal cleanup. It’s rewarding to see what I do actually makes a difference at some level.”

Elaine is concerned about the growing difficulty of educating people about the environment. “You’d think it would be easier with electronic newsletters and social media and things like YouTube. But we’re still battling with all of the other information out there. There are algorithms and statistics, and newer and newer methods of communication that we are constantly trying to keep up with. Sometimes you hit a wall and can’t think up any other creative ways to get your information out there. But then you find that crack in the wall and break through. It’s challenging and frustrating, but still worth every second put in.”

Elaine is proud that she never lost sight of what she wanted to do. “The species might have changed from oceanic to inland, but I am still focused on learning and conservation. I get to do really exciting things for my job. I’m glad I didn’t stray from that.” Elaine, thank you for your science communication role in NEOSEC and the Massachusetts Divisions of Fisheries and Wildlife!   

NEOSEC Cafe: Using graphic design to connect with your audience

A grants administrator, a graphic designer, and a communications strategist walk into a room . . .  and talk about how they use graphic design to share information with their constituents. The backgrounds are vastly different, but each person uses graphic design to assist with their outreach efforts. Join the next NEOSEC Café on October 12 to learn how the panelists do their work. You’ll leave with a list of resources (some free!) that will help you incorporate graphic design in your communications.

Panel:

  • Sam Andrews, Deputy CFO, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
  • Sean Silva, Graphic Designer, Buttonwood Park Zoo
  • Elaine Brewer, Outreach Specialist, MassWildlife

 

Webinar link:
Time: Oct 12, 2018 1:00 PM Eastern Time

By Computer: https://zoom.us/j/328020204

By Telephone: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 328 020 204

Climate Science & Education Professional Development Workshop

 

Climate Science & Education Professional Development Workshop:

Resilience: It’s Not Just Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, Groton, Connecticut

Tuesday, July 11 through Thursday, July 13, 2017

Click here to register for the workshop

Download the flyer

NOAA’s Climate Stewards Education Project (CSEP) and Connecticut Sea Grant are collaborating with Federal, State and NGO partners to convene a climate science and education workshop for formal and informal educators. Participants will learn from and interact with climate science, education and communication experts. The workshop will focus on topics of climate science and resilience strategies for the northeast region of the United States, with a goal of connecting educators and their students and/or audiences to the best available science-based information and pedagogic resources.

Registration for the workshop is on a first come first serve basis and the number of participants is very limited! When enrollment has reached capacity, online registration will be closed. Registration is $40 per person. It includes daily lunch, snacks, field trips, and a plethora of resources! Attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation and lodging.

To register for the workshop you must fully complete the online form and send a check or purchase order to: Connecticut Sea Grant – Climate Workshop, 1080 Shennecossett Rd, Groton, CT 06340.

You will receive an email confirming your participation in the workshop only when your registration fee has been processed. A detailed workshop itinerary, lodging and dining recommendations, and additional information will be sent to all confirmed registrants well in advance of the workshop.

All attendees will receive a certificate acknowledging their participation in the workshop as well as the number of professional development hours earned.

 

For more info re: the overall workshop, contact Diana Payne at: diana.payne@uconn.edu. phone: 860.405.9248

Questions re: your registration fee? contact Andrea Kelly at: andrea.kelly@uconn.edu. phone: 860.405.9128

 

A professional development workshop for formal and informal educators who wish to:

  • Increase their knowledge of climate science, and resilience strategies;
  • Learn about climate impacts and adaptations in the northeastern US; and
  • Translate climate science and resilience to the classroom and/or informal education settings.

 

Times: 8:30am – 5:00pm daily.

 

Place: Marine Sciences Building, Room 103, The University of Connecticut – Avery Point, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340

 

Primary Contacts:  

Featured Activities:

  • Presentations by scientists and educators on climate science and resilience.
  • Activities to increase participant climate science knowledge.
  • Activities and demonstrations on teaching climate, engaging in resilience activities and related topics.
  • Connections to the Next Generation Science Standards.

 

Notes on Food & Lodging:

  • Lunch and snacks will be provided during the workshop.
  • Participants must make their own travel and overnight arrangements. Lodging and dining recommendations and additional information, will be sent to all confirmed registrants well in advance of the workshop.

 

 

 

 

Lighting the Way with Wind and Solar: Pathways to a Sustainable Energy Future 

MITS, Inc. in collaboration with the Lloyd Center for the Environment and the South Shore Natural Science Center, will be holding a two-day workshop for grades 4-8 educators on March 17th and 18th. It will highlight inquiry-based activities that engage participants in hands-on, minds-on learning. Click here for more information.
Don’t miss their summer professional development series as well.

Gundalow Gatherings

On April 29th, Seven dinners on the same night at friends’ homes. Each dinner includes a presenter whose topic is connected to our mission. This year the theme is Voyaging to Rivers, Bays and Oceans worldwide. Humans and the oceans are inextricably linked.  Click here for more information.

Marine Science and Mosaic Art Program

The Northeastern University Marine Science Center presents the Marine Science and Mosaic Art Program – April 18-21. Students in grades 7-12 are invited to join us to learn about local and far away marine habitats, and build a marine mosaic representing these habitats.  Click here for more information.

Massachussetts Marine Educator’s upcoming events

MME Annual Meeting in Woods Hole
Register now for the Annual Meeting and Conference at WHOI
Please mark your calendar for MME’s 41st Annual Meeting and Conference in Woods Hole at WHOI’s Clark Building, Quissett Campus, which will be held on Saturday, April 8th from 8:30am to 4:15pm.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
  • Kara Dodge, WHOI Guest Investigator
    Insights into Leatherback Behavior using Tags, Cameras and Robots
  • Ken Kostel, WHOI Web Science Writer/Editor
    Hands Across the Water: Introducing Students to Science at Sea
WORKSHOPS
  • Seabird CSI: Using Chemical Tools to Study the Biology of Seabirds
  • How Do We Explore?
  • Turtle TLC: Using Sea Turtles, Cape Cod Sea Turtle Strandings, and Turtle
  • Tour of WHOI’s New High Speed Mass Spectrometry Laboratory
  • Using Atlantic Salmon Telemetry Data and Developing Stream Obstruction Bypass
  • The Educational Whale Watch
  • Discovering Oceanography and Meteorology with Real-Time NERACOOS Buoy Data
RECEPTION
  • All are invited to a networking reception at SEA Education immediately following the conference.
For more information, including descriptions of each session and an event flyer, please visit our website! Please help us to spread the word about this exciting event.
MME Marine Art Contest
The annual MME Marine Art Contest is now underway, and the theme for this year is “Exploring the Marine Biodiversity of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.” There are five contest divisions: K-4, 5-8, 9-12, scientific illustration, and computer graphics.
Winning entries will be posted on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary website (http://stellwagen.noaa.gov), as well as used by the sanctuary and MME in their outreach programs. Notification and certificates will be sent to the participating teachers or individual students at their schools.
Click here for an event flyer and application form. Please share and/or post with your colleagues! Winning entries from 2016 can be viewed here.
The annual MA Marine Educators’ annual marine art contest is underway with a deadline of April 28. All students in grades K-12 are invited to participate. Entry is free. The theme is “Exploring marine biodiversity at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.” Winning art is incorporated into an annual calendar and tours the region in a traveling exhibit. Click here for more information.

New England Science and Sailing Professional Development Series

Join a NESS Educator on a Professional Development Ocean Science Adventure! New this year; choose between weekday evenings or weekend days. Register for five or more days to receive a 10% discount on a 2016-2017 NESS academic program! Can’t do five days? Receive a 5% discount for participating in at least two days!

Adventure Field Science: Weekend Professional Development; Sundays 9:00-12:00 $60.00/ Session

Would you like to learn how to connect your students to the local marine environment in an innovative and adventurous way? Or how to expand the learning experience beyond the boundaries of the classroom and into the natural environment? Then come and venture out into the field and learn how New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) has been teaching engaging STEM-education in an adventurous way and creating ocean stewards for the last 10 years. Each day will focus on how to successfully guide a group of students through hands-on learning, which is connected and relevant to the NGSS and Ocean Literacy Standards. Participants will meet at each location except on boat days where the meeting location is NESS. Boat days are limited to 6 participants.

Break Out of the Classroom: Weekday Professional Development; Mondays 5:00-7:00 $40.00/ Session

Have you always wanted to do a NESS school program but aren’t sure if it meets your class’s academic goals? This is the program for you! Join a NESS Educator to learn how to expand some of our most popular water based programs into your classroom to engage pre-learning content or continue the learning long after your NESS adventure!

NESS Fest

Sat Jun 24th 11:00am – 3:00pm
New England Science & Sailing Foundation, 70 Water St, Stonington, CT 06378

New England Science & Sailing (NESS) Foundation will be holding their fifth annual NESS Fest on Saturday, June 24, from 11am-3pm, at 70 Water Street in Stonington. This festive event features fun activities including sailing, kayaking, and stand up

Date

Location

Topic

5/7/2017

Barn Island, Stonington, CT

Marsh Exploration and Forest Dynamics

6/4/2017

BOAT DAY – Sandy Point

Bird Population Studies and Snorkeling

Date

NESS Program

Take-Away

4/17/2017

Kayak Adventures

Density Dynamics and Boat Building Activities

paddle boarding. NESS Fest participants are welcome to enjoy ocean adventure activities and giveaways, tour the facilities, meet the staff, and learn more about NESS’s summer programs. No prior experience in water sports is necessary and participants will be supervised by trained and experienced NESS staff members.

This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 860-535-9362 or visit www.nessf.org.