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Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Corrine Steever and the New England Aquarium

Corrine Steever is a NEOSEC representative from the New England Aquarium and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. Corrine describes her NEOSEC role, “Because of the New England Aquarium’s role as the NEOSEC host institution, we always take a role in Summit planning. I am excited to be more involved with NEOSEC. I am energized by other NEOSEC members at our meetings. They made me want to be part of having a great Summit in Boston. Bringing together science and education is my world. We showcase teachers as scientists.”

Corrine is the Teacher Services Supervisor at the New England Aquarium Teacher Resource Center (TRC.) TRC supports teachers for grades pre-K to 12 as well as out-of-school instructors and informal educators. TRC offers a meeting place, free consultation appointments, research assistance, and access to a large collection of loan materials. TRC provides theme-based kits on a variety of topics to make ocean education engaging, inspiring, and informative. Most visitors are from New England, but they also come from around the world. 

Growing up in Minnesota, Corrine did not originally dream of being a marine science educator. “Originally I was interested in the arts. But in my third year of college, I decided to major in biology with a minor in psychology. I was interested in animal behavior. I thought I would be a field researcher. Then I got a phone call from the Student Conservation Association and AmeriCorps. My friend had recommended me for a job in western Massachusetts teaching in a K-6 school along with doing trail work in the summer. Two things were new to me: teaching and eating vegetarian!”

Corrine discovered a love for education and wanted to balance that with her love for animals. “Next I took on an outdoor education role in Georgia. I also took care of their small animal collection, including a herp lab.” That gave her the hands-on animal experience for her next job at Zoo New England. She then moved into professional development programs at the zoo. “I helped educators enhance their lessons with an inquiry style of teaching. I felt impactful doing the professional development work. The ripple effect was much bigger than a single hour in a classroom.” Corrine was doing less direct animal care which had been her strong interest. She moved to the Denver Zoological Foundation where animal husbandry was a big part of her role, although she still worked in the education department alongside education staff. “I missed teaching and providing professional development. I was looking to get back to that when someone forwarded me the New England Aquarium position. I’m learning a lot on the job. I show teachers that it’s okay to not know everything. It’s more the style of teaching, not knowing every fact. Teachers can build context with students.”  

Corrine addresses the occasional negative connotations some people may have about zoos and aquariums. “People may think ‘They’re caging animals. They’re out of their natural environment.’ There’s so much more to it. We help engage a connection with visitors. The animals act as ambassadors so that people want to protect, appreciate, and understand diverse life. The staff have a dedication to the work.” 

 

Corrine is concerned that people are not having constructive communication. “It’s hard right now. There’s a divide that’s growing more. People share strong opinions on social media but don’t have a conversation. I think most of us aren’t at extreme ends. We can have productive dialogues. We need to understand why people feel the way they do. We need to work to help people understand the science of climate change. We need to address basic human needs: food, water, shelter, safe spaces.”  

Corrine is proud of her adventurous spirit. “I’ve had a lot of different experiences. My past has given me a lot of confidence. I left Minnesota and just went for it. I became willing to move, be adventurous, and have curiosity. It was okay to not know people. Instead, I thought ‘Who am I going to meet? Who will give me insight into the world?’”

Thank you Corrine for bringing your can-do spirit to the New England Aquarium and NEOSEC!

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Kate Leavitt and the Seacoast Science Center

Kate Leavitt is the NEOSEC representative from the Seacoast Science Center and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. Kate has been involved with NEOSEC since 2010. Her initial involvement was as project manager for a 17-partner grant Families By the Seaside. When she completed that project, Kate wanted to continue engaging with NEOSEC and joined the Planning Committee. Kate is deepening her commitment to NEOSEC as chair-elect on the Executive Committee.

The Seacoast Science Center and NEOSEC have a common mission. The Center advocates for ocean health through educational experiences and exhibits to spark curiosity, enhance understanding, and inspire ocean conservation. In addition to live animal exhibits, engaging programs, environmental day camps, and special events, the Seacoast Science Center also operates the marine mammal rescue program with a 24-hour hotline. The Marine Mammal Rescue Team responds to reports of stranding and beaching from Essex, Massachusetts to the Maine border. This team is one of one hundred federally authorized response programs. 

Kate is Director of Mission at the Seacoast Science Center. She oversees educational programs including visitor services and school and group programs, marine mammal rescue, grants, and external partnerships. Kate’s role has grown and changed over the years. “I started in 2002 as a part-time naturalist and since then my work has really evolved. The Families grant was a big part of that. It was my first substantial full-time position here at the Center.” Kate knew she wanted to work in marine science from a young age. “In 5th grade reading class, I read a wonderful story about a woman who was a marine biologist. It opened my eyes to the possibility, and I haven’t looked back!” After getting her bachelor’s degree, Kate landed her dream job conducting sea turtle field research for the National Park Service in the Gulf of Mexico. “Besides the scientific field work, I did a lot of interpretation and education at the beach. It was here that I discovered my love for marine science education.” She particularly enjoys the type of learning that happens at museums, aquariums and science centers. “We inspire students and visitors and if we do it right, ignite passion and stewardship. Facilitating hands on personal connections to nature and the ocean can have great power to excite and motivate. That is our goal.” 

Kate is concerned about the rapid pace of change in our ocean. “The Gulf of Maine is the second-fastest warming body of water on the planet. Organisms can’t keep pace. The chemistry of the ocean is changing, which is frightening. The changing chemistry makes it harder to build and strengthen shells. Marine creatures need energy for this which takes away energy from other vital processes.” Despite these concerns, Kate wants students to be positive. “We try to empower our students and visitors to all the things they can do for positive change. We focus on action, not despair. It’s vital they have the information to understand what’s going on. We help them come up with conservation campaigns for their schools and brainstorm ways they can educate friends and peers.” 

Kate believes there is hope for the future of our ocean and for ocean science. “Our youth are passionate and engaged. They have so many more resources than previous generations. Ocean science is now part of their curriculum and embedded in NGSS standards, which is wonderful.” In her student programs, “the ocean literacy principles are really the foundational bedrock of all of our programming. And when a concept isn’t explicitly tied in, we still sneak them in by using the ocean as the lens through which to teach those other topics. I really believe that together we can inspire conservation of our Blue Planet!”

Thank you Kate for your commitment to marine science education and NEOSEC!

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Mark Wiley and UNH Sea Grant

Mark Wiley is the NEOSEC representative from UNH Sea Grant and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. Mark volunteered to be on the committee saying, “The summit is always a great event, a valuable event.” Mark has been part of NEOSEC since the beginning. He says, “I was at the first pre-NEOSEC meeting, which was part of a COSEE grant. I sat on a panel and we talked about standards. A bunch of us met to talk more about the need for an umbrella organization for collaboration. NEOSEC has been a remarkably successful model. A lot of us make a priority to be involved.”

UNH Sea Grant and NEOSEC have common goals to support ocean literacy, incorporating OL with NGSS. UNH Sea Grant benefits from its close ties with NEOSEC. Mark elaborates, “NEOSEC is made up of a lot of people and organizations. I’ve always thought of NEOSEC as a wonderful resource for collaborators, to partner and network with people who do what we do. NEOSEC has been effective for us in that way.” 

Sea Grant is a federal/university partnership with a mission mandated by the US Congress to foster sustainable development of the nation’s coastal resources. Operating through a university-based network, Sea Grant colleges balance the conservation of coastal and marine resources with a sustainable economy and environment. Examples of this work are aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and fisheries recruitment and conservation. UNH was designated a Sea Grant College in 1991 based on its record of superior performance.

Being an informal educator is a big part of Mark’s job. He markets the UNH marine education programs to New Hampshire teachers and schools. He is seeing a resurgence of interest in the UNH programs. “The move to standards-based learning had reduced experiential learning. Professional development was tied to performance to test standards. The base of NGSS is to do science to learn science.” That is the type of education UNH Sea Grant provides.

In addition to being the Assistant Director for Marine Education, Mark also is the director of the UNH Sea Grant Marine Docent Program. Mark describes, “This is a multiplier of my capacity to do marine education programming. We have 200 trained volunteers that do school events. This program started 45 years ago as a tour group for one of the labs and it has grown to so much more. We give the docents significant training, two sessions a week from September to April. They need that much training because they don’t work from scripts. They need to be able to respond on the fly. Everything is very interactive. They do hands on group activities.”  

Prior to working at UNH, Mark was a high school teacher. Mark recalls one of his students, “In my very first marine science class, we did a lot of field trips. It was a small class and there was a high level of engagement. One of my first students is now a teacher. He got in touch with me through Facebook. He messaged, ‘You were my role model. I have a realization of the impact I’m having on my students like you had on me.’” Mark continues, “Sharing as a teacher ripples through your students.”

Mark is concerned about the impact of a lack of scientific knowledge. He says, “We suffer from a public that doesn’t have a lot of science literacy. We are seeing the result of that ignorance. I don’t think it’s willful. People don’t know enough science to believe what scientists say. They think scientists are making things up. We all have to make decisions about energy and climate change, but you need to understand it first. Our role is to reach younger students and the general public. We want to help them understand how the world works. That’s a challenge.”

Mark, thank you for your work educating the public and with supporting NEOSEC!

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Megan Strand and NESS and SENEME

Megan Strand is the NEOSEC representative from both New England Science & Sailing (NESS) and Southeastern New England Marine Educators (SENEME) and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. “I’m proud of being part of an awesome team at both places. We are passionate about what we do. We couldn’t do what we do without that passion.” When Megan first joined NESS, the NEOSEC representative was leaving and the 2016 summit planning was underway. Megan took on the role. “I never left the Planning Committee. It’s good to have people with different ideas – teamwork!” Both NESS and SENEME tie in with the NEOSEC mission. “You want to push the ocean literacy principles because everyone should have knowledge of the ocean. We are trying to keep ocean resources as healthy as possible.”

NESS is an ocean adventure non-profit that provides STEM-based education on and off the water. NESS operates year-round with families, schools, and organizations, including team-building programs for teachers and corporate groups. Megan is enthusiastic about her role as education specialist at NESS. “NESS provides a unique learning environment on the water. In one of my courses, I teach physics on a kayak. We can teach about physics by focusing on forces because while the water pushes the kayak up, gravity pushes the kayak down. Buoyancy comes into the equation and based on the surface area of the kayak, you have a floating boat. Add in the forces created when using a paddle and it’s a real-life physics lab! It’s fun – science learning as an adventure sport.” Megan sees that some students aren’t engaged at first. “It really, really bothers me when I get a student or group of students who have been told they can’t do something. They’ve lost self-worth. This leads to apathy towards education and our environment. I sometimes see this at the beginning of our program but then we get them outside and it doesn’t last long.”

NESS links all their plans to ocean literacy standards. “We are constantly building what schools don’t have the ability to do. They can come to us. We have programs that teachers can’t replicate.” Megan is currently learning how to program Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) so she can teach how to use computers to get real-time data. In addition to supporting traditional schools, NESS provides programs for home schooling, summer camp, and AmeriCorps at the New London middle school. Inclusiveness is one of the core values of NESS along with experiential learning, personal growth, and stewardship. Megan describes how NESS fulfills its values. “Sailing tends to be a money sport. Our president was concerned about that. He wanted to offer sailing to everyone. Our New London initiative is an inner-city program. Many of the students have never been on the water, even though the live on the coast. We really try to get everyone on the water, regardless of ability to pay.”

The SENEME regional chapter is a professional association of individuals and organizations devoted to the cause of marine education in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Megan serves as President. “I facilitate all the wonderful talents of other board members.” SENEME promotes marine education in many ways including publishing teaching aids, classroom resource lists, and a newsletter featuring bulletins about conferences and workshops. SENEME provides scholarships and mini grants for teachers. They also offer workshops, an annual conference, and field trips to diverse marine ecosystems throughout the region.   

Megan, thank you for your energy supporting the oceans and NEOSEC!

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!   

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Valerie Perini and Northeastern University Marine Science Center

Valerie Perini is the NEOSEC representative from the Northeastern University Marine Science Center (NUMSC) and is serving on this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit Planning Committee. Northeastern University is the site for the first day of the summit and the Marine Science Center is hosting one of the field trips at its scenic marine research and educational facility on the peninsula at historic East Point in Nahant, Massachusetts.   

Val has been the NEOSEC representative for two years. “With the event being hosted in Boston, I knew I wanted to be involved in the Summit Planning Committee. NEOSEC connects NU to other folks doing similar work in the region.” Val had attended a summit as a Northeastern graduate student. When her boss asked if she was interested in being the NEOSEC representative, she responded, “Yes, I would love to be involved!”

NEOSEC’s mission aligns with that of the NUMSC. “Our mission in the Outreach program is to connect resources of the center to the community, translate knowledge to meet societal needs, inspire interest in marine science careers, and promote environmental literacy. This is key to NEOSEC’s mission as well. Knowing about those other NEOSEC organizations is so valuable. Scientists can share knowledge.”

Val has been part of NU MSC Outreach since her college days. “My background is marine science and research. I studied at Northeastern for both my bachelor’s and master’s. I did an internship with the MSC Outreach Program (through NU’s coop program.) It opened my eyes to being a science communicator and that really resonated with me. I stayed connected with the Outreach program since then. I’ve worked in all different roles at the Marine Science Center and it was field experiences in Nahant and elsewhere that showed me marine science is for me – nature as a classroom.”

 

 

Val is enthusiastic about marine education. We work with all ages. It’s what I love. You have to fine tune your communication skills, more complex with older students, and with younger students, show them how fun nature is. I particularly like helping kids who haven’t had this exposure before, such as recent immigrants who just moved here. It gives them a sense of place. You have to inspire appreciation first before you can expect them to preserve and protect the environment.”

Something Val is concerned with and thinks about a lot, is how to promote diversity and inclusion in the sciences. “What we are striving for but struggle to achieve is diversity and inclusion in this field. Especially at the graduate level and higher, the field is not very diverse. Our goal is to involve people from different backgrounds, cultures, and economically or otherwise disadvantaged groups, in order to achieve a broader perspective that will benefit the field. When we lead a school group in which a majority of students are non-white, it’s tough because the students might have a hard time seeing themselves in this career because of the lack of diversity in the educators and scientists. They think, ‘They don’t look like me.’ I want them to know this is attainable.” 

Val was recently promoted from Outreach Educator to Outreach Program Coordinator. “My job involves less teaching now and more directing and overseeing the program. Our K-12 programs involve a lot of communication with staff, teachers, and scientists around both logistics and curricula/content. Another part of my job is identifying and applying for grants to support our programs, and especially to promote the involvement of economically or otherwise disadvantaged groups, and work towards improving that diversity and inclusion problem I mentioned earlier.  In my new role, I also manage the Marketing and Communications for the Marine Science Center, and work with faculty to help them articulate the broader impacts of their research, which is important for obtaining research funding.”

In looking at her career, Val gets satisfaction from seeing the growth of others. “I’ve been on quite a journey, starting as intern and now as director. Under my guidance and the guidance of my supervisor, seeing the staff I supervise grow and develop, helping them access opportunities, is really powerful for me. I’m proud of the culture of the outreach program.” 

Val, thank you for your passion for your students, your staff, marine education, and NEOSEC! 

Spotlight on NEOSEC Ocean Literacy Summit Planners – Nina Quaratella and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association

Nina Quaratella is the Education and Outreach Manager at the North American Marine Environment Protection Association. Along with her day job, she is serving on the NEOSEC Planning Committee for this year’s Ocean Literacy Summit.  “I got involved in the NEOSEC Summit Planning committee right when I began working for NAMEPA. NAMEPA has had a presence within NEOSEC for several years but wanted to get more involved. Also, as a young professional I did not have experience planning a Summit. I am using this opportunity to gain experience in what goes into planning an event like this. It takes a lot of work, collaboration, motivation, and organization!”

NAMEPA embodies the NEOSEC mission to leverage and strengthen the region’s extraordinary ocean science and educational assets to advance understanding of the vital connections between people and the ocean. Nina describes her role as the NEOSEC contact for NAMEPA: “As Education and Outreach Manager, it is naturally my role to work alongside other conservation groups and educators for NAMEPA. The bulk of NAMEPA staff work more closely with shipping companies and those in the marine industry, and my role is connecting NAMEPA’s educational materials and programs to scientists, conservationists, and formal and non-formal educators.”

Nina says, “I fell into education because I like people and writing.” She has her science chops too with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a double minor in Biology and Geospatial Technologies. After getting her degree, Nina served two AmeriCorps’ service terms followed by four seasonal jobs in environmental education and habitat restoration, with a marine science focus. All experiences were valuable, but she explains “After a lot of moving around, I was ready for a permanent position. My supervisor at [fellow NEOSEC Member] NBNERR was supportive and I started applying.” Nina describes joining NAMEPA as an odd story. The cascading events are a fine example of what to do when life hands you lemons – make lemonade! After a strong preliminary interview, Nina went on a final interview in her native Rhode Island. The interview did not go well at all. Dejected, she went to her family home in Westerly and hoped to raise her spirits playing volleyball that night. She blew out her knee. Temporarily confined to a wheelchair, she couldn’t return immediately to her seasonal field educator job at NBNERR’s Prudence Island. Unstoppable, she went to see her cousin in a surf competition that just happened to be hosted by NAMEPA. Seeing her wheel through the beach, the co-founder and executive director Carleen Lyden Walker rushed over and handed her a bag with NAMEPA information. Nina read it over, called NAMEPA, and Carleen is now her supervisor. Nina concludes, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Nina is coming up on her 1st year anniversary with NAMEPA. In addition to her responsibilities coordinating education programs, Nina has assumed responsibility running community cleanups, coordinating the NAMEPA college and high school chapter program, and managing the annual art contest. Nina says, “We have the kids creatively express themselves. The theme is ‘Better Shipping for a Better Future’. We use the winning art work in our calendar.” Nina is enthusiastic about educating people that do not ordinarily get exposed to marine science. “We have partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs. We find ways to put resources in new places such as Title 1 schools.” She engages her participants. “I try to end a program with a ‘What can you do?’ activity. I try to connect students to the ocean to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards. I just taught a session and the students were already so well informed about ocean issues.”

Nina is proud of the many free educational downloads available at the NAMEPA website: https://namepa.net/education/materials/preview/ You can download educator guides, activities books, flyers, and more on such topics as “8 Ways to Use Less Plastic,” “An Educator’ s Guide to Marine Debris” in English and Spanish, “Exploring the Marine Environment – Activities & Games for Kids of All Ages,” and “Marine Industry Learning Guide.”  Nina sees download requests from around the world!

In addition to educating students and the public, NAMEPA brings marine industry into the conversation about sustainable practices.  Most of NAMEPA’s members are shipping companies. NAMEPA hosts large events where there is a marine presence such as a recent event in Houston and an upcoming event in New York City. These are attended by conservation groups, educators, and the industry. Nina hasn’t seen enough appreciation of the role that marine industry plays. She points out, “Much of what we use has spent part of its life on a ship.” Forging strong relationships with the marine industry is important to address marine-related concerns. Nina states, “The industry is receptive to sustainability messages. Some have to make changes [due to regulations], but a lot want to protect the ocean. They rely on it.”

Nina’s biggest concern is that many people think the ocean is too far gone, that we can’t do anything. “I don’t think that is true at all! Their small changes can make a difference. I don’t want hopelessness.” Thank you Nina for your positive can-do attitude and contributions to planning the 2018 Ocean Literacy Summit!

Educational Passages’ Global Ocean Literacy Program

Somewhere between Portugal and Wales, West sprung a leak in its hull.  Don’t worry. West is an unmanned 5′ sailboat originally launched from Maine, recovered in Portugal two years later, restored, relaunched and found, again, in Wales. Portuguese messages stored in the hull were dried, digitized and shared with the American students who launched the vessel four years prior.   West is one of 80 mini-boats finding their way around the global oceans.  These mini-boats are part of the Global Ocean Literacy Program developed through educationalpassages.com.  Learn more by emailing us at miniboats@educationalpassages.com.

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.