Public Outreach and Education

Public Outreach and Education
Table of Contents:

Program Support
Educational Resources/Internship Opportunities
Benthic/Geologic Exploration
Deep Sea Exploration
Near-Shore Habitats and Fisheries
Ocean Exploration
Polar Exploration

Program Support

National Science Foundation:

Ocean Science's Educational Program
Directorate for Geosciences
http://www.geo.nsf.gov/adgeo/education.htm

The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) is one of six research arms within the National Science Foundation. Its mission is to support research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences. As the principal source of federal funding for university-based fundamental research in the geosciences, GEO addresses the nation's need to understand, predict, and respond to environmental events and changes to use Earth's resources wisely. Basic research in the geosciences advances scientific knowledge of Earth's environment, including resources such as water, energy, minerals, and biological diversity. GEO-supported research also advances our ability to predict natural phenomena of economic and human significance, such as climate changes, weather, earthquakes, fish-stock fluctuations, and disruptive events in the solar-terrestrial environment.

Education and Special Programs in Ocean Science
http://www.geo.nsf.gov/oce/oceeduopps.htm

Other programs supported by the National Science Foundation, as well as contact information.

The ARMADA Project
http://www.armadaproject.org/overview.htm

The ARMADA Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides K-12 teachers an opportunity to actively participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring. Master Teachers develop ways to bring the fruits of their research experiences, including scientific data, methodologies, and technology into their classrooms. They share their experience by mentoring new teachers in their school district and by presenting their results at National Science Teachers Association National Conventions.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Education Resources
http://www.education.noaa.gov/

NOAA's many educational activities are distributed across the agency. This site has been designed to help students, teachers, librarians and the general public access the many educational activities, publications, and booklets that have been produced.

Ocean Explorer
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/

NOAA Ocean Explorer is an educational Internet offering for all who wish to learn about, discover, and virtually explore the ocean realm. It provides public access to current information on a series of NOAA scientific and educational explorations and activities in the marine environment. The site provides a platform to follow explorations in near real-time, learn about exploration technologies, observe remote marine flora and fauna in the colorful multimedia gallery, read about NOAA’s 200-year history of ocean exploration, and discover additional NOAA resources in a virtual library.

Teacher at Sea Program
http://www.tas.noaa.gov/

The enthusiasm for learning generated between teachers and students is the biggest payoff of NOAA's Teacher at Sea program, where teachers from elementary school through college go to sea aboard NOAA research and survey ships to work under the tutelage of scientists and crew.

See vidoes from recent TAS explorers: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/ootas/videos/

Office of Naval Research:

Student and Teacher Resources
http://www.onr.navy.mil/onr/studteach.htm
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/

ONR funds scientific research that benefits the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. This research is the foundation for the technologies and equipment our Sailors and Marines use everyday, and many of our technologies spin-off to you!

Teacher's Corner
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/teachers/

Teachers can use the Focus site for lesson planning, fact-checking, explaining difficult concepts, or linking to other resources. We provide links to educational resources such as lesson plans, activities, and teacher-training opportunities. We link only to reputable, federally-recognized organizations, research and educational institutions, and government sites. Our goal is provide you with a reliable source of basic scientific information, as well as some current research.

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
http://www.asee.org/summer/apply.cfm

The Summer Faculty Research Program provides science and engineering faculty members from institutions of higher education the opportunity to participate in research at Navy laboratories for a ten week period during the summer. Participants work with professional peers in the Navy laboratories on research tasks of mutual interest. Information about the research interests of the participating laboratories is available via the ASEE website. The research for the summer is defined in advance through correspondence and an optional pre-program visit to the research site, for which funds are provided.

Rice University:

Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic ***This program is no longer active. The link remains for educational resources.
http://tea.armadaproject.org/

The centerpiece of the Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) Program is a research experience in which a K-12 teacher participates in a polar expedition. The TEA teacher works closely with scientists, participates in cutting-edge research, and is immersed in the process of science. Enveloping this field experience is a diversity of professional development opportunities through which TEA teachers increase content knowledge, enhance teaching skills, transfer the experience to the classroom, assume leadership roles, and collaborate with a network of researchers and education colleagues. TEA is a partnership between teachers, researchers, students, the school district, and the community.

Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS):

ARCUS
http://www.arcus.org/

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) was formed in 1988 to identify and bring together the distributed human and facilities resources of the Arctic research community--to create a synergy for the Arctic in which each resource, when combined with others, can result in a strength that enables the community to rise to the many challenges facing the Arctic and the United States. ARCUS provides a mechanism for the Arctic community to complement the advisory roles of other national organizations, such as the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC), the Polar Research Board (PRB), and Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), that are concerned with the Arctic...

Teachers and Researchers - Exploring and Collaborating (TREC)
http://www.arcus.org/TREC/index.php

The Teachers and Researchers - Exploring and Collaborating (TREC) program is a partnership between the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) and VECO Polar Resources (VPR). TREC is funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs Arctic Sciences Section. TREC is a program in which K-12 teachers participate in arctic research, working closely with scientists, as a pathway to improving science education through teachers' experiences in scientific inquiry. TREC builds on the outstanding scientific and cultural opportunities of the Arctic to link research and education through intriguing topics that will engage students and the wider public...

Educational Resources/
Internship Opportunities

Bridge Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center:
http://www.vims.edu/bridge/

The Bridge is where teachers will find a selection of the best online resources for marine science education.

In the Footsteps of Roger Revelle
http://footsteps.ucsd.edu/

"In The Footsteps of Roger Revelle" is a unique ocean science education program bringing physical oceanography to students in the classroom from research vessels at sea using Scripps Institution of Oceanography's HighSeasNet satellite communication system.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: Cruise into the Classroom
http://www.mbari.org/expeditions/; http://www.mbari.org/education/
(These links are to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's education web pages.)

"The mission of MBARI is to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology, and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean. MBARI emphasizes the peer relationship between engineers and scientists as a basic principle of its operation. All of the activities of MBARI must be characterized by excellence, innovation, and vision."

David Packard
MBARI Founder

Mystic Aquarium Institute for Exploration
http://www.mysticaquarium.org/

The Institute for Exploration (IFE) is pioneering a newly emerging scientific field of archaeology in deep water, which combines archaeological, oceanographic and ocean engineering research. IFE's current programs focus on the themes of human history, natural history in deep environments, and underwater vehicle development.

MATE Technical Internship Program
http://www.marinetech.org/careers/internships.php

Students gain hands-on work experience on board UNOLS and ODP vessels and in land-based positions with marine-related employers.

Oceanus: Reports on Research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/index.do

Exploring the oceans in depth. Follow the latest research, discoveries, and expeditions from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution at www.oceanusmag.whoi.edu or sign up online to receive printed issues at https://www.cdmweb.com/oceanus/orderform.asp.

Benthic/Geologic Exploration

Lost City Expedition
http://www.lostcity.washington.edu/

Please join us on our cruise of discovery to the Lost City Hydrothermal Field at the summit of the Atlantis Massif, 30°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. During this 32 day expedition, 24 scientists onboard the research vessel the Atlantis will dive deep into the ocean to explore active limestone chimneys that rise 200 feet above the seafloor.

We will also sample and grow microorganisms that may provide information key to understanding the development of early life on Earth, and use a free swimming robot to create a high resolution map of this field--which is unlike any hot spring system yet discovered on our planet.

Marine Geoscience Data Management System
http://www.marine-geo.org/

The marine geoscience data management system provides access to data portals for the Ridge2000 and MARGINS programs, the Antarctic and Ridge Multibeam Bathymetry Synthesis projects, and the Seismic Reflection Field Data Center. These projects are being developed as a single integrated system, providing uniform access to a variety of marine geoscience data types collected throughout the global oceans.

MATE: 9 Degrees North
http://www.marinetech.org/nine_degrees/

An online oceanographic expedition to hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise on board the R/V Atlantis with the Alvin submersible.

MATE: 9 Degrees North the Return Trip
http://www.marinetech.org/return_nine_degrees/index.php

NeMO
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/index.html

NeMO is a multiyear seafloor observatory located at Axial seamount, an active volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the NE Pacific. Axial seamount experienced a major earthquake swarm and volcanic eruption in January 1998. Since then NeMO research cruises have been going to the site every summer to study the impacts of the eruption and how they are evolving with time. The NeMO web site features photographs, video clips, real-time data transmitted from instruments on the seafloor, and daily updates from scientist and a teacher-at-sea during annual NeMO expeditions. Daily public lectures featuring results from NeMO are also made during the summer months at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon. Teacher curriculum is currently in development that will be available from the NeMO web site. NeMO public outreach is funded by Oregon SeaGrant, the National Science Foundation Geoscience Education Program, and the NOAA Vents Program.

REVEL Project
http://www.ocean.washington.edu/outreach/revel

REVEL: Research and Education: Volcanoes, Exploration and Life
The essence of the REVEL Project is the interaction of highly-motivated science teachers hungry for opportunities to engage in science and innovative scientists pursuing cutting-edge research. The scope of this research encompasses a wide variety of scientific problems that range from the origin of life to new aspects of biotechnology.

Deep Sea Exploration

Dive and Discover
http://divediscover.whoi.edu/

"Dive and Discover is an interactive distance learning Web site designed to immerse you in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research as it happens! Be at the front line of scientific inquiry and join scientists - geologists, geophysicists, chemists and biologists - who are exploring the seafloor and making amazing deep-sea discoveries. Daily updates, photos, videos, and e-mail correspondence with scientists aboard research vessels allow you to follow the progress of the scientific mission and find out about life on the floating laboratories at sea."

Dive and Discover: Karen Von Damm, University of New Hampshire
http://www.divediscover.sr.unh.edu/

Follow UNH professor and researcher, Karen Von Damm, and her crew as they join the R/V Atlantis on leg 6 of voyage 7 on this Woods Hole Research Vessel . . .

Ecology Communications: Deep East 2001
http://www.ecology.com/
http://www.ecology.com/feature-stories/expeditions/deep-sea-east-2001/index.html

On the heels of the 2000 Deep Sea Expedition of the Gulf of Mexico, Ecology Communications joined NOAA, ten Universities, the US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Wildlife Conservation Society in a three-week exploration (September 8 - October 1, 2001) of three regions in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Maine to Georgia.

Extreme 2002: Mission to the Abyss
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/extreme2002/home.html

On October 20, 2002, a research team led by University of Delaware marine scientist Craig Cary will set sail from San Diego, California, on the 24-day expedition "Extreme 2002: Mission to the Abyss."

Their mission will be to explore one of the most demanding environments on Earth — super-hot hydrothermal vents nearly 2 miles deep on the Pacific Ocean floor.

Extreme 2001: A Deep-Sea Odyssey
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/extreme2001

Under the direction of Dr. Cary, researchers will study hydrothermal vents and the organisms that inhabit them, including the Pompeii worm -- the world's "hottest" animal, able to withstand temperatures up to 176°F. This research has been conducted on Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute's 274-foot research vessel Atlantis and on their submersible Alvin. At this web site you will be joining 183 schools and over 13,000 schoolchildren from across the United States on this virtual field trip.

Extreme 2000: Voyage to the Deep
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/deepsea

This site is produced by University of Delaware College of Marine Studies and Sea Grant College Program. It contains so great interactive information on topics such as, mission and crew, seafloor geology, creatures of the deep, toxic chemistry and the high tech tools used by deep sea scientists. Contains lots of video clips and some great information.

NOAA Explorations: Davidson Seamount 2002
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02davidson/davidson.html

May 17 - 24, 2002
The Davidson Seamount is an impressive geologic feature that has intrigued people since it was first mapped as a “sea mountain” in 1933. However, because of its location and depth, there have only been few and brief scientific investigations of the site, providing glimpses of a place that appears to be fascinating and unique. We now have the technology to document the habitats and species that drape this undersea mountain. The mission of our exploration is to more fully characterize the Davidson Seamount; we will be documenting what species live there, taking geologic samples, and describing the ocean environment. Our team of explorers are a unique combination of scientists, educators, and resource managers, with a goal of sharing discoveries of the Davidson Seamount through this web site. Come join us on this expedition!

NOAA Explorations: Deep East 2001
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/deepeast01/deepeast01.html

September 8 - October 1, 2001
The Deep East Expedition completed its field season on October 1. Scientists explored three regions of the Atlantic Ocean, from Maine to Georgia, including the submarine canyons of Georges Bank and Bear Seamount off the New England coast; Hudson Submarine Canyon, an ancient extension of the Hudson River Valley that extends more than 400 nautical mi seaward from the New York-New Jersey Harbor; and Blake Ridge off the Georgia coast. Even though these areas are very close to home, until now, little was known about the living and nonliving resources there. Using the manned submersible Alvin, scientists ventured to the bottom of the Atlantic, collected video footage, measured the biological, geological, and chemical features of these areas, and collected biological and geological samples for further analysis. During the expedition, scientists examined deep-water corals and methane hydrates, and discovered previously unknown deep-sea resources and processes.

Oceanus: Reports on Research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/index.do

@ Sea: Exploring the Ocean Frontier
http://www.at-sea.org/

@Sea, an ambitious project of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution's Media Lab, provides a glimpse into our remarkable ocean world. Combining the skills of a dedicated group of media mixers, @Sea blurs the boundaries between journalism and education, computer and documentary. Using satellite communications, digital cameras, and rugged laptops, online correspondents cover these extraordinary stories, offering an online window into life at sea and the ceaseless quest of science. Please contact @Sea with any questions or comments. Your input helps drive the course of our coverage. If you would like to receive an email from @Sea announcing upcoming expeditions and site updates, please let us know...

Near-Shore Habitats and Fisheries

Habitat-Based Fisheries Research: The Heceta Bank Project
http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/shared/heceta.cfm

For decades, commercial fishing has occurred off the central Oregon coast on a large rocky shoal of the outer continental shelf known as Heceta Bank. The seafloor of the bank is characterized by varying relief of mud, sand, pebble, cobble, boulders, flat rock, and rocky ridge. These diverse substrata provide specialized habitats for many species of groundfish and invertebrates. Management decisions for groundfish off the west coast of the U.S. (California, Oregon, and Washington) are administered by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and its Groundfish Fisheries Management Plan (FMP). The FMP includes 83 commercially important species of groundfish including two species of thornyheads, 12 species of flatfishes, various sharks and skates, roundfish, and the 55 commercial rockfish species of the genus Sebastes. A subset of these 83 species occur on Heceta Bank along with a diverse assemblage of noncommercial species of fishes and invertebrates. Due to increased fishing pressures, habitat alteration, and environmental variability, fish stocks on the bank have declined to alarming levels over the past decade.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN)
http://www.mbnms-simon.org/other/gen/about_simon.php

There are over 40 institutions and organizations in the greater Monterey Bay area that are currently examining various aspects of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (the Sanctuary), an internationally recognized location for marine research, resource management, and policy. Marine research conducted in the Sanctuary includes long-term monitoring programs that are essential to further our understanding, and to determine the health of the marine ecosystem.

The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) allows researchers to monitor the Sanctuary effectively by integrating the existing monitoring programs and identifying gaps in information. By avoiding duplication of these programs, resources can be more effectively directed towards surveying and characterizing habitats in the Sanctuary, assessing the impact of natural processes or human activities on specific resources, and long-term monitoring.

Finally, SIMoN serves to make the monitoring data available to managers, decision makers, the research community, and the general public. SIMoN is a center for initiating and integrating data collecting efforts, and for disseminating information.

Olympic Region Harmful Algal Blooms Partnership (ORHAB)
http://www.orhab.org/

Welcome to the official ORHAB website.
The ORHAB project is bringing knowledge to the local communities on the Olympic peninsula of the Washington State coast, empowering the tribes and state managers to make scientifically-based decisions about managing and mitigating harmful algal bloom (HAB) impacts on coastal fishery resources.

The ORHAB Partnership was formed in June 1999 by local residents and coastal communities' in response to seemingly random closures of the shellfisheries due to outbreaks of marine biotoxins (Paralytic Shellfish Poison, PSP) and domoic acid contamination of razor clams. It became clear that in order to manage these outbreaks there was a need to better understand underlying dynamics of these disruptive HAB events. These research efforts, made possible by federal funding from NOAA, have been underway since the summer of 2000.

Ocean Exploration

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: SOFeX Project
http://www.mbari.org/expeditions/SOFeX2002/

The aim of the SOFeX project is to investigate the effects of iron fertilization on the productivity of the Southern Ocean. The results of this work will contribute significantly to our understanding of important biogeochemical processes which bear directly on the global carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and climate control.

NOAA Ocean Explorer
http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/

The United States is a country of explorers. Dating back to the days of colonization and our westward expansion, our nation is driven by a profound thirst for knowledge and new discovery. Yet it is only recently that our country has faced the difficult task of exploring our final frontier, the oceans.

Polar Exploration

Artic Exploration Online
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/arctic/

UNOLS Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee
http://www.unols.org/committees/aicc/

Check here for links to past and current research expeditions.

Arctic Mid Ocean Ridge Expedition
http://www.earthscape.org/frames/news2frame.html
http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_adamsfrontpage.html - Check out Michelle Adams' Journal!

On July 27, 2001, scientists from five nations converge in northern Norway, ready to depart for the Arctic. They are undertaking the first major sampling of the Gakkel Ridge, three miles below the Arctic icecap. A new U.S. icebreaker, the Healy, will be on its maiden voyage, accompanied by the flagship German icebreaker Polar Stern.

AMORE 2001: Arctic Mid Ocean Ridge Expedition
http://benthic.mlml.calstate.edu/kuhnz_arctic.htm

Gakkel Ridge lies deep in the ocean (5000 m; 16,000 ft). It is located at the north end of the Atlantic Ocean, above the Arctic Circle. Linda Kuhnz of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories joined scientists from the University of Tulsa, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Oregon State University, University of Texas, and University of Hawaii who traveled to Gakkel Ridge to learn more about the dynamics of the area. We were accompanied by a group of German scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institut for Polar Research, Max-Plank Institut für Chemie, Universität Bremen, and Universität Kiel.

Cold Regions Bibliography Project
http://www.coldregions.org

The Cold Regions Bibliography Project provides coverage of

Antarctic research and exploration
Cold Regions engineering and physical science information

It contains references to scientific and engineering research related to material and operations, the nature and impact of cold on facilities and activities, arctic research and the impact of human activity on cold environments.