Categorized | Education

Free educator symposium at Oceans ’11 (Sept. 17)

MEDIA RELEASE

The international OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona conference sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Oceanic Engineering Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE/OES) will host a FREE Education Symposium called “Oceans of Opportunity” 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.

The event, held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, will offer full and half-day professional development programs designed for elementary to high school educators. Lunch is included with the program. Advance registration is required.

Oceans of Opportunity will offer programs on Pacific Coral Reefs & Climate Change, Discovery of Sound in the Sea, and Exploration in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

All programs are free of charge to elementary and high school teachers in the state. Seating is limited.

Co-chairing this event are Paula Keener, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research; Gail Scowcroft, URI Graduate School of Oceanography; and Dr. Laura Murray, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

“Instructors who attend the Education Symposium will learn how to better present lessons and other activities about the oceans in their classrooms,” Keener said. “The program is one of our ongoing formal education efforts to expand ocean science education to the Pacific Region and around the world.”

The Education Symposium is one of the events associated with and sponsored by the international conference OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona, Sept. 19-22. The theme for this year’s conference is Oceans of Opportunity: International Cooperation and Partnerships Across the Pacific. OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants, many of whom are leading experts in the field of ocean engineering, technology and conservation.

This conference is the major international forum for scientists, engineers, and responsible ocean users to present the latest research results, ideas, developments, and applications in oceanic engineering and marine technology.

In addition to the Education Symposium, the conference will feature tutorials on special interest topics, a comprehensive technical program of lectures and presentations, a student program, and an oceans technology trade exhibition with products from more than 100 companies.

The last time Hawaii hosted this conference was in 2001, in Honolulu. According to Conference General Chairman and Director of the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, Dr. John Wiltshire, the abstract committee has already received a record-breaking 750 abstracts from around the world.

The conference is expected to pump about $5 million into the Big Island economy. Mayor Billy Kenoi, and Dr. Brian Taylor, Dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii, are serving as honorary co-chairmen.

Interested teachers may register for the Education Symposium at: www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org

For complete conference registration information, visit: www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org/main.cfm/CID/16/Registration

“Oceans of Opportunity” Education Symposium
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011
Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kona

Course Descriptions

Pacific Coral Reefs and Climate Change Module Workshop
By Dr. Laura Murray, Research Professor, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Maximum 40 participants
This full day professional development workshop will introduce educators of all grade levels to the Pacific Coral Reefs and Climate Change Module, following the National Park Service and COSEE Coastal Trends’ educational module on Coral Reefs and Climate Change. The module was developed by a fellowship team, which included Hawaiian high school teachers and University of Hawaii graduate and undergraduate students who synthesized National Park Service science and integrated cultural knowledge to produce the content.

Discovery of Sound in the Sea
By Gail Scowcroft, Associate Director, Office of Marine Programs, URI Graduate School of Oceanography and Executive Director, National Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Network
9 a.m. – Noon, Maximum 30 participants
1 – 4 p.m., Maximum 30 participants
This half-day professional development program, to be presented as a morning and afternoon session, will provide opportunities for middle and high school level educators to make connections between the phenomena of underwater sound and their educational activities. The science of underwater sound, the production of sound, and the impact of anthropogenic sound of marine life will be discussed as participants engage in related science activities. Online resources will be shared, including an audio gallery of the underwater sounds produced by animals, people, and the natural world. Participants will receive free CD-ROMS to use with their students.

Why Should We Explore the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument?
By Paula Keener, Director, Education Programs, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and Susan Haynes, Education Program Manager, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
9 a.m. – Noon, Maximum 30 participants
1 – 4 p.m., Maximum 30 participants
This half-day professional development program, to be presented as a morning and afternoon session, will introduce middle and high school level educators to some of the reasons why ocean exploration and research are critical in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument (MTMNM) through inquiry and standards-based lesson plans that have been developed on ocean exploration expeditions in the Monument areas. Participants will be given ocean exploration curriculum materials and other resources to support the introduction of this exciting and engaging topic in their classrooms.

Luncheon Keynote
“The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument: Science Exploration and Research”
Eric Breuer, Marine Monument Science Coordinator,
National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

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