Why should I attend?

Ever thought about:

• Incorporating field experiences into your courses?
• Helping students collect or access authentic data?
• Bringing the local environment into your classroom?

If so, join us to learn more about the Rutgers Raritan River Initiative! Come provide feedback on how to best assist you in using the Raritan River Basin to reach your course goals.

When and where is the event?

April 18, 2016
1-3pm
Trayes Hall, Douglass Student Center

How do I register?

Registration is not required but is requested.
To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/j6cnqpu

What is the Raritan River Initiative?

For Rutgers students the Raritan River is a problem, a physical barrier separating campuses experienced primarily through the windows of a bus. The Raritan River Initiative proposes to transform the Raritan Basin into an academic solution, an interactive field laboratory that enhances the student experience by linking science, engineering, and humanities programs through interdisciplinary classes, projects and activities that take place not only on the banks of but actually on and in the Old Raritan and its tributaries.

Our goal is to provide access to and awareness of the science and history of the Raritan River. Students can explore the Raritan River aboard the 20 passenger landing craft docked in New Brunswick and/or access authentic data collected with the Raritan River and its tributaries. Meanwhile, faculty can access lesson plans and resources created by other Rutgers faculty focusing on the Raritan River.

To find out more about this initiative and how you can participate, contact Carrie Ferraro at ferraro@marine.rutgers.edu.

Date: Saturday, February 6, 2016

Time: 7am – 6pm

Location: Cook Campus Center, Rutgers University

What Is Shore Bowl?

The Shore Bowl is a regional academic competition  for high school students in NJ, NY, and PA that focuses on ocean-related topics.  These topics include the biology, chemistry, physics and geology of the ocean, as well as navigation, geography, and related history and literature.  The Shore Bowl will be one of 25 regional competitions hosted around the country. The winners of each regional competition will travel to Morehead City, North Carolina to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.  Prizes will be awarded to the top teams at both the regional and national levels.

For the latest on Shore Bowl, check out our Facebook page!

For more information about the National Ocean Science bowl program, watch the “About the NOSB” video or check out the NOSB website.

Who Can Participate in Shore Bowl?

Eligibility Rubles

1. Each competing team consists of a coach (see the Coaching Policy section for more details), at least four student members, and in addition may include one student alternate (a team of three is not eligible to compete).
2. To be eligible to compete, a student must be enrolled for the current school year in grades nine, ten, eleven, or twelve at the team’s school or be participating through a student support organization (private, parochial, and home schools are eligible).

For additional information on eligibility, check out the National Ocean Sciences Bowl website.

Why Participate In An Ocean Sciences Bowl?

Aside from generating fun and camaraderie, the competition is intended to:

1. Broaden the awareness and understanding of high school students, teachers, and parents on the latest marine and oceanographic science,
2. Create an ideal opportunity to expose teachers to the value and excitement of using the oceans as a tool for both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary science education, and
3. Provide an opportunity for students to interact with volunteers that work in a variety of marine science settings and positions highlighting career possibilities in the marine sciences

Still not convinced, check out this video produced by the National Ocean Sciences Bowl Office.

How Does Shore Bowl Work:

Teams of five students (four plus one alternate) compete in timed matches that include:

1. Multiple choice and short answer buzzer questions and
2. Written team challenge questions.

Competitions consist preliminary of round-robin matches, followed by a series of single-elimination matches for the top teams.

The winner of the Shore Bowl earns the right to compete in the national competition in North Carolina.

Where Can I Get Additional Information?

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl website contains information on the competition, including the competition and eligibility rules, tips for forming a successful team, sample competition questions, and study resources.

If you have more specific questions, please feel free to contact Carrie Ferraro at ferraro@marine.rutgers.edu.

How do I register?

To register, go to the Shore Bowl 2016 registration site. The deadline to register is November 15, 2015.

*** Don’t forget to share this link or the event flyer with anyone that you think might be interested in participating!

Videos

The Secret Lives of Sharks by Camrin Braun

Antarctica: The Story of an Oceanographer by Filipa Carvalho

The Biological Pump by Colleen Durkin

S.O.S Trouble at Sea by Rachel Shelley

Stories & Blog Posts

Why is it so hard to make my shell? by Ileana Freytes-Ortiz

A Tale of an Experiment Gone Wrong, Perseverance, and Novel Discovery by Bethanie Edwards

Tony the  T‐Cell by Gabrielle Lehrer-­‐Brey

Ship happens! Fieldwork and friendship on the high seas by Nicole Pereira

Arctic Spring by Ben Harden

You are what (and even where) you eat by Nicole Misarti

Concept Maps & Reflections on Using Concept Mapping

Internal Waves by Maha Haji

The Use of Concept Mapping in a Global Climate Change Course by Matthew Brown

The Biological Pump by Colleen Durkin

Curriculum & Lesson Development

Exposing A Diverse Audience to Career Possibilities in Ocean Science by J.P. Balmonte

CSI for Coral Reefs: live web-broadcasts for high school students by Danielle Claar

Oceanography Careers by Genevieve Bret (w/Associated Reflection)

Who Is a Scientist? by Adrienne George

ENVS3003 Ocean Science Course by Karen Chen (w/ Key Concepts Covered)

Broader Impact Statements Using the Broader Impact Wizard

“Interaction of ocean waves and currents with muddy coasts” by Ilgar Safak

Broader Impacts plan for interdisciplinary monsoon project in Bangladesh by Matthew Reeve

Scientists are increasingly being asked to communicate the “broader impacts” of their work. With the threat of a decline in both the scientific workforce and the public’s literacy on ocean and environmental science issues, the time is now for stepping up our efforts to promote ocean literacy.

Although there is no single approach for a successful integrated research and education plan, this workshop builds the foundation for attendees to think creatively about how their research will impact their education goals and, conversely, how their education activities will feed back into their research. When research and education are effectively interconnected, the process of discovery can help stimulate learning and the resulting research can be communicated to a broader audience.

Workshop Focus:
To help scientists communicate the “broader impacts” of their work and better integrate their education and research activities, four COSEE centers (COSEE NOW, COSEE OS, COSEE Ocean, and COSEE California) have collaborated to develop the Gears Professional Development Workshop for Early Career Scientists. The Gears workshops, which have been held across the county, include both face-to-face and online sessions and feature demonstrations and discussions on a variety of communication techniques. Following the face-to-face workshops, participants have the opportunity to work with education and outreach professionals to develop their own outreach/broader impact plans and products. For examples of work created by previous participant check out the Gears Scientists Projects.

The Gears:

The skills and techniques presented during the Gears workshops are interconnected and can be applied simultaneously. Therefore, we have organized them into four interconnected Gears or areas:

Gear #1: Deconstruct Your Science When translating scientific research it helps to break down your message into its key components. This gear focuses on two methods for deconstructing your message including Concept Mapping (COSEE Ocean Science) and Storytelling (COSEE NOW).

Gear #2: Understand How People Learn This gear focuses on what the educational research says about how people learn and what this can this tell us about effective ways to teach our students and communicate with the public. The Understand gear sets the stage for incorporating effective strategies for learning into practice as scientists share science with diverse audiences (COSEE CA).

Gear #3: Build Effective Communication Techniques Learners build an understanding of the world around them through their experiences, motivation, and social interactions. This gear includes information about how you can apply concepts, and effective practices and strategies gleaned from the learning sciences, into your education and outreach efforts.

Gear #4: Broaden the Reach of Your Science The ability to share your scientific message with those outside your research group is critical for career advancement. With funding trends moving towards large collaborative research programs, it is more important than ever that scientists collaborate not only within their discipline, but also across and beyond scientific disciplines.

***For specific information on previous Gears workshops, including agendas, check out the COSEE NOW Events pages.

When: April 16-18, 2014

Where: The Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia

Who: Broader Impacts Professionals

Summit Goals:

• Increase collaboration among broader impacts professionals
• Enhance broader impacts scholarship
• Influence policy regarding broader impacts

For additional information on the program and to register, go to the Summit website.

I) DECONSTRUCT: Deconstruct your Research and Share your Pathway to Science
Date: Monday February 24, 2014, 12:30 – 1:45pm
Location: Room 318AB
Presenter: Annette deCharon, Carla Companion, and Ryan Cope COSEE Ocean Systems

Deconstruct your science. In this workshop you will learn and apply concept mapping skills to help you: 1) visually represent your science in a “bigger picture” context, 2) simplify your research goals and communicate them to others, and 3) share your pathway to becoming a scientist. Concept mapping will help you in writing collaborative proposals, improving your presentations, and focusing your science on questions of societal significance. Lunch will be provided to the first 50 participants.

II) DECONSTRUCT:  Telling Stories about your Science.
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 12:30 – 1:45pm
Location: Room 318AB
Presenter: Dr. Ari Daniel Shapiro, COSEE NOW

Stories are our currency of communication and memory.  In this workshop, you will learn how to frame your science using storytelling techniques.  You will learn how to use stories to engage your audience and help them understand your science. You will hear some examples, and get to try it yourself. Ari is a radio broadcaster and freelancer with NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Radiolab, PRI’s The World, and the NY Times.  Lunch will be provided to the first 50 participants.

III) LEARN: What’s the relationship between understanding the science of climate change and making conservation-based decisions?
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 12:30 – 1:45pm
Location: Room 319AB
Presenter: Catherine Halversen and Lynn Tran, COSEE California

How deeply do people need to understand the science of climate change before they are activated to do something about it? We address this question by discussing how people learn and how we make decisions, and considering how a deeper understanding of the human mind is helpful for communicating science.  This interactive workshop will explore the relationship between understanding and conservation-based decision-making, around climate change. Lunch is provided to the first 50 participants.

IV) BUILD AND BROADEN: The Broader Impact Wizard: Step-by-step instructions on how to write Criterion II
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2014, 12:30 – 1:45pm
Location: Room 318AB
Presenter: Janice McDonnell and Dr. Carrie Ferraro, COSEE NOW

Scientists are increasingly being asked to communicate the “broader impacts” of their work.  We will explore a suite of new online resources for scientists aimed at helping you develop a BI statement that will satisfy NSF Criterion II and fulfill your interest in communicating your science. Learn about the important points to include in your BI statement and tips on selecting potential audiences, identifying appropriate collaborators, and developing activities that achieve broader impacts.

The winners have been announced! Check out the end of this post to see information about this year’s competition!

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014

Time: 7am – 6pm

Location: Food Science Building, Rutgers University

What Is Shore Bowl?

The Shore Bowl is a regional academic competition for high school students in NJ, NY, and PA that focuses on ocean-related topics.  These topics include the biology, chemistry, physics and geology of the ocean, as well as navigation, geography, and related history and literature.  The Shore Bowl will be one of 25 regional competitions hosted around the country. The winners of each regional competition will travel to Seattle, WA to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.  Prizes will be awarded to the top teams at both the regional and national levels.

Who Can Participate in Shore Bowl?

Eligibility Rubles

1. Each competing team consists of a coach (see the Coaching Policy section for more details), at least four student members, and in addition may include one student alternate (a team of three is not eligible to compete).
2. To be eligible to compete, a student must be enrolled for the current school year in grades nine, ten, eleven, or twelve at the team’s school or be participating through a student support organization (private, parochial, and home schools are eligible).

For additional information on eligibility, check out the National Ocean Sciences Bowl website.

Why Participate In An Ocean Sciences Bowl?

Aside from generating fun and camaraderie, the competition is intended to:

1. Broaden the awareness and understanding of high school students, teachers, and parents on the latest marine and oceanographic science,
2. Create an ideal opportunity to expose teachers to the value and excitement of using the oceans as a tool for both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary science education, and
3. Provide an opportunity for students to interact with volunteers that work in a variety of marine science settings and positions highlighting career possibilities in the marine sciences

How Does Shore Bowl Work:

Teams of five students (four plus one alternate) compete in timed matches that include:

1. Multiple choice and short answer buzzer questions and
2. Written team challenge questions.

Competitions consist preliminary of round-robin matches, followed by a series of single-elimination matches for the top teams.

The winner of the Shore Bowl earns the right to compete in the national competition in Seattle, WA on May 1-4, 2014. (***Due to the budget cuts the NOSB program is facing, teams may need to raise their own funds to travel to the National Finals Competition.) 

Where Can I Get Additional Information?

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl website contains information on the competition, including the competition and eligibility rules, tips for forming a successful team, sample competition questions, and study resources.

If you have more specific questions, please feel free to contact Carrie Ferraro at ferraro@marine.rutgers.edu.

The 2014 Competition – Results and Information

This year, 16 high school teams from NJ, NY, and PA and over 50 volunteers came to Cook Campus’ Food Science Building to compete in this year’s competition. For information on who was there and how the competition was structured, check out the 2014 Shore Bowl program.

The competition was close throughout the day as teams competed in round robin and double elimination rounds. Ultimately, the winning A teams were Princeton High School (first place), West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (second place), and Marine Academy of Science & Technology (third place). Other winners included, the Marine Academy of Science & Technology B Team, who ranked first among the B teams, and Manasquan High School, who won the Sportsmanship Award for their great attitude during the competition and their respect for other teams and officials.

The Shore Bowl organizers would like to thank all of the teams who participated and especially all of the volunteers who made the competition possible.

Workshop Date: Sunday, February 23, 2014

Workshop Time: 8am – 5pm

Workshop Location: Hawaii Convention Center

Workshop Participants – WHO should attend?
Early career scientists:

• Those holding a doctoral degree and who are employed in a post-doctoral or tenure-track (or tenure-track-equivalent) position as an assistant professor (or equivalent title)
• Advanced graduate student at an accredited U.S. institution

Workshop Purpose – WHY should I attend?
Scientists are increasingly being asked to communicate the “broader impacts” of their work. With the threat of a decline in both the scientific workforce and the public’s literacy on ocean and environmental science issues, the time is now for stepping up our efforts to promote ocean literacy.

Although there is no single approach for a successful integrated research and education plan, this workshop will build the foundation for attendees to think creatively about how their research will impact their education goals and, conversely, how their education activities will feed back into their research. When research and education are effectively interconnected, the process of discovery can help stimulate learning and the resulting research can be communicated to a broader audience.

Workshop Focus:
The Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) facilitates partnerships between scientists and education professionals (including formal and informal educators, learning scientists, psychologists, and media professionals) to collectively work toward the improvement of public literacy about our ocean. Please join us for a workshop series that will include both face-to-face and online sessions, featuring demonstrations and discussions to address skills that include:

• Deconstructing your science
• Understanding learning theories concerning how people learn that you can apply to your teaching and science presentations
• Building effective communication techniques
• Broaden the reach of your science

Following the face-to-face workshop, participants will have the opportunity to work with education and outreach professionals to develop their own outreach/broader impact plan.

Stipend: Participants will receive a $250 stipend for attending the all-day workshop and an additional $250 after completing a broader impacts activity of their choosing.

Registration: Register here. Participants will be accepted on a first come first serve basis so register today.

For more information, please download the the workshop agenda and the workshop flyer or contact Dr. Carrie Ferraro at ferraro@marine.rutgers.edu.

The Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is offering a yearlong marine science program for 9-12th grade science teachers and students in the greater Topeka, KS area. Planting AntaRctica in KAnsas (Project PARKA) will connect teachers and students with research scientists to learn about interdisciplinary oceanographic research taking place on the West Antarctic Peninsula to characterize the connection between ocean chemistry, climate change, and Antarctic food webs.

During the year, students will learn the research mission science through participating in classroom activities (Fall 2013), following mission blogs and talking with scientists at Palmer Station, Antarctica, through Live Video Broadcasts (January 2014), and meeting the research scientists while presenting their own research at a spring Student Research Symposium (May 2014). Teachers will participate in a summer workshop (July 16-17, 2013) to learn about the research science and education project. Participating teachers will be provided a stipend for their involvement, contingent upon completion of all phases of the project.

For additional information and to receive an application, view the attached flyer or contact:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson
Program Coordinator
Email: hunterthomson@marine.rutgers.edu
Phone: 848.932.3281

Deadline for applying is June 15, 2013. The project is limited to 20 teachers.

Pass along this information to any of your colleagues that you think would be interested in participating.

Click here to view the project flyer.

** We will be creating the project’s website (coseenow.net/project-parka/) in the coming week. **

In the summer of 2012, COSEE NOW worked with The Mid Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) to run a needs assessment workshop for scientists interested in teaching with data from the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The meeting took place at Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences and involved four of the six PI MARACOOS scientists. Our objective was to develop model content that focuses on MARACOOS data products that could be used as assets to teach themes and concepts taught in an introduction to oceanography course (majors or non majors open for debate). This workshop resulted in draft lesson plans that can be refined and integrated with evolving visualization tools.
workshop and its findings, download The Mid Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observation System (MARACOOS) Needs Assessment Workshop Report.