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March 2003 Topics     current topics

• New Center to Bridge Gap between Ocean Science Research and Education

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently announced that funding for the establishment of the SouthEast Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (Southeast COSEE) has been approved. Southeast COSEE will foster collaborations between ocean science researchers and educators, and translate the research into high-quality education programs. The Southeast center is one of seven regional centers in the United States. Southeast COSEE will be headquartered at the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium office in Charleston, S.C.

NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and NOAA Coastal Services Center have joined together to fund Southeast COSEE at approximately $300,000 a year for three years. Southeast COSEE co-principal investigator Dr. Lundie Spence, a leader in the marine education field who has been working for North Carolina Sea Grant for the past twenty years, has been selected to serve as director.

Southeast COSEE will partner with scientists and educators from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to incorporate the science community’s expertise into professional development opportunities for K-16 marine science teachers and inquiry-based educational materials for their students. “One of our goals is to transfer research knowledge to teachers while, at the same time, inspiring students, especially traditionally under-represented minority students, to pursue marine science careers,” said Spence. “We want to integrate ocean research into educational programs that show the practical side of science, or how that piece of research helps us understand what’s happening in the marine environment.” Educational programs will be centered around three themes: the Deep Blue Sea, the Coastal Ocean and the Land-Sea Interface.

“The opportunity to introduce minority populations to coastal resource management is a particularly exciting component of this program,” said Margaret Davidson, director of the NOAA Coastal Services Center. “We need more diversity in this field. Contributing to the education of our children is one of the most effective ways to make this happen.”

Spence is currently in the process of establishing a Southeast COSEE board of advisors, and three staff members have been hired: research specialist Dr. Carrie Thomas, located in Raleigh, N.C., and curriculum specialist Jennifer Jolly Clair and administrative assistant Carolyn Robinson, both located in Charleston, S.C. An education specialist will soon be hired who will work within the Georgia Sea Grant program. Southeast COSEE lead partners include representatives from state and federal marine science programs, higher education institutions, research facilities, local and state education departments, science education centers, aquaria, non-governmental organizations and professional societies in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunities Southeast COSEE will provide for the ocean science and education communities in this region of the United States,” said Rick DeVoe, executive director of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and Southeast COSEE co-principal investigator. “By linking the diverse talents of the southeast’s institutions through the Sea Grant program network in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, we will be able to bridge federal-, regional- and state-level ocean science education programs much more effectively.”

Southeast COSEE staff will begin by identifying potential partners in the tri-state region and taking an inventory of regional marine research projects and scientists. A workshop, Multicultural Pathways to Ocean Science Strategies, is planned for spring 2003 to identify successful educational techniques that will engage under-represented students. An Ocean Education Leadership Institute is planned for summer 2003 for middle- and high-school teachers. Participants in both the workshop and leadership institute will discuss successful projects and develop new strategies for Southeast COSEE. Spence also plans an Ocean Science Education on-line professional development course for marine science teachers.

“This initiative gives our southeast partners the opportunity to do great things in ocean education throughout the region,” said Paula Keener-Chavis, national education coordinator for the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration. “By looking at ways that we can make existing partnerships more effective and examine ways to leverage new resources across the region, I am confident that outstanding opportunities will be available to every teacher, informal educator, student, scientist and citizen seeking to learn more about the oceans and collaborations in ocean science education and research.” Keener-Chavis served as the original co-principal investigator on the Southeast COSEE proposal while she was still director of the Charleston Math and Science Hub.

NSF has also established COSEE centers in the following regions or states: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, COSEE-West (Los Angeles, Calif.) and California, with a central coordinating office in Washington, D.C. “These innovative partnerships will clearly enrich what teachers teach and students learn,” said Susan Cook, program officer of NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences. “The work of the COSEE network as a whole will promote better public understanding of the key role that the ocean plays in global environmental cycles and processes.”

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium is one of 30 programs in the National Sea Grant College Program, which is federally funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Consortium maximizes the economic, social and environmental potential of South Carolina’s coastal and marine resources through research, education and outreach.

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