SEACOOS: Ocean observing with a window for educators
SEACOOS Science Depends on Research Creativity: Meet Dr. Dana Savidge
Marine Educator on the Move! Meet Terri Hathaway
A Rising Tide Floats All Boats! Meet Rob Young
Science in the News: Invasive Species
Hurricane Isabel slams North Carolina
Marine Education Teaching Internships at UGA MECA


SEACOOS: Ocean observing with a window for educators
by Lundie Spence, Ph.D., Director and Harris Henderson, SEACOOS Web Content Editor

The South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) is a new, regional research group developed to better understand what's happening in the coastal ocean waters stretching from Florida to North Carolina. Using instruments located on moored buoys, platforms and drifters, scientists have partnered together to collect and examine data from across the region. Models translate the data and identify present and predicted conditions of wind, waves and currents. The results are uncovering new details about the complex nature of currents--the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Current as it passes north of Cuba and south of the Florida Key, and the subsequent Gulf Stream that flows around Florida and passes northward of North Carolina.

These coastal currents impact people and natural ecosystems both on land and at sea. The SEACOOS current data are helping us to improve shipping, better prepare for hurricanes and storm effects, reduce public health and safety risks and protect and restore healthy marine systems.

Universities, COSEEs, Sea Grants and state and federal agencies are working together not only to identify and model new data, but also to make them useful to the public and the private sector.

Educators and their students can start using SEACOOS to answer questions about our coastal waters. Hourly reports on wind speed and direction are posted on the Web site. Log on to SEACOOS (www.seacoos.org) and find out what's happening now!

SouthEast COSEE and its partners, Florida COSEE (http://floridacosee.net) and the Central Gulf of Mexico COSEE (http://www.lumcon.edu/education/cosee/), provide the education and outreach component of the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS). To find out about other COSEE sites, visit COSEE.NET (http://www.cosee.net).

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SEACOOS Science Depends on Research Creativity: Meet Dr. Dana Savidge

By Terri Hathaway, Marine Education Specialist, NC Sea Grant

Picture this – a 6th grade girl whose father is both a geologist and an optometrist (since geology didn’t pay the bills) and whose mother is a 2nd grade teacher inherits her father’s love of science and wants to be a scientist when she grows up.

Now fast forward to today and meet Dr. Dana K. Savidge, a new researcher at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, Ga. She started her new job November 1, 2003 after spending three years at Old Dominion University, Va, researching the circulation patterns of coastal waters over the continental shelf near Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Dana received her undergraduate degree in physics from Hanover College, Indiana, her Masters of Science degree in geophysical science from Georgia Tech, and her PhD in physical oceanography from UNC Chapel Hill. Her research expertise focuses on currents, including circulation over the continental shelf, mechanisms of cross-shelf transport of water, and boundary current effects on deep ocean and coastal circulation.

She is part of the research team for coastal ocean observing systems. This includes the data from SABSOON (South Atlantic Bight Synoptic Offshore Observational Network) and SEACOOS (South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observation System). Her research at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will further develop instrumentation for data collection.

Among all the high school math and science classes that prepared her for her science career, Dana’s favorite class was one that focused on the Latin roots of words. Her favorite teacher was Coach Krietemeyer who taught World History. When asked why, Dana replied, “He was good; he presented lots of information in a way that made sense.” Words for teachers to live by!

When not working, Dana enjoys spending time with her family, made up of her husband, her 7-year-old twin daughters, and her cat (who almost didn’t forgive her for getting married and having children). Dana's contact information: Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411 (912) 598-2400

Marine Educator on the Move!
By Pam Smith, N C Sea Grant

Terri Kirby Hathaway is taking on new marine education duties at North Carolina Sea Grant — fresh from 18 years as education curator at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island (http://www.ncaquariums.com/). She will be responsible for fostering marine education literacy across North Carolina, from the coast to the mountains.

At the aquarium, she was responsible for developing and conducting youth and public education programs, supervising staff, writing and editing publications, developing budgets and making presentations.

In addition, she served as the lead education curator for the three North Carolina aquariums. In this role, she coordinated joint educational initiatives and was primary spokesperson for aquarium education.

Hathaway is active in marine education at state, regional and national levels. She has held leadership roles in the National Marine Educators Association and co-chaired that organization’s 2003 national conference. She was the long-time editor of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association’s quarterly newsletter.

She is no stranger to the Sea Grant mission. Through the years, she collaborated with her Sea Grant predecessor, Lundie Spence, on a number of projects, including Operation Pathfinder and Paddle to the Sea. She also worked closely with marine education specialists at Virginia Sea Grant, serving as the Atlantic Regional Coordinator for The Bridge, an online ocean science resource center funded by National Sea Grant and the National Ocean Partnership Program.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in marine biology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and her master’s degree in science education at East Carolina University. Hathaway also did graduate work and research at Texas A&M University.

Terri Hathaway's contact information: Phone(252) 475-3663; FAX (252) 475-3545; email: terrikh@csi.northcarolina.edu; Mailing address--NC Sea Grant, PO Box 699, Manteo, NC 27954

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A Rising Tide Floats All Boats!! Dr. Rob Young connects marine science to local teachers.
By Jennifer Jolly Clair, Curriculum Specialist, South East COSEE, College of Charleston

Connecting scientists and educators – a concise summary of a brilliantly laid plan to improve the scientific competence of local high school science teachers, renew excitement for scientific discovery and provide research and teaching experience for undergraduate students describes The Rising Tide project, the brainchild of Dr. Rob Young, Coastal Carolina University.

Dr. Young began the project with the goals of enabling high-school teachers to motivate their students by bringing locally relevant scientific research into the classroom and to establish communication and cooperation between local high schools and higher education. Rising Tide is designed to raise the level of scientific awareness and confidence in classroom teachers by making collaboration between researchers and educators the norm, rather than the exception. In addition, the project is based on the premise that educators will readily teach science topics if they have experience with the material, and both students and teachers are best motivated to learn scientific concepts through the use of hands-on research that is relevant to their everyday lives.

In the Rising Tide model, teacher/student teams consist of one high-school science teacher and one undergraduate science major. The teacher/student Team works with a marine science researcher (research mentor) on a research project during the summer. “Faculty researchers are enthusiastic about participating,” said Young, “because the Rising Tide model allows them to work with teachers while simultaneously fulfilling their primary missions toward undergraduate teaching and research. The program builds on local strengths to make local connections.”

With funding from South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium for the next two years, the Rising Tide Project will continue at Coastal Carolina University, and will expand to the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. The long-term goal is to establish sustainability through corporate sponsorship of Teacher/Student Teams.

Past projects included topics such as sharks in Winyah Bay, S.C., sea breezes and local weather, water quality testing and the ecological role of bottlenose dolphins in North Inlet and Winyah Bay, S.C.. Based on the methodology and data from their research experience, teams design discovery and inquiry-based classroom activities. These activities are available in a Web-friendly format and are “field” tested in the teachers’ classrooms. During the pilot year of this project, the activities were incorporated into the South Carolina Aquarium’s Web site. Subsequent activities will be posted to the SouthEast COSEE website.

For more information about the Rising Tide, contact Dr. Rob Young at ryoung@coastal.edu or visit the Rising Tide at (http://kingfish.coastal.edu/marine/risingtide/).

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Science in the News: Invasive Species
By Lundie Spence, Ph.D., SECOSEE

Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina extend over most of the coastline of the South Atlantic Bight , which has over 585 linear miles of coastline and 9,376 miles of estuarine shorelines. Combine this with port cities and interstate commerce of live marine animals the result is increasing incidence of non-native species impact. Consider the reports of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish (Pterois sp.) found on the continental shelf of the South Atlantic Bight. Were they escapees from aquariums in Florida or are they wanderers from the Panama Canal? While not sure of their origins, scientists in submersibles on ocean explorations have counted enough to feel that there is a small and growing population.

The Georgia estuarine waters near Brunswick have been invaded by the Asian green mussel (Perna viridis), another non-native bivalve from the Indo-Pacific region. Alan Power from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and scientists from the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service confirmed the sighting early in the fall of 2003.

The Asian green mussel appeared in U.S. waters around Tampa, Florida in 1999, and was found near St. Augustine, Florida earlier in 2003. Researchers believe that ballast water from cargo ships, taken on to stabilize the ship and then later discharged, is the source of this invasion. These mussels could come directly from Asia or perhaps from established invasive populations in South America. Power said, "(Ships) are supposed to exchange the water far out to sea, but it's not a mandatory thing." The mussels have a swimming larvae phase which last several weeks, and then they must settle down for their benthic existence, usually attaching to some hard structure. When the ships take on ballast water, they can take the larvae right along with them.

The UGA Marine Extension Service is conducting a survey of coastal ports, including Savannah, GA., Jacksonville, FL., Charleston, S.C., and Wilmington, N.C., to locate the presence of non-native species. The green mussel is considered a species of special concern for the survey.

Invasive species, like the green mussel, may compete with native species, like oysters, for both food and habitat. In Tampa, the green mussels have been so prolific that they have covered nearly all of the hard structures in the water. Industries on the water in Tampa have experienced problems with the green mussels growing inside water intake pipes, effectively clogging them.

This parallels the early phase of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), another invasive bivalve, which has affected the Great Lakes and their tributaries since it was accidently introduced in 1988. Industries and municipalities along the Tennessee River and several tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay are keeping watch for this little mussel. So far, there have been no confirmed sightings in Georgia, North Carolina or South Carolina.

David M. Knott from the Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, SC maintains an interesting web site, which can help you identify some species which are native or nonnative. (http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/marine/sertc/).

Education lessons on the zebra mussels could be modified for other marine invasive species. Check out the following web sites.

Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Web Site
(http://www.sgnis.org/)

Sea Grant's National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse
(http://www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/nansc/nan_ld.cfm)

Introduced Species: The Threat to Biodiversity & What Can Be Done (http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/simberloff.html)

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Hurricane Isabel slams North Carolina
By Lundie Spence, Ph.D., SECOSEE

Hurricane Isabel could have hit any coast in the South Atlantic Bight in September. However, the eye of Isabel crossed over North Carolina's Outer Banks near Ocracoke. Storm surge, waves and currents from the hurricane breached the barrier island near Hatteras Village. The dynamic nature of barrier islands is obvious under these high energy conditions. Jerri Reining, one of SE COSEE Institute participants from 2003, used aerial photographs of the inlet in her Atlanta middle grade science classes. Teachers can really make science relevant to their students when it is front page news. You might want to check out some of these Web sites:
news (http://www.wral.com/hurricanes/); and government sources include (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov), (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/mappingchange/hurricane.html) and a video of Isabel's track at (http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html)

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Marine Education Teaching Internships at UGA MECA
By Dr. Maryellen Timmons, University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium

The University of Georgia and Georgia Sea Grant paired up in 1986 to develop an internship program based at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium (MECA) on Skidaway Island. This year we have four interns, with the fourth person supported by Coastal Zone Management. To date, we have had 49 interns in our programs and 39 of them are still working in either science or marine education, or pursuing graduate studies across the nation.

Our interns have come from 19 U.S. states with one intern from South Africa and represent students from small private colleges to large universities. Once the interns have learned about the facility and familiarized themselves with the local flora, fauna and geologic and human history, they start by taking care of the live touch tank invertebrates, used in teaching and outreach programs. The interns are also introduced to the distance learning system of Georgia called GSAMS (Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System). Keeping on your toes, and remembering which of six classes is on your screen, and trying to teach up to 125 students at one time is certainly good teacher training! Interns may teach as many different courses as they, and the staff, feel comfortable with during their 50 week stay.

Supervision of our interns allows a continuous evaluation of their progress similar to typical student teaching evaluation in a traditional classroom. Individual mid-year conferences between the staff and interns determine the strengths and weaknesses of the interns and the areas of perceived deficiencies of the intern program.

The last months of the internships are spent with in-service teachers running six weeks of Sea Camp, a weekly summer day camp for 6- to16-year-old children. Many of these children are inner-city youth that normally could not afford summer camp without our commitment to provide scholarships. Sea Camp provides science experiences for a total of 174 children per summer.

During their stay with us interns are encouraged to create educational projects that help make a difference. Just last year Laura Burkle used her creative talent to design and produce five foam costumes of coastal organisms we study with our K- 4th grade programs. These costumes were a great hit with the students! Getting dressed up as a sea star may well be the highlight of their trip here. Our 1996-97 intern, Melanie Melancon, published her first article in Science and Children in Nov/Dec. 2000.

Recent science or science education Baccalaureate graduates, may apply for one of 3-4 positions open each year. For more details go to the MECA (http://www.uga.edu/aquarium) and click on “internships.”

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SouthEast COSEE Ocean Sciences Education Leadership Institute
Oceanography Course for Teachers Online
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Environmental Education Alliance of GA (EEA)
South Carolina Marine Educators Association Annual Conference

Professional Development
SouthEast COSEE Ocean Sciences Education Leadership Institute will take place June 25-July 1, 2004 at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium, Savannah, GA. For more information and application, go to the SouthEast COSEE web site: There will be 30 slots, with 10 each for middle or high school science teachers in SC, NC, or GA.

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DataSteme-Ocean Overview, which is a free, 13-week oceanography course for teachers and is created by the American Meteorological Society, will be offered starting in January to selected participants. This course will investigate the ocean, which interacts continuously with the atmosphere, geosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere by exchanging, storing and transporting matter and energy. The course uses electronically transmitted environmental data and learning materials combined with a text and study guide readings and investigations. Three hours of graduate credit are available from State University of New York-Brockport at the successful completion of the course.The DataStreme-Ocean course is coordinated through members of the DataStreme-Ocean Local Implementation Team (LIT) who are located around the country. LITs, typically composed of three members, coordinate the selection and delivery of the course to approximately eight teacher participants each semester. Each team advertises the local course availability, recruits and selects participants, arranges and holds local meetings, individually mentors participants on course understandings and activities, provides participant evaluations, and assists in developing DataStreme-Ocean Resource Teacher action plans. Each LIT is composed of at least one master precollege teacher and most include one professional oceanographer, hydrologist, meteorologist or environmental scientist.

The course targets middle-school teachers, but is open to all K-12 teachers, who live in an area served by a LIT. Teachers of any subject who have an interest in promoting the teaching of Earth Science across the curriculum may apply. Applications are sought from persons who can demonstrate potential for leadership as resource teachers. They must be willing to act as resource persons for other teachers and as advocates for promoting the use of electronically-delivered environmental data in schools. Teachers who are members of groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, or teachers who are teaching in schools with large numbers of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, are especially urged to apply.

If you are a North Carolina teacher, contact the NC DataStreme-Ocean LIT Leader, Terri Kirby Hathaway at NC Sea Grant, PO Box 699, Manteo, NC 27954; 252-475-3663; <terrikh@csi.northcarolina.edu>. events list

Student Events
National Ocean Sciences Bowl is an academic competition for high school students focusing on ocean-related science, technology, history and navigation. . The National Competition will take place April 24-26, 2004, Charleston, SC. For more information, visit NOSB (http://www.nosb.org).

Inaugurated in 1998, the NOSB provides an educational forum for students to excel in math and science and receive national recognition for their diligence and talents. NOSB has proven that it can generate student interest and excitement about science and the oceans, giving young people a chance to examine marine science, both as an in-depth area of study and as a possible career. The NOSB fosters collegiality and teamwork, competition, imaginative thinking and factual recollection. It also allows students to work side by side with experts in a wide variety of settings. Of equal importance, NOSB excites and inspires our nation's teachers, providing them with new tools to capture the imagination of their students.

Teams are comprised of four students plus an alternate with a teacher as coach. Matches are rapid-fire, question and answer format. Preliminary matches are round robin. Final matches are double elimination. The champion team will win an expense paid trip to Charleston, SC to compete in the national bowl. Prizes can include lap-top computers, DVD players, portable CD players, cash, t-shirts, trophies, gift certificates and much more!

Blue Heron Bowl (http://www.uncw.edu/cmsr/nosb/) February 27-28, 2004. UNC-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC. Contact: MarineQuest, NOSB – 910-962-2410 or mail to: MarineQuest, NOSB, CMS, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC 28409.

South Carolina/Georgia Regional Ocean Sciences Bowl. February 28, 2004. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Contact; Anne Miller (abmiller@sc.edu) 803-777-3927

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Education Conferences
Environmental Education Alliance of GA (EEA) March 12-14, 2004 is holding its annual conference in Cordele, GA. The theme for the conference is: Environmental Education - Promoting Excellence Through Teaching, Research and Service. Registration will begin in January. For more information contact Richard E. Osorio at rosorio@uga.edu

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South Carolina Marine Educators Association Annual Conference. Join SCMEA for MARSH MADNESS! The conference will be held from March 19-21, 2004 at Palm Key Resort in Ridgeland, SC (http://www.palmkey.com). Dr. Chris Marsh of the Lowcountry Institute (http://www.lowcountryinstitute.org) will begin a weekend of learning and fun with a keynote address. Field trips and concurrent sessions filled with information and classroom ideas follow on Saturday and Sunday. Check out the SCMEA Website: (http://oceanica.cofc.edu/scmea/index.html)

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