This award goes to Cornell University in New York as the lead partner of a broad-based collaboration among academic, government, and both non-profit and for-profit private organizations. It was submitted to the National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP), and recommended for support by a panel of experts, with NSF taking a lead role in its support. The award is intended to "create state-of-the-art outreach and education materials about sound in the seas." The project includes six main components, recording and archiving of high definition video and surround-sound audio of marine mammals and their habitats, documentation of several acoustic-based research projects, creation of visualizations and exercises to illustrate complex acoustic concepts in the marine environment, creation of an educational DVD and curriculum about sound in the sea (a partnership with WGBH and Apple Computer), creation of web-based interactive tools for understanding sound in the oceans, including scientific content about research projects and oceanographic news, and creation of a documentary 'that takes people on a "whale's ear" journey of the seas.' This last will include segments on humpback whales near Hawaii, orcas in the Pacific Northwest, spinner dolphins in the NW Hawaiian Islands, and right whales in the Gulf of Maine. The broader impacts of the research are succinctly summarized by the PI as follows: "This project will answer the need for comprehensive, top-quality outreach materials with which to tell the story of sound in the sea, helping to develop a more informed public about the role people play in managing a healthy ocean, for all species."
