College of The Albemarle, located in coastal Northeastern North Carolina, is partnering with a regional public school system (Dare County Public Schools) and a state university (Elizabeth City State University) to expand the number of marine and estuarine technicians prepared in the region and improve the way in which marine technology is taught at both the secondary and community college levels. The Albemarle region is experiencing extraordinary growth in tourism and home construction, creating pressure on ecosystems and the accelerated need for more and better trained marine & estuarine technicians. Up until the present time, the three partnering education agencies have worked independently in marine technician education. This is a first-time effort to work together. The Albemarle AquaTech Project has a broad impact in strengthening the alignment of marine technician high school and college curricula on a regional (seven county) basis. It is now possible to use advanced monitoring and testing equipment on a floating marine lab by high school and college faculty and students. The particular focus of the project on training marine technicians to work in the streams, rivers, and shallow coastal areas of Northeastern North Carolina is much needed, not only for the immediate region, but in the training of specialized marine technicians for work in similar ecosystems, nationally. The intellectual merit of the project lies in its ability to incorporate into all components (faculty training, curricular development, and student coursework) experiences in current research on coastal and estuarine ecosystems in the Albemarle, specifically as they apply to the work of marine technicians. Three areas of scientific problems facing the region are strongly emphasized: 1) the impact of algal bloom on area ecologies; 2) preservation and restoration of indigenous endangered species, particularly loggerhead, green and Kemp's Ridley turtles and 3) research on ways to accurately and efficiently monitor water quality. Additional intellectual merit is evident in the quality of partners committed to providing research and training expertise for the project. These include the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center at Monterey Peninsula College, the Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center (St. Leonard, Maryland), Sea Grant North Carolina, and Bio-Link's Southeast Regional Center at Alamance College. The primary audience in each year of the Albemarle AquaTech Project includes 282 high school and college students, four COA faculty and eight public school science teachers. Activities include: 1) Five days training for faculty and teachers; 2) Revision of eight existing COA Marine Science courses; 3) Creation of a floating lab configured with advanced marine technology equipment; 4) Recruitment, registration and completion of marine technology coursework by 82 high school and college students; 5) Field trips by 200 high school students using the floating lab; 6) Articulation meetings by COA, ECSU and Dare County schools officials; and 7) Evaluation and dissemination of the project's findings and accomplishments to education, research and workforce development agencies across the region and nation.
