SSC-9450509 Long Beach Unified School Dist. Long Beach, CA Gilbert, Dean and Jacqueling Deamer "Project OCEANS (Opportunties To Challenge The Environment and The Nature Of Science" Project OCEAN will serve 60 underrepresented-minority (Afro- American, Hispanic, and Native American) middle school students wach of the three summers of the project term. Twenty students who have hust completed the sixth, seventh, or eight grade will be selected for each cohort; at least half will be young women. Participation will be open to students from the Long Beach, Los Angeles (Harbor and South Central areas), Lawndale, Compton, Inglewood, Torrance, and PalosVerdes School Districts. Interest in science and Mathematics as demonstrated in students' application essays and interviews, GPA, completion of challenging academic programs as compared with others from their respective schools, and satisfactory records of conduct and attendance will be criteria for selection. The summer science camp will structured as an adaptation of the NTSA integrated science model. Instruction will be organized thematically, with applications of basic scientific and mathematical concepts drawn from the disciplines of marine biology, oceanography, coastal management, geology, and terrestrial ecology. The approach will be experiential and cross-curricular. The summer component will be offered in three modules, hosted at three different sites. During the first two weeks of the six-week session, students will attend a mini-institute in essential science and mathematics skills, so as to foster a common knowledge base among participants. Students will them spenc two weeks at the Southern California Marine Institute on Terminal Island (Los Angeles Harbor); there they will begin to discover applications of basic concepts withih a marine-science context through classroom and laboratory experiences and field exercises on one of the five research vessels at the disposal of the Institute. The final two weeks will be residential at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, a period which will function as an extended practicum, during which students will work on individual and small- group research projects of their choosing. Ten follow-up sessions will also be scheduled during the subsequent academic year. Part of the follow-up program will be devoted to students' producing "mini-documentaries" of their research experiences the previous summer. Project evaluation will examine changes in participants' knowlege about and attitudes toward science/mathematics engineering; subsequent enrollment in and sucdess with challenging courses in these disciplines; growth in understanding of research methodology; awareness of career opportunities in SEM fields; and requirements for postsecondary training and career options in those areas. Data will be disaggregated by ethnicity, sex , grade level, and multiple indicators of achievement to premit more penetrating and useful analysis of outcomes.
