This award provides funding for the "REVEL Project", an outreach and teacher professional development program that builds on a pilot program initiated at the University of Washington (UW) in 1996. The program will include twelve K-12 teachers from a variety of states in a suite of activities related to ongoing research on hydrothermal vent systems of the Endeavour and Juan de Fuca plate systems. The teachers will participate in cruises aboard the R/V THOMPSON or the R/V ATLANTIS and will have first-hand experience working on sea-going oceanographic research. They will work with the submersible ALVIN or an autonomous underwater vehicle called ABE. In addition, they will participate in pre and post-cruise workshops to ensure that the experiences they gain at sea can be translated to their students and other classrooms. The overall goal of the project is to encourage collaboration and partnerships between research groups and science educators. Significant matching funds have been provided by the University for shiptime each year. The program will be jointly funded by the Division of Ocean Sciences and Division of Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education.
