COSEE-NOW proposes to use information generated by ocean observing systems (OOS) as a powerful platform to enhance public literacy about the ocean and stimulate public support for ocean research. The mission of COSEE-NOW is to enable use of transformative ocean research and effective education practices to inspire students and the general public in ocean exploration, discovery, and stewardship. COSEE-NOW has identified three key areas of investment that combine the resources and experiences of the project PIs to promote high-quality OOS education and public outreach (EPO) and contribute to the COSEE network. The goals include:
1) Assess the knowledge and needs of target OOS audiences: The PIs propose to survey target audiences including the K-16 students/teachers, policy/decision makers, and the science literate public to understand their awareness, knowledge, and attitudes related to OOS. The results of these needs assessments will enable COSEE-NOW and OOS EPO providers to develop useful products while increasing awareness of OOS and its relevance to these audiences. 2) Improve collaboration and coordination among scientists and educators in the OOS community. This proposed effort will support EPO programs within existing OOS networks while helping to develop planned OOS initiatives. Our work will increase the effective translation and dissemination of scientific data and knowledge to broader audiences and improve use of effective education practices among scientists in the OOS community. 3) Increase public awareness of Ocean Observing Systems. COSEE-NOW is externally focused on building public awareness of OOS through innovative media products, K-12 classroom applications, and free-choice learning environments. Through this goal, we expect to increase awareness of OOS and ocean literacy concepts among a variety of target audiences.
COSEE-NOW is composed of an accomplished team uniquely qualified to conduct the proposed tasks. COSEE-NOW includes core partners in formal education (Rutgers University), informal education (Liberty Science Center), and research (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). Project partners including Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Stevens Institute of Technology- Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE), Monterey Peninsula College ? Marine Advanced Technology Center (MATE), and Word Craft also contribute to the COSEE-NOW team.
The COSEE NOW project has been a collaboration of Rutgers University, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Liberty Science Center (LSC), with several sub awardees. This report describes Product Outcomes for Liberty Science Center; the other lead institutions will report independently. LSC’s focus within the project has been finding innovative ways to communicate ocean science, particularly utilizing data being collected by Ocean Observing Systems. We began with the development of six 45-minute lessons for varying age groups: · Water Density in the Ocean Grade 2-4, 5-7, and 8-12 versions · Ships, Oceans, and Satellites (S.O.S.) Grade 4-6 (extenable to 12) · Move it or Lose It: The Fish Migration Game Grade 4 and up · Sea 3-D Grade 5-8 · Design an Aquarium Exhibit Grade 5-8 · Seasonality in the Ocean Grade 8-12 We also developed a walk-up activity, "Exploring the Ocean with Robots," which is presented on the floors of the Science Center. This hands-on activity introduces the concept of density, and how density is used to propel Slocum Gliders through the ocean collecting data. During the grant period, the six lessons have been presented to over 550 visiting students, and over 18,500 guests have participated in "Exploring the Ocean with Robots." The details of these lessons can all be found on the COSEE NOW website, coseenow.net The six lessons became the basis for a two-day program at the Center, exploring the physical and chemical character of the ocean and their impact on biological systems. We placed particular emphasis on the role of the ocean in carbon sequestration, developing additional lessons, including The Carbon Cycle Game (Grade 8-12), also available on the web site. Modified several times to be more inquiry-based and elevated to be appropriate for high school students, this Extended Laboratory Workshop program has been presented many times to over 1,450 students in the past 4 years. The vast majority of the students have been from underserved populations, who are underrepresented in science and especially in ocean science. In an additional effort to communicate ocean science to students, the COSEE NOW team collaborated with another NSF-funded project (Ross Sea in Antarctica: Collaborative Research: Modified Circumpolar Deep Water intrusions as an iron source to the summer Ross Sea ecosystem [0839039]) to provide means for students to follow this research mission to Antarctica coseenow.net/ross-sea/ . LSC developed a week-long Summer Institute for teachers from 23 middle schools, having them meet some of the researchers, familiarizing them with the science and research questions of the mission, and providing them with activities, materials, and information they could provide to their students. This was followed in the Fall by several internet sessions utilizing webinar technology to familiarize the teachers with the technology which would be used to connect their classrooms with the research vessel. Once the research team was on the Nathaniel B. Palmer, students followed a daily blog produced on-board by a professional science writer and a photojournalist. Toward the end of the mission, LSC facilitate nine audio sessions between the ship and groups of schools, so students could ask questions directly of the researchers onboard. This model for Broader Impacts could be replicated by others looking to link field research missions to students. The researchers were very pleased with the knowledgeable questions asked by the students, which they credit to the teachers and the excellent preparation they had been given. The COSEE NOW team was pleased to find that the students were so engaged in following the mission that they began to refer to the researchers as "our" scientists. The teachers were so enthused they requested an additional post-mission debrief meeting for themselves with the researchers. A paper detailing this experience is being submitted for publication. LSC’s experience and that of our COSEE NOW colleagues of creating data-based lessons is currently being distilled into a reference for teachers, Educating with Data. We have found it important to identify both the type of data a teacher wants to use in a lesson (learner-collected , real or near real time, synthesized , archival data, etc.) and the ability of the students to engage with that data. Are they ready to simply identify the data elements and properly record them? Are they ready to identify patterns and interpret the data? Are they ready to evaluate the quality of the data and synthesize meaning from them? By considering both aspects in the design of lessons, we have found we’ve been able to help students acquire higher levels of skill in utilizing data to understand processes and systems. We hope sharing our experience will be helpful to other educators, both formal and informal.
