COSEE Pacific Partnerships is a regional collaboration among members of the Western Association of Marine Laboratories, Pacific community colleges, and informal science education institutions. The primary goal of the collaboration is to integrate marine research and education for audiences that traditionally have had limited access to an understanding of the ocean. The project will develop five partnerships based at marine labs (the University of Oregon's Institute of Marine Biology, Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center, Humboldt State University Marine Laboratory, California, the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii and Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center). Each marine lab will partner with one or more community colleges and informal science education institutions to undertake a series of actions to promote ocean education. The COSEE partnerships will develop a number of model activities that increase educational and professional development opportunities for community college faculty, which in turn will improve the ocean literacy and career potentials of community college students. These activities include opportunities for faculty to conduct research and outreach at marine labs, courses designed to increase opportunities for ocean literacy at community colleges, and internships and career information for community college students. The partnerships will expand the role of marine-lab scientists in education and outreach by providing workshops that show scientists how to communicate their research results to a general audience effectively. COSEE Pacific Partnerships will develop multilevel educational and professional development opportunities in ocean literacy for informal science education professionals and volunteers by working with marine lab scientists, Sea Grant personnel, and community college faculty. These opportunities will include formal certificate-based programs for informal science education professionals and a Master Coastal Naturalist program for informal science education volunteers and staff.
