Winter 2017 California Project WET Gazette
Volume XXll, Issue I
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite.”
– Jules Verne, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’
King Tides and Dungeness crab have returned to California, annual reminders to even those living far from the coast of our ties to the ageless expanse of the sea as we contemplate the passing of time from one year to the next. Many will flock to California King Tide events this winter or escape to enjoy the warmer waters of Baja and other points south. The movie ‘Jaws’ ruined my desire to wade out into any surf greater than waist high – I long ago decided I’d prefer taking my chances with a grizzly I can see coming than whatever may be coming up from the watery depths any day! But, I’ve never lost my fascination with what mysteries still lie hidden in the deepest realms of the ocean and the continually advancing technology to explore this amazing ecosystem, covering over 70% of our planet’s surface and is the feature defining Earth for any being visually observing our planet from space.
Twice a week as a child I’d be glued to the TV to learn about ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,’ join a ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’ and I do remember being fully immersed in Jules Verne’s book this article is titled after – a book loaded with dangerous creatures, dangerous people and a technological marvel described in 1870 that was only then in the process of passing from science fiction to reality. Undersea technology has advanced to the point that even Jules Verne and Captain Nemo might be impressed; yet, even as we try to learn about the ‘life stirring on all sides’ in the world ocean, we still know more about the Moon and nearby planets and the sea remains ‘the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence’ – and Project WET has an activity that can spark Middle school students on a journey of this marvelous realm to understand why Verne’s quote of so long ago remains true in the 21st Century.
‘Ocean Habitats’ (p: 73) engages students in learning ‘about mysterious marine creatures and the zones they occupy beneath the surface of the ocean,’ while building understanding of concepts and skills directly tied to Middle School Next Generation Science and Common Core Standards. Those Medieval and Renaissance era maps depicting sea monsters waiting in the great unknown that students encounter in 7th Grade history as they study Vikings and the Age of Exploration in Europe provides a wonderful bridge to begin a Science class investigation of life in the ocean and the tools present day humans have engineered to explore it. Rather than the rather lengthy warm-up written into the activity, A short discussion of what the historical documents may indicate about what people in the past knew about life in the ocean can be a tool to pique student interest before diving right into finding out what they may already know about ocean life zones. Introduce them to the common language titles – sunlit, midnight, abyssal, trenches and twilight zones – and let the students alone or in groups use the titles to order the zones from shallowest to deepest and sketch out simple diagrams showing what they think may already know about ocean life and environmental conditions at different depths, using this to develop questions they would like to learn about ocean life and zones. Yes, I scrambled the order of the life zones for the ocean novices reading this in the hope it will get you wondering about this too!
‘Ocean Habitats’ kicks off investigation of the ocean depths by engaging students in a ‘Race to the Bottom of the Sea.’ Students groups gather around a simplified ocean cross-sectional diagram – or better yet, having each team sketch out a larger version of the ocean cross sectional diagram on some medium that can be attached to a wall. Students will be placing the cards of the organisms they encounter during the race on the game board, populating the ocean with their discoveries. A larger diagram gives the students more room to place the organism cards on or around the diagram than a letter-sized copy on a desk – and students can now actually ‘Race to the Bottom’ on the now vertical diagrams! Students place a game piece representing one of six real-life deep-sea exploration submersibles on the ocean surface on the diagram and begin taking turns drawing from a pack of ocean life cards. Students can only travel lower into the depths by locating an organism from the life zone immediately below their vessel – i.e., everyone must draw an organism found in the ‘Sunlit Zone’ in order to begin their journey to the bottom of the ocean. Pacific blackdragon, yeti crab, cuttlefish, vampire squid, anglerfish and a squid that would terrify Capt. Nemo and ancient mariners alike are just some of the organisms students encounter as they ‘Race to the Bottom.’ The game ends as soon as a student is able to encounter an organism from each ocean life zone from shallowest to the deepest.
Two words of caution – No depths are recorded on any of the clue cards of organisms associated with black smoker vent communities; students will need to connect these cards to the vent community depicted on the diagram. Secondly, no one can make it to the very bottom of the sea – the Dumbo octopus is the only creature in the clue card deck with a range that extends into the Hadal (Trenches) life zone. This situation creates as much angst among grown adults as it does Middle school students, but the rancor can be channeled into a wonderful conversation on why no creatures of greater depth were found and why no submersible made it to the bottom – Is it just a poorly written activity or might there be some real-life factors limiting life and our ability to explore the deepest zones of the ocean?
Upon completion of the race, students will discover they have created a visualization of life in the sea from surface into the deepest life zone. Students are now tasked with more closely analyzing their discoveries, searching the clue cards for the organisms they encountered to identify adaptations, the life zone(s) and how the adaptation(s) may help the organism live in the life zone(s). As written, the ‘Ocean Habitats’ activity essentially ends here – and misses an easy opportunity to be so much more! The clue cards note additional organisms that interact with the one each card highlights, which students can identify and add to their cross-sectional diagrams. This may be the time to provide each team with the description of each ocean life zone from the activity student pages – and let the student teams read each description and define the boundaries of each life zone on their cross-sectional diagrams. Students can use the information to identify environmental parameters that define each ocean life zone – Can they see any correlation between organism adaptations and the environmental factors defining each life zone?
Temperature, light, water density and pressure are factors affecting resource availability in ocean life zones – and each are interrelated and a function of depth. And letting students discover these factors through the clue cards rather than the teacher telling students in the beginning as currently written in the activity allows students to connect the factors when they become relevant – and lets students open the door to some great Math opportunities! Using pressure as an example, one atmosphere of pressure is equal to 14.6 pounds per square inch (psi) at sea level and increases by 1 atmosphere for every 10 meters of descent into the ocean. Students can use this to calculate out and graph the range of pressures organisms must adapt to in each life zone, determine whether pressure or depth is the dependent or independent variable and even develop an equation for calculating pressure at any given depth. They could also test the statement from a NOAA website that ‘in the deepest ocean, the pressure is equivalent to the weight of an elephant balanced on a postage stamp, or the equivalent of one person trying to support 50 jumbo jets!’ Students could analyze the interrelationship of depth and the other parameters as well – maybe investigating density and temperature through ‘Adventures in Density’ (p: 3) – to better understand how the interplay of all of these environmental factors on ocean life in each zone.
The ‘Ocean Habitats’ activity cards were not designed to be comprehensive, providing an opportunity to integrate science and language arts. Students can assess the information they have on the organisms encountered to identify weak or missing information, then develop questions to guide each student in further researching an organism and how it survives life zone environmental factors, its role in the food chain and connections to the larger ocean food web. Once students adds or updates food web information, a few pen lines or bits of string will transform that hodge-podge of organisms on the ‘Race to the Bottom’ diagram into five ocean life zone food webs interconnected by species like the sperm whale that travel multiple life zones to find food. The food webs open the door for students to study the potential effects of marine debris on ocean life zones, using activities like ‘There is No Away’ (p: 453) in Project WET to identify potential marine debris in their neighborhood and how it could travel from inland sources to affect life zones far out and below the ocean. Students could put their knowledge to work by participating in or organizing a water clean-up day to mitigate potential local sources of marine debris and educate their community on the connection between their local community and ocean life zones.
Everything described to this point targets the use of ‘Ocean Habitats’ to support the Middle School NGSS performance expectation MS-LS2-1:‘Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem’ and associated Common Core standards. However, schools with robotics programs can use the activity to ‘bundle’ this Life Science and Middle School NGSS Engineering standards by having students apply their knowledge and data of ocean life zone environmental parameters and organism adaptations in analyzing the craft that have been used to study our oceans to the present. Students can start by researching the real-life submersibles portrayed on the ‘Ocean Habitats’ game pieces. The ‘Websites of Interest’ in this Gazette include links to find this information, as well as information on a wide array of deep sea research craft. Students can chart the engineering data to compare the capabilities of each submersible – or a wider array of deep sea research vessels – between vessels and to their chart of environmental factors at different depths.
Classic engineering to this point, but why not wrap back around in time to steal a page straight of Jules Verne and Leonardo Da Vinci by challenging students to merge what they’ve learned about ocean organisms, ocean environmental challenges and human engineered submersibles to design a new ocean exploration craft integrating biomimicry? Students can use such a criterion matrix to design a new craft for exploring the Hadal (Trenches) life zone – or students can be assigned a variety of ocean locations to explore using the oceans layer on Google Earth or other programs – with the task of designing a mission and craft for exploring it! Students with access to school water robotics programs can apply their knowledge of assessing environmental factors and developing design parameters to local water topics, and use the criteria they develop to build craft to do the job in local waterways!
Leonardo DaVinci is credited with stating, “Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain.” He and Jules Verne imagined phenomena and technology far ahead of their time, and even today challenges our ability to understand and engineer in the 21st Century. Leonardo’s mastery of science, technology, engineering, math and the arts – every dimension of what we have only recently termed STEAM education – are highlighted in Middle School history. Hopefully this and other elements of this article will provide food for thought for connecting and integrating multiple subject areas with the science! Check-out the ‘Websites of Interest’ for some wonderful links to use with ‘Ocean Habitats,’ including links students can use to investigate ocean organisms, life zones, submersible technology, ocean issues and underwater robotics programs. The California King Tide Project is looking for volunteers to help document the events, you’ll find dates and locations in the ‘Winter Events’. I’ve also included opportunities connected to the ocean theme of this article in the ‘Grant Opportunities’ and ‘Student Contests’ and ‘Professional Development’ – and this latter section includes links to learn about upcoming Project WET workshops in the New Year. Fans of our Water Education Foundation maps may also want to check-out our new California Water Map that just became available in December.
Hope you have a wonderful Winter season!
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
ARTICLE: ‘The Enchanting Sea Monsters on Medieval Maps’
Fictitious animals on 16th and early 17th century maps hint at how people’s perception of the ocean has changed over time. The sea has been the stage for monstrosities and strange tales since antiquity. And, why not? Unlike land, the ocean is constantly shifting and moving, with currents that could carry a ship off course and storms that threaten wrecks. Even the substance itself, seawater, is often cold and dark, and deadly to drink in quantity. So, what of the creatures that were thought to live there?
The sea is a place of unimaginable beauty. But, we have spent less time exploring the deep sea that we have exploring the Moon and new discoveries await. Sea and Sky’s Sea Image Galleries feature some of the most beautiful and breathtaking images of undersea life. Select one of the galleries to begin exploring the wonders of the sea. Students can also explore the five life zones of the ocean by clicking on a diagram listing each zone in order of depth.
Monterey Bay Aquarium – Animal Guide
The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean. Today, more than 30 years after opening, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a showcase for the habitats and sea life of one of the world’s richest marine regions. More than 35,000 creatures representing over 550 species fill 34 major galleries. With nearly 200 exhibits in all, the Aquarium is a window to the wonders of the ocean.
The Ocean Portal is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Initiative. We focus on everything ocean – unusual and everyday organisms, ocean-inspired art, researchers devoting their lives to exploring the still mostly mysterious ecosystem. Whether you live near the coast or far away, you can take positive actions to preserve and protect our world’s Ocean, which covers 71% of the planet. We here at the Ocean Portal learn something new everyday and we want to share it with you!
The Problem With Marine Debris
Marine debris is defined as “any manufactured or processed solid waste material that enters the marine environment from any source.” Debris is everywhere—found around every major body of water on the planet, and below water as well. Marine debris is a global pollution problem that impacts human health and safety, endangers wildlife and aquatic habitats, and costs local and national economies millions in wasted resources and lost revenues.
NOAA: National Marine Sanctuaries
Few places on the planet can compete with the diversity of the National Marine Sanctuary System, which protects America’s most iconic natural and cultural marine resources. The system works with diverse partners and stakeholders to promote responsible, sustainable ocean uses that ensure the health of our most valued ocean places. You’ll find Encyclopedia of the Sanctuaries for Channel Islands, Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank in California.
There’s nothing like visiting the coast in person—salt spray on your face, the sound of the wind and crashing waves in your ears, the warm sand between your toes. But if you’re inland for the time-being and want to take a virtual trip, here are some live webcams that can transport you (at least within your mind) to our beautiful coast. Coastal webcams are a great jumping off point for a class getting ready to study a coastal habitat, for students preparing to create artwork or poetry for our Coastal Art & Poetry Contest, or just for when anyone needs a break from the here and now.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The ocean is a defining feature of our planet and crucial to life on Earth, yet it remains one of the planet’s last unexplored frontiers. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society. Check-out the ‘Know Your Ocean’ and their ‘Underwater Vehicles’ pages – but can be integrated with the ‘Ocean Habitats’ activity!
NOAA: Ocean Explorer – Platforms: Submersibles
As much as we may learn about our planet’s underwater habitats through the use of satellites, shipboard sensors and divers, these technologies scratch only the surface of the oceans. Submersibles alone enable us to explore the abyssal depths. This section of the website highlights some of the major advancements in submersible technology. These submersibles allow us to travel deeper and with a greater degree of freedom than ever before, so that we can observe, describe and ultimately explain the phenomena of life in the deep ocean realm.
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has the main objective to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology by proceeding the fundamental research and development on marine, and the cooperative activities on the academic research related to the Ocean for the benefit of the peace and human welfare. This page of the website includes information on two of the vessels in the ‘Ocean Habitats’ activity, plus several others for students to investigate.
The Nautile is a manned submarine designed for observing and operating at depths reaching 6000 metres. The submersible gives access to 97% of the world’s ocean floors. Since it was commissioned in 1984, 1500 dives have been performed from oceanographic vessels like Nadir or l’Atalante. The Nautile is one of the vessels in the ‘Ocean Habitats’ activity, and this website provides detailed engineering specifications on this vessel and several others operated in part by the French Navy.
On Saturday, May 10, 2014, the hybrid remotely operated vehicle Nereus was confirmed lost at 9,990 meters (6.2 miles) depth in the Kermadec Trench northeast of New Zealand. The unmanned vehicle was working as part of a mission to explore the ocean’s Hadal region from 6,000 to nearly 11,000 meters deep. Scientists say a portion of it likely imploded under pressure as great as 16,000 pounds per square inch.
Come explore the ocean with Immersion! (Don’t live near the ocean? Don’t worry! We’ll bring the ocean to you!) Check out our programs to learn more about tide pools, underwater volcanoes, deep-sea creatures, and other underwater treasures. On each program page you will find games, photos, puzzles, videos, and links that bring the amazing undersea world to life – including My ROV, where students can build and test an ROV online! We hope you have fun exploring and learning how to protect our ocean planet!
Video: ‘Octopus-Inspired Robots Can Grasp, Crawl, and Swim’
Most of today’s robots only function well in highly structured environments. But thanks to some clever biomimicry, we might soon be seeing robots with a more flexible approach. To build their squishy aquatic robots, a team of researchers in Italy drew inspiration from the octopus. The animal’s movements don’t require a lot of brainpower. By utilizing this strategy, called embodied intelligence, the team created soft robots that could grasp objects, crawl along the seafloor, and even swim–with a lot less computing power than you might imagine. Find out how they work in this video.
Article: ‘Climate Change and Biomimicry Robots’
What do Van Gogh, Thoreau, and de Mestral (the inventor of Velcro) have in common? All three great innovators were inspired by nature to create their magnum opus. Biomimicry is an active research area of robotics with a myriad of mechanical insects, skin-like creatures, and even cellbots. Leveraging the power of millions of years of evolution, scientists are now finding the most efficient solutions to their robots problems. For example, the latest botfish in the sea was developed by a team at Harvard using 200,000 rat heart muscle cells to build a controllable stingray.
Article: ‘Realizing the Dreams of da Vinci and Verne’
Leonardo da Vinci made the first drawings of a submarine more than 500 years ago, and Jules Verne published ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ in 1875. But only in the past few decades has the dizzying pace of technological advances allowed us to realize their dreams of exploring the ocean depths and taking humans to the seafloor. For the past 40 years, submersible human-occupied vehicles (HOVs) such as Alvin have given scientists direct access to the seafloor and the ability to explore it from a firsthand and up-close perspective – one they could only fantasize about from the decks of ships.
Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center
MATE is a national partnership of organizations working to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare America’s future workforce for ocean occupations. MATE’s mission is to use marine technology to create interest in and improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and to provide the marine technical workforce with well-educated professionals. A hallmark of all MATE’s programs, products, and services is that they are aligned with ocean workforce research and trends.
SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in an in-school or out-of-school setting. The SeaPerch Program provides students with the opportunity to learn about robotics, engineering, science, and mathematics (STEM) while building an underwater ROV as part of a science and engineering technology curriculum. The name SeaPerch came from the USS Perch, a highly decorated World War II U.S. submarine.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
California Project WET Workshops
Join us for an engaging professional development experience this Fall that will introduce you to the interdisciplinary activities of Project WET! Our interactive activities are correlated to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and are effective tools for integrating student learning of water concepts and issues investigation. Project WET activities provide strong foundations for STEAM and Service-Learning programs and are designed to supplement existing curriculum.
NMEA: Ocean Literacy Webinar Series
National Marine Educators Association’s Ocean Literacy Committee is hosting a 3-part webinar series exploring the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence, the alignment of the Ocean Literacy Framework to the Next Generation Science Standards, and how these tools are being applied in formal and informal education. Webinars are scheduled for January 17, February 9 and February 23, 2017. Registration is not required to attend these events.
National Park Service Teacher Workshops
The National Park Service offers a variety of teacher professional development workshops in partnership with local universities, tribal members, museums, non-profit organizations, and federal, state and local government agencies. Topics covered in our workshops vary from year to year. Recent professional development workshops have focused on climate change, phenology, invasive species, mountain lion research, and ways to engage students on a self-guided field trip to the Santa Monica Mountains.
Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT)
These one-week institutes bring together natural resource specialists and K-12 teachers for one week, working side by side to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate interrelationship of forest ecosystems and human use of natural resources. You’ll walk away with a wealth of knowledge and environmental education curriculum- including Project Learning Tree, Project WILD and Project Aquatic WILD! This FREE training includes all housing, meal and materials you will receive throughout the week. Register for a summer 2017 location now!
California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)
The EEI Curriculum is 85 K-12 grade units that teaches standards through an environmental lens, including understanding resources, conservation, where our food, energy, and water come from, and complicated decision-making processes related to climate change, green chemistry and use of our public lands. California examples make learning relevant and stimulate student involvement with the world around them. Click here to see a list of correlating Project WET activities to use with individual EEI units!
CREEC Network
The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC), administered by the California Department of Education, is an on-line hub offering a searchable database of for a variety of resources, including professional development, field trip and grant opportunities from over 500 informal education providers across the state. Click on your region, then search the events calendar to find a wonderful array of environment based professional development opportunities!
WINTER EVENTS
January 10 - 12, 2017: California King Tides Project
Mark Your Calendars to Snap the Shore, See the Future! Increases in global sea levels have been recorded by NOAA tide gauges for many years, and more recently by NASA satellites. King Tides photos are used to help document current flood risk in coastal areas; visualize the impacts of future sea level rise in California communities; ground-truth and validate climate change models by comparing model predictions with the high-tide reality and serve as a living record of change for future generations.
January 16, 2017: National Parks Free Entrance Day
America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks in celebration of Martin Luther King Day! that usually charge entrance fees. Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their own special offers.
January 25-29, 2017: Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway
Birders and nature enthusiasts of all ages are invited to attend the 17th Annual Snow Goose Festival! This action-packed 5-day event celebrates the millions of waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway that call the Northern Sacramento Valley their home during the winter months. It also gives our local community an opportunity to rediscover the abundant treasures the North State has to offer all year round.
February 4, 2017: 41st Annual STEM Conference
The San Mateo County Office of Education is the place to get lots of new lessons and ideas to use in your classroom. Teachers, administrators and parents are invited to explore the many exciting aspects of STEM education and learn about and discuss the latest news, information and issues.There will be over twenty-five workshops and a variety of exhibitors providing a wide range of practical ideas and resources to use in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs from Pre-K to grade 12.
February 20, 2017: National Parks Free Entrance Day
America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks in celebration of President’s Day! Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their own special offers.
March 22, 2017: World Water Day
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of the issues involved in supplying freshwater around the world. Under the theme ‘Water and Wastewater’, the year 2017 provides an important opportunity to consolidate and build upon the previous World Water Days to highlight the symbiosis between water and wastewater in the quest for sustainable development.
March 24 – 26, 2017: AEOE Statewide Spring Conference
The Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education is a state-wide organization that has been created for and by the outdoor and environmental educators of our state. Working as the state affiliate for the North American Association of Environmental Educators (or NAAEE) our volunteer run organization is charged with providing a diverse pool of trained educators that is knowledgeable and skilled at educating today’s youth about the natural world. Join us for the Statewide Spring Conference at YMCA Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda, CA.
March 30–April 2, 2017: NSTA Conference
Join us in Los Angeles for ‘Sun, Surf & Science!’ National Science Teacher Association conferences offer the latest in science content, teaching strategy, and research to enhance and expand your professional growth. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to collaborate with science education leaders and your peers.
April 15-16 and 22-23, 2017: National Park Week
National Park Week is America’s largest celebration of national heritage. It’s about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks! It’s all happening in your national parks. The National Park Service is once again partnering with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, to present National Park Week.
GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
Five Star & Urban Waters Program - Deadline: January 31, 2017
The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program seeks to develop nation-wide-community stewardship of local natural resources. Priority is given to projects in urban, suburban and/or rural areas that advance water quality goals in environmental justice communities. Projects that increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage these communities – particularly youth – in the project planning, outreach and implementation will have priority for funding.
President’s Environmental Youth Award - Deadline: March 1, 2017
The President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) recognizes K-12 students and their efforts to protect the environment. The award promotes awareness of our nation’s natural resources and encourages positive community involvement. Each award-winning project will receive a Presidential plaque. All qualified applicants will receive a certificate honoring them for their efforts to protect human health and the environment. Encourage K-12 students you know who are taking action to protect the environment to apply for PEYA!
Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators - Deadline: March 1, 2017
The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning. Award winners receive up to $2,500 to continue their professional development in environmental education. Additionally, the teacher’s local education agency also recieves up to $2,500 to fund environmental education activities and programs.
Ocean Guardian School - Deadline: May 1, 2017
Promote ocean conservation at your school or in your local community by becoming an Ocean Guardian School. An Ocean Guardian School makes a commitment to the protection and conservation of its local watersheds, the world’s ocean and special ocean areas - like National Marine Sanctuaries. The school makes this commitment by proposing and then implementing a school or community-based conservation project. Application forms for the 2017-2018 grants will be posted on the website by April 1, 2017.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – Deadline: May 1, 2017
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science (including computer science). Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of science and mathematics education. Nominations are now open for 2017 to honor teachers working in grades 7-12. Nominations close on April 1, 2017.
STUDENT CONTESTS
MATE International ROV Competition - Deadline: See website for details
The 2017 MATE international ROV competition will take place June 23-25 in Long Beach. The MATE competition challenges K-12, community college and university students from all over the world to design and build ROVs to tackle missions modeled after scenarios from the ocean workplace. The competition class structure of beginner, intermediate, and advanced provides students with the opportunity to build upon their skills – and the application of those skills – as they engineer increasingly more complex ROVs for increasingly more complex mission tasks.
Caring for Our Watersheds Contest – Deadline: January 27, 2017
The Caring for our Watersheds (CFW) program empowers 9th-12th grade students to imagine, develop and create solutions to water issues they identify in their local watersheds. Students work independently or as teams of no more than four to research their local watershed, identify an environmental concern and come up with a realistic solution. CFW is both an environmental proposal contest and a project funding opportunity for high school students. Interested? Please contact Beth Del Real at the Center for Land-based Learning at (530) 795-1544.
California Coastal Art and Poetry Contest - Deadline: January 31, 2017
The California Coastal Commission invites California students in K-12th grade to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme. By encouraging youth to reflect on the beauty and spirit of California’s beaches and ocean, we hope to inspire a greater sense of stewardship for these natural places.
World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest - Deadline: February 23, 2017
Population Education, a program of Population Connection, invites any middle or high school student (grade 6-12, or the international equivalent) to create a short video – up to 60 seconds – about human population growth that highlights one of the following global challenges: Climate Change, Ocean Health, or Rapid Urbanization. Students may be located anywhere in the world and entry into the contest is free.
California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge – Deadline: March 31, 2017
The California Recycling Challenge is a friendly competition for K-12 school recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their school communities. Over a one month period, schools report recycling and trash data, which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables or have the highest recycling rate. The 2017 competition is scheduled to run from March 1st through March 31st, 2017! Registration is now open! Take the Challenge!
Stockholm Junior Water Prize - Applications Due: April 15, 2017
The California Water Environment Association (CWEA) is looking for California’s best and brightest high school student to represent California in this global water research competition! The Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition is the world’s most prestigious water-science competition for students and is designed to increase students’ interest in water-related issues and research and to raise awareness about global water challenges. The winner of the California competition will advance to the national level, and the winner of that event will represent America at the global competition in Sweden.
Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition - Deadline: June 19, 2017
The goal of the Bow Seat Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition is to reduce or prevent marine debris from entering our oceans and watersheds. If We invite middle and high school students in the United States to participate! Enter individually or in groups to work together. There is no fee to enter and Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs is proud to offer awards of up to $5,000 to students and student groups whose projects most effectively raise awareness of and address the marine debris problem through creativity, community engagement, and activism.
2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest - Deadline: June 19, 2017
We invite middle and high school students from around the world to participate in the 2017 Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Student Contest! This year’s theme is ‘Ocean Pollution: Challenges & Solutions’. You may choose to focus your work on one type of pollution, or the impact of ocean pollution as a whole. We want your submission – visual art, poetry, prose, or film – to make viewers reflect on the impact of ocean pollution, inspire them to consider possible solutions, and challenge them to take action. We encourage you to connect your submission to your own life, your local community, or something else that inspires and motivates you.
AMAZON SMILE FOUNDATION
The Water Education Foundation is now participating in the Amazon Smile program, which allows Amazon customers to designate a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to receive 0.5% of purchase price of products bought from Amazon. Amazon Smile provides the customer with the same products, prices and service as Amazon.com, but has the added bonus of allowing you to support the organizations. Please consider designating the Water Education Foundation as your charitable organization of choice – Your support will be much appreciated!
CREDITS
California Project WET Gazette is published by the Water Education Foundation, which serves as the state coordinator for Project WET USA, a program of the Project WET Foundation.
Editor: Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator
Water Education Foundation
1401 21st Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95811
916.444.6240
Internet: www.watereducation.org
email: projectwet@watereducation.org
