COSEE Ocean Learning Communities

Join our Community

rickkeil — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:21:19 +0000

COSEE-OLC and our web design partner Locus Interactive are happy to announce the development of our community microsite. Please join us in previewing our upcoming new web site and be among the first to sign up for our electronic community.

Join the OLC community.

Upcoming Event November 22nd: Communicating Ocean and Marine Science Research

susan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:08:51 +0000

COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities and Washington Sea Grant invite you to join us for a free event Saturday November 22nd from 9:00am - 4:00pm at the Husky Union Building on the University of Washington Seattle campus. The day will include a keynote speaker on communicating science with various audiences, formal and informal presentations by marine scientists on current research, training on how to collect and contribute data to the ongoing “Spices in Puget Sound” research with your own “spice sampling kit”, and many opportunities to create connections between marine scientists and marine volunteers around communicating science and research. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Due to the overwhelming response by people in the community our workshop is now full and the registration has closed. We thank you for your interest in this program and hope that you will be able to join us at a future event. For questions please contact Susan Bullerdick at susan@aquariumsociety.org.

Upcoming Event: Citizen Science Workshop February of 2009

rickkeil — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:15:56 +0000

COSEE-OLC is proud to partner with Washington SeaGrant and the Puget Sound Partnership to host a workshop highlighting opportunities in Citizen Science. We are in the planning phase for the workshop. Look for more information posted to our website this fall.

COSEE Supports NOAA Okeanos Explorer Educational Mission

rickkeil — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:25:53 +0000

With the launch of NOAA’s ship Okeanos Explorer, marine education and exploration enters a new era. This week NOAA hosts an Education Forum to develop plans for educational use of the new ship. COSEE representation at this important forum include eleven current or former COSEE members. OLC’s own Phil Bell is giving a presentation titled ‘How People Learn with New Technologies and OImplications for the Okeanos Explorer Education Program”. Read more about the Okeanos Explorer.

What is that you are putting on yourself and into the environment?

rickkeil — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:59:03 +0000

Rick Keil, one of the COSEE-OLC researchers, has been evaluating how materials are transferred from urban homes to the sea. Usually the compounds of interest are fun and safe (cooking spices). However, last fall he teamed with esteemed researcher Anne Steinemann to evaluate the ‘nasties’ and their flow to the ocean. Anne has just published a new work (conducted before she and Rick began teaming up) focussing on emerging pollutants found in households. Anne, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs, analyzed three air fresheners – a solid deodorizer disk, a liquid spray, and a plug-in oil – and three laundry products – a dryer sheet, fabric softener, and a detergent to determine if there were any regulated but unlableled compounds in the household materials.

The number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were discovered surprised her. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; as well as acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1,4-dioxane, according to a University of Washington report on Steinemann’s study.

“Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic ‘hazardous air pollutants,’ which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level,” Steinemann said.

Anne will be teaming this fall with Rick and the rest of the COSEE-OLC team to bring this type of research to educational communities. Wish to volunteer for a simple household survey to help determine the relationships between houshold products and ocean contaminants? Email Rick.

Wikipedia Initiative Launched

rickkeil — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:36:03 +0000

COSEE-OLC is launching an initiative to add COSEE information to the Wikipedia. Until the start of this initiative, there was no information in the World’s largest Encyclopedia about COSEE, its missions, or the themes of ocean education. You can help.

Help COSEE-OLC make ocean education a topic available to everyone via the Wikipedia. Add content to the links below, or start some of your own.

COSEE on the Wiki

Ocean Acidification Bill passes US House

rickkeil — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:16:24 +0000

The ocean acidification research bill passed the U.S. House yesterday. H.R. 4174, a top priority for oceans advocates, would create a new program to research and monitor the effects of ocean acidification on the marine environment. The House approved it by voice vote.

As the oceans absorb more carbon from Earth’s atmosphere, the chemistry of the water is changing and becoming about 30 percent more acidic. The corrosive waters pose a potentially serious threat to marine life. If ocean water becomes too acidic, it can dissolve the shells of oysters, mussels and other sea life.

The oceans have absorbed about half of the CO2 released over the past 200 years due to human activities.

“On top of overfishing, pollution and rising water temperatures, ocean acidification is stress that could dramatically and permanently alter our ocean environments,” said Science Chairman Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.).

The bill attempts to address what Gordon and other lawmakers say has been a haphazard federal response to the issue. It would create a new interagency committee to coordinate and expand federal research on ocean acidification and marine ecosystems. It also authorizes $55 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the next four years and $41 million for the National Science Foundation.

–Allison Winter, E&E Daily reporter

Learn more:

Aquarium Event a Success

rickkeil — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:27:00 +0000

Thanks to the many people who attended our recent ‘Night with a Polar Scientist” event at the Seattle Aquarium. Christopher’s talk was certainly polarizing… Learn more about his research.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION: Developing a sense of place

pbell — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:54:56 +0000

On June 26, 2008, COSEE-OLC researchers Carrie Tzou, Giovanna Scalone, and Philip Bell presented findings from a cross-setting ethnographic study of how youth learn about the environment and ocean science at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The poster, entitled “Developing a sense of place: Privilege, class and positioning in formal and informal environmental learning,” described the connection between how places get culturally constructed for and by youth and possible learning pathways available to youth. The presentation was part of a larger poster session focused on learning pathways to developing expertise in a variety of domains, including making financial decisions and videogaming. Tzou, Scalone, and Bell are from the University of Washington’s College of Education.

Ocean Learning Community Event: An Evening with a Polar Scientist

rickkeil — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:58:48 +0000

COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities and the Seattle Aquarium invite you to attend our upcoming mid season event, “An Evening With a Polar Scientist” on Tuesday June 24th, from 6:30-9:00pm at the Seattle Aquarium. The evening event includes a presentation by Dr. Christopher Krembs, a biological oceanographer with the Polar Science Center of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. Dr. Krembs studies the microbial mechanisms that alter the sea ice environment influencing nutrients in the ocean due to climate change and ice retreat. His presentation is followed by a question and answer period. For more information contact Susan Bullerdick at susan@aquariumsociety.org or 206.838.3916

The evening begins with dinner and the opportunity to network, learn more about the work of the various programs and exchange ideas. Table discussions on arranging volunteer exchange programs across our larger ocean learning community will be facilitated. And scholarships are offered during the evening to initiate this exchange (more details on June 24th).

We will have a guest list at the door format rather than admission tickets. If you have any questions please contact Susan Bullerdick at susan@aquariumsociety.org or 206.838.3916.

We look forward to having you join us on June 24th!