Workshops and Professional Development

Whaling Heritage Symposium
NOAA's Maritime Heritage Program and various partners will sponsor a unique interdisciplinary whaling heritage symposium in Mystic, Connecticut from June 16-18, 2008. The event will offer the public and professionals alike the opportunity to examine the broader cultural scope of historic whaling, the significance of specific events and geographic locations in the industry's history, the way whaling history informs marine mammal science today, and how we can continue to learn from our own whaling heritage.

Coral Reef Workshops for Educators
The Gulf of Mexico Foundation and ConocoPhillips proudly present the 14th annual Down Under, Out Yonder and Corals to Classrooms coral reef workshops for K-12 and college entry biology educators nationwide. Down Under, Out Yonder aka DUOY is a five-day workshop from July 19-23, 2008 that includes three days of scuba diving in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Corals to Classrooms is the first two-days of land-based workshop without the additional scuba component, which will be held July 19-20.

Short Courses in the San Francisco Bay Area
Join the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary for a series of short courses designed for educators interested in learning about marine science topics related to intertidal biology and ecology. All courses are free and include a $25 stipend, as well as CEUs available through Dominican College. Short courses are taught by enthusiastic scientists and local experts. On April 26, 2008 participate in a lecture and field excursion on Exploring Local Marine Algae with Kathleen Dickey from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm in Half Moon Bay. Then on May 10, 2008 learn about Sandy Beach Ecology with Dr. Jenifer Dugan from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at the sanctuary offices located in the Presidio in San Francisco.

Learn your Connection: From Rivers to Reefs
In June 2008, the NOAA Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary in partnership with the Georgia Aquarium will conduct two six-day Rivers to Reefs Educators Workshops for 16 participants each. This field-based workshop follows the Altamaha River Watershed, the seventh largest watershed on the eastern seaboard, from its headwaters in Atlanta through the heart of Georgia to the coast and then 20 miles offshore to Gray's Reef. The workshop is free for science educators, contact Cathy Sakas for more information.

Shipwreck Archaeology Workshop for Science Educators
The NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will once again co-sponsor the Shipwreck Archaeology Workshop with the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, located in Hatteras, North Carolina. Students who attend the week-long summer camp will learn archaeological methods to allow them to map a beach shipwreck along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The camp will take place in June 2008.

Excite your Students with Marine Technology and Maritime Heritage
The NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will hold underwater robot building workshops across the mid-Atlantic beginning in July 2008. The sanctuary will also host half-day and day-long summer teacher workshops on a variety of science and history topics in summer 2008.

Watershed Academy Workshop
The Watershed Academy Workshop will provide teachers and youth leaders with the tools, resources and support to integrate locally relevant, hands-on watershed and ocean science in public education and extended learning programs. This FREE workshop is for teachers and youth leaders interested in facilitating the Watershed Academy at their school site or youth centers.Read more about this innovative multicultural program, or contact sanctuary.education@noaa.gov for more information.

Channel Islands MERITO Academy
The MERITO Academy is a partnership between Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands Marine Resource Institute. The MERITO Academy's goal is to increase students' understanding of coastal and ocean issues through hands-on, in the field and in-class activities while exposing students to careers in science and building pride and stewardship towards their sanctuary and local environments.

Ocean Science Professional Development Workshop
These 4-day workshops are for teachers of grades 4-5 to explore the dynamic relationships in the marine environment from Puget Sound to the Olympic Coast to the deep ocean. Bring the excitement of marine ecology and ocean science to your students through these hands-on science content courses taking place at the Seattle Aquarium from July 28-31 and the Olympic Natural Resource Center in Forks, WA from August 4-7, 2008. These workshops are designed to better prepare teachers to facilitate an inquiry-based, marine science-rich experience necessary to bring students to higher standards and understanding of ocean literacy principles. Participants in these courses will be eligible for free admission to the Seattle Aquarium, and a field trip to a local beach, including free transportation for your class. Registration is required and space is limited. Participants will receive a stipend of $50.00 per day, and graduate credits or clock hours are available. Contact Karen Matsumoto at the Seattle Aquarium for more information (phone 206.386.4303) on the July course and Jacqueline Laverdure for the August course (phone 360.457.6622 ext. 21).

Animals in Curriculum-based Ecosystem Studies (ACES) Program
Are you interested in tracking ocean animals live in your classroom? ACES is an important, necessary expansion of Signals of Spring, an award-winning, classroom based curriculum program in which students use Earth imagery to explain the movement of animals that are tracked by NOAA's operational satellites. Students will study aspects of the animal's life history, conservation status, food web, and connections to ocean processes and remote sensing data. Find out more about the ACES Program, by contacting Jenny Stock.

Coastal Ecosystem Workshop
Teachers, looking for new ways to make science come alive in your classroom? In 2008, our summer workshop will focus on the physical and biological oceanography of the Gulf of the Farallones - and our coastal ocean. Participants will take part in a research cruise aboard the R/V Fulmar and will receive a unit of activities and materials from the sanctuary's Coastal Ecosystem Curriculum.

Dive into Education Marine Science Program
Dive into Education is a marine science education program aimed at providing teachers with resources and training to support ocean literacy in America’s classrooms.

Charting a Course for Maritime Heritage Education
This is a conference that brought together formal and informal educators to promote the sharing of maritime related education partnerships, programs and products.