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Outreach and Education

Overview

an ARMADA teacher collecting water quality data

The Outreach program communicates and transfers the knowledge and technology developed by the Center of Excellence in Oceans and Human Health and other Hollings Marine Laboratory programs to potential users. Audiences include natural resource and public health managers, scientists, regulatory agencies, local decision makers, university students, teachers, and the public. Designed to be a cross-cutting program, outreach is a transparent part of research, data management, synthesis, and program management activities and includes all research programs. Principal Investigators conducting research in the Center of Excellence in Oceans and Human Health are required to participate in education and outreach activities. An Education Coordinator at the Hollings Marine Laboratory is responsible for coordinating and organizing their activities.

The goal of the Education and Outreach Program is to transfer the technology and knowledge produced by the OHH Center at the HML to diverse audiences. For each project, the appropriate educational audience is identified based on their need to use the information and technology produced at work or in their personal lives. Audience groups include public health agencies, regulatory and resource management agencies, other scientists, teachers, students, communities and the public. The education coordinator is also responsible for developing education and communication programs to ensure that knowledge produced by NOAA’s Oceans and Human Health Initiative is transferred to the next generation and the public.

As part of the NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative, traineeships for graduate students are being planned to create a new generation of biomedically-oriented ocean scientists and ocean-oriented biomedical scientists.

Click here for a full project report

Abstract

The Outreach and Education program of the NOAA Center of Excellence for Oceans and Human Health (OHH) at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) is a cross-cutting program that is designed to be a transparent part of research, data management, synthesis, and program management activities and includes all research programs The goal of the Education and Outreach Program is to transfer the technology and knowledge produced by the OHH Center at the HML to diverse audiences. The target audiences for outreach include public health agencies, regulatory and resource management agencies, other scientists, and university students. The Outreach Coordinator is also responsible for developing the education programs what will ensure the knowledge produced by NOAA’s Oceans and Human Health Initiative is transferred to the next generation through teachers and students and public audiences.

Highlights include outreach and education cooperative activities conducted with the Centers of Excellence at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory as well as the NOAA OHHI program. In addition, the Outreach Coordinator collaborated in grant proposals to enhance the capacity of the Center of Excellence to provide training to students, developed and published web-based and hard copy materials about the research program, and completed planning with the South Carolina Aquarium to provide seminars and panel discussions for the public and targeted audiences. The Outreach Coordinated traveled to OHH related professional meetings to present overviews of the Center and OHH programs.

Accomplishments:

  • The HML Outreach Coordinator conducted planning activities with the other NOAA OHH Centers that included:
    • Suggest content for the Interagency Working Group report to congress relative to education and outreach activities in OHH programs.
    • Produced a Teacher Professional Development Proposal that includes initial planning and materials for:
      • NOAA NOS Discovery Kit
      • NOAA National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) OHH Sci-Pack
      • NOAA National Marine Education Association Journal “Currents” Issue
    • Collaboration with other NOAA OHH Centers to produce an unfunded NOAA Environmental Education grant proposal “Fostering Ocean Literacy Among Urban Youth: A Regional Case Study Approach to Oceans and Human Health Issues”
    • Produced written summaries and presentations about the program for diverse audiences.
  • The HML Outreach Coordinator partnered with the NSF funded ARMADA program at the University of Rhode Island’s Office of Marine Programs to support one teacher research experience at HML (Summer 2006). This fourth grade teacher produced materials that HML can share with other teachers and students as well as her own. The HML scientists will continue to collaborate with the Armada teacher through classroom visits and tidal marsh field trips.
  • In cooperation with the Data Management Core and HML staff developed the Southeastern Watersheds Metadata website (SWM), http://hml.noaa.gov/ohh/data/map/swmm.html, where a wide variety of audiences can access information about research in tidal creeks, and scientists can access metadata and data sources.
  • To introduce a new audience to Oceans and Human Health research HML produced an exhibit for Piccolo Spoleto, an art festival in Charleston entitled, The Art in Science. This exhibit drew the public in to ask questions about the research that produced the art.
  • Prepared weekly report items about HML OHH projects for submittal through NOS reporting channels.
  • Coordinated and provided administrative supervision of Hollings Scholar Intern.
  • Initiated collaboration with the South Carolina Aquarium to plan a 4 part seminar/panel and questions and answers series that is scheduled to take place throughout 2007, beginning in Jan. The series will celebrate NOAA’s 200 th Anniversary.
  • Conducted communications needs assessment of scientific, technical and student OHH researchers to develop a communications plan for internal audiences and to begin a plan for external audiences.

 

Publications/Presentations:

Publications

  • Bauer, M. , ed. Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy, 2006 National Office for Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms, contributor.

Presentations

  • January 2006 NOAA OHHI Meeting
  • April 2006 OHH Program Meeting
  • July 2006 Presentation: National Marine Educators Association Conference (HML research in Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction in Tidal Creeks and ARMADA teachers in the Classroom)
  • July 2006 Poster: National Marine Educators Association Conference, NOAA’s Centers of Excellence in Oceans and Human Health

Public Information and Outreach:

    • Suggest content for the Interagency Working Group report to congress relative to education and outreach activities in OHH programs.
      • Produced a Teacher Professional Development Proposal for OHH COEs
      • Collaboration with other NOAA OHH Centers to produce proposal “Fostering Ocean Literacy Among Urban Youth: A Regional Case Study Approach to Oceans and Human Health Issues”
      • Produced written summaries and presentations about the program for diverse audiences.
      • Partnered with the ARMADA program to support one teacher research experience at HML (Summer 2006). .
      • developed the Southeastern Watersheds Metadata website (SWM), http://hml.noaa.gov/ohh/data/map/swmm.html,

 

 

Additional Education Programs and Links

For teachers:


Plans and activities for the transfer of results to user groups are included with each research project description page.