Marine and environmental education
K-12, teacher, public education
University-wide outreach
Marine publications
Office of Marine Programs
Expertise
Marine and environmental education
K-12, teacher, public education
University-wide outreach
Marine publications
Funding Agencies
Ashaway Line & Twine
A.D. Little Foundation
Analysis and Technology
Applied Science Associates
Eisenhower Fund for Mathematics and Science Education
Hurd Buick
Laser Fare: Advanced Technology Group
Narragansett Electric Company
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
New York Times Co.
Providence Journal Company
RI Committee for the Humanities
Society of Environmental Journalists
TACO, Inc.
URI Foundation
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Education, Outreach Projects
Education Resource Center
Fall and Spring Lecture Series
Interactive Coastal Exhibit
Oceans a la Carte Teacher Training
Marine, Environmental Education Kits
Narragansett Bay Classroom
RI JASON Project
Science Issues in Oceanography Workshop
Society of Environmental Journalists Regional Meeting
Summer Teacher Institute
Publications Outreach
Maritimes
At the Bay Campus
GSO Brochure
IN-TOUCH with URI
Plants Beside the Sea
Undergraduate Guide to Marine and
Environmental Academic Programs
University-Wide Activities
The Office of Marine Programs (OMP) is responsible for education, outreach,
and publications activities for the marine and environmental programs of the
University and coordination of semiannual meetings of the Marine Programs Advisory
Council and other administrative functions on behalf of the Vice Provost for
Marine Programs.
The Offices of Marine Programs and Marine Education
rejoined their efforts, forming one administrative organization, refocusing
and planning ahead for programming that would be facilitated once the office
moved into the new Coastal Institute building at the Bay Campus in the fall
of 1996.
A significant component of the Coastal Institute
facility is an integrated Conference and Visitor Center that provides a long-needed
physical location for the University's diverse education and outreach programs.
The new complex serves an even broader audience of undergraduate and graduate
students, elementary and secondary school children and teachers, business and
industry professionals, and the general public, with marine and environmental
education and outreach offerings. This physical location includes an interactive
science exhibit and Education Resource Center, and the Coastal Institute Bookstore.
New programming includes the launching of an organization of Narragansett Bay
Campus Volunteers, expanded teacher training opportunities, and a revamped Narragansett
Bay Classroom agenda. The new Bay Classroom will include its traditional
teacher, public, and family orientation and a broad selection of programs for
schools, youth, and adult groups.
Undergraduate Marine & Environmental Programs
With funding from the URI Foundation, OMP helped to streamline the recruitment,
orientation, and advising of prospective and current URI undergraduate students
interested in marine and environmental majors. Coordinating a joint effort of
15 departments in four colleges, the Undergraduate Admissions Office, and University
College, OMP's efforts yielded four major results:
An informational brochure entitled, "An Undergraduate's Guide to Marine and Environmental Programs" and a detailed course listing of more that 200 marine and environmental offerings.
A cross-college scheme of orienting and advising incoming students adopted by University College.
Integration of specific marine and environmental programs information and course listings into URI's General Information Bulletin and the Bulletin of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies.
Special training sessions for admissions officers, Rhode Runners, and alumni recruiters on recruiting students interested in marine and environmental majors.
Narragansett Bay Classroom
OMP continues to offer marine and environmental short courses and programs through
the Narragansett Bay Classroom. With a new emphasis on outreach programs
from a University-wide perspective, in 1995 OMP coordinated a trial effort,
using the Narragansett Bay Classroom as a model, to jointly promote the
University's outreach programs. These programs encompassed fine arts, recreation
and athletics, marine and environmental efforts (including the Narragansett
Bay Classroom and Rhode Island Sea Grant), Cooperative Extension, and Continuing
Education. To this end, OMP created two issues of IN TOUCH with URI,
a newspaper-insert catalog consolidating the promotion of all outreach programs
into one publication. These preliminary issues of the guide each reached more
than 600,000 readers of the Providence Sunday Journal and an additional
50,000 more who picked up the guide at drop points throughout the state.
Periodicals, Publications
OMP continued its responsibility for editorial oversight and graphic design
of Maritimes, the quarterly research magazine of URI's Marine Programs
and At the Bay Campus, a biannual newsletter for donors and alums. Maritimes,
a 38-year old magazine, is written for the lay reader by URI marine researchers
explaining the work that they do. At the Bay Campus, the newsletter of
the Graduate School of Oceanography for alumni and Friends of Oceanography is
written by GSO alums and Marine Programs staff. In addition to the Undergraduate
Guide to Marine and Environmental Academic Programs, OMP also produced GSO's
first full-color brochure which has become the prototype for subsequent departmental
brochures. The Office of Marine Programs worked with University of North Carolina
Press and URI Professor Emerita, Irene Stuckey, to publish her Maritimes
column, Plants Beside the Sea, in book form.
Media Outreach
In 1995 and 1996, the Office of Marine Programs hosted and coordinated two meetings
for the media. The first, Science Issues in Oceanography, was a presentation
of topical science research by GSO researchers for science writers and journalists.
The following year, OMP hosted and coordinated a regional meeting of the Society
of Environmental Journalists, attended by more than 35 writers from New
England and the New York area. Four panels, comprising regulators, politicians,
and policy makers, discussed the many aspects of coastal pollution in conjunction
with the one-year anniversary of the North Cape oil spill.
Marine and Environmental Education and Outreach
Education and outreach efforts have been designed to reach a broad audience
of teachers, students, and the public. Focusing on marine and environmental
resources in Rhode Island, including Narragansett Bay and coastal regions, global
environmental change issues, and innovative ways to introduce marine- and environment-oriented
topics into traditional science curricula, OMP has worked to increase awareness
of how human activities can affect ecosystems and the economy and the kinds
of actions that people can take to sustain and improve their quality of life.
Each year, more than 300 teachers participated in special teacher training opportunities
or internship programs sponsored by OMP. A Teacher Volunteer Program involving
preservice and retired school teacher volunteers brought educational kits and
other outreach programming to schools. During this period, OMP hosted the Rhode
Island JASON Project, training teachers and bringing more than 3,000 Rhode Island
students to the campus each year for the annual "virtual field trips"
of Dr. Robert Ballard and his team of scientists. In addition, fall and spring
lecture series, and special public lectures, such as the annual Charles and
Marie Fish Lecture, were organized by OMP for capacity audiences.
OMP was awarded a $663,000 National Science Foundation
grant to develop an interactive coastal science exhibit and educational program
called Living on the Edge. The exhibit comprises eight interactive components,
approximately 1,000 square feet, and will be produced in duplicate for two venues.
A permanent version of the exhibit will be completed for the Coastal Institute
Visitor Center at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus. A traveling version of the
exhibition, toured by the Association of Science-Technology Centers, will be
displayed at the Museum of Science in Boston and then travel to a dozen other
science museums, aquaria, and nature centers nationwide in the next three years.
Opening in the fall of 1997, Living on the
Edge focuses on the traditional tools and the marvelous new technologies
that are being used to study the coastal ocean. Satellite remote sensing, Geographic
Information Systems, and automated monitoring and sampling devices are a few
of the innovative techniques helping to provide answers to questions, of both
scientific and social importance, being addressed by scientists today.
More than 60 marine and environmental education
activity kits and an array of books, videos, and resource materials were compiled
during this period and are in the new Educational Resource Room that is associated
with the Coastal Institute Visitor Center.
Project Funding Grants, Contracts
Global Change Curriculum Implementation Program, G. Scowcroft, $30,000, USDA
JASON Project, M. Bucheit, G. Scowcroft, S. Hickox, $47,855, TACO, Inc., Providence
Journal Co., Narragansett Electric Co., Laser Fare: Advanced Technology Group,
Associated Science Assoc., Analysis & Technology, Ashaway Line &
Twine, Hurd Buick
JASON Project, M. Bucheit, $27,200 (1995)
Living on the Edge: A Coastal Exhibition and Education Program, S. Hickox,
$663,000, National Science Foundation, $10,000, A.D. Little Foundation
Marine and Environmental Teacher Institute, G. Scowcroft, $37,000, Eisenhower
Fund
Marine Explorer Program, G. Scow-croft, M. Bucheit, $30,076, TACO, Inc.
Project Earthlink, L. Carter, $57,000, USDA
Society of Environmental Journalists, New York Times, Co., Providence Journal
Co., $1,850, J. de La Harpe
State Team of Global Change Educators, $2,000, NASA
Summer Aquanaut Program for Teachers, G. Scowcroft, M. Bucheit, $15,900, EPA
Teacher Institutes on Global Environmental Change, L. Carter, G. Scowcroft,
$150,000, NASA, $250,000, EPA
Teacher Internships and Training Programs, M. Bucheit, $41,500, Eisenhower Fund