Contact: Jeanne Kouhestani FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(202) 482-6090 8/28/95
Judy Sohl
(206) 526-6622
Teachers from across the country have used their summer leave to participate in a federal program that provides hands-on experience in scientific research and nautical charting aboard government-owned ships -- experience they will carry back to their classrooms this fall.
Called Teacher at Sea, the program pairs educators with scientific and survey missions carried out by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on board ships operated by NOAA's commissioned service, the NOAA Corps. Teachers of any subject, from kindergarten to college, can apply.
"This program has been extremely successful for several reasons," said Rear Admiral William L. Stubblefield, director of the NOAA Corps. "It addresses the strong desire of teachers to gain 'real world' experiences to bring back to their classrooms, and to update their skills in scientific research. It also provides the NOAA labs with eager volunteers for their field projects. It boosts the scientists' and ship crews' morale to have someone on board who is curious about every aspect of their jobs and excited by every detail of the cruise. It's a win-win situation."
Teacher at Sea began in 1990 as a joint venture between NOAA's Atlantic Marine Center in Norfolk, Va., and the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, Va. From just one participant the first year, it has expanded to both U.S. coasts and includes 43 participants this year. Applicants are rated by a review panel on how they intend to incorporate their experiences into their classroom curricula.
Applications are available in January, and due in March. Successful applicants can choose from several research missions ranging from one to three weeks between May and September, and only have to pay for their transportation to and from the ship. The program costs taxpayers nothing, but ultimately many people, including students, gain.
"In exchange for their shipboard experience, qualified applicants must agree to write a mini-unit of three lessons or classroom activities based on some aspect of their experience at sea, and either write an article or conduct a presentation at an educators' conference of some kind," according to Judy Sohl, who has coordinated Teacher at Sea from NOAA's Office of Educational Affairs in Seattle, Wash., since 1992. "We want to spread the benefits of the program to as large an audience as possible."
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Following is a list of research ships and participants:
NOAA Ship MILLER
FREEMAN (Fisheries Research)
5/3-5/18 Karl Beighley, Southwestern Wisconsin Community
Schools, Hazel Green, Wisc.
5/20-5/29 Sarah Walters, Pacific Science Center, Bellevue,
Wash.
7/1-7/18 Dave Fitzgerald, East Muskinghum Middle School,
Zanesville, Ohio
7/20-8/9 Jeff Pesta, Cedar Alternative Center, Burnsville,
Minn.
7/20-8/9 Susie Diessner, Carnation Elementary, Redmond,
Wash.
8/12-9/3 Avis Sosa, Pittsfield High School, Dalton, Mass.
9/10-9/20 Sue Draper, Nansemond River High School, Suffolk,
Va.
NOAA Ship TOWNSEND
CROMWELL (Fisheries Research)
7/8-7/18 Cathy Mahoney, E. Morris Cox Elementary, Oakland,
Calif.
7/24-8/5 John Fishback, Bremen High School, Bremen, Ind.
8/5-8/21 Ellen Blackwood, Edmonds-Woodway High School,
Seattle, Wash.
8/26-9/6 Martha Rogers, Ontario Middle School, Mansfield,
Ohio
NOAA Ship DAVID STARR
JORDAN (Fisheries Research)
5/15-5/27 Marla Schurder, Midwest Aquatic Education Center,
Schaumburg, Ill.
6/19-6/26 Todd Tarrant, Beaverton High School, Midland, Mich.
8/28-9/1 Marty Peters, Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa, Okla.
NOAA Ship McARTHUR
(Oceanographic/Fisheries Research)
6/6-6/13 Candace Brenner, Golden West College, Huntington
Beach, Calif.
6/6-6/13 Rich McCabe, Jenkins Middle School, Spokane, Wash.
7/20-7/28 Paul Blake, Jefferson Elementary, Port Angeles,
Wash.
NOAA Ship DISCOVERER
(Oceanographic Research)
6/12-6/29 Bill Stephenson, Diablo Valley College, Benicia,
Calif.
7/18-7/28 Jack McLeod, Cascade High School, Bothell, Wash.
7/18-7/28 Matt Huston, Lakeside School, Seattle, Wash.
7/18-7/28 Dianna Matthias, Contra Costa Community College,
Martinez, Calif.
8/15-9/8 Nancy McCallister, Horizon Elementary School,
Seattle, Wash.
NOAA Ship RANIER
(Charting and Hydrography)
5/22-6/2 Jim Millen, Delgado Community College, Canton,
Mich.
6/18-6/30 Connie Jubb, Thousand Oaks School, Oakland, Calif.
6/18-6/30 Michelle Smith, Anchor Bay Junior High, New
Baltimore, Mich.
7/3-7/14 Ken Powell, The Evergreen School, Seattle, Wash.
7/3-7/14 Donna Wood, Riverdale School, Portland, Ore.
7/16-7/27 Sara Jenkins, Lattie Coor School, Litchfield, Park,
Ariz.
7/16-7/27 Lisa Hamilton, Rochester Adams High School,
Rochester, Mich.
8/17-9/1 Bonnie Stemple, Sonoma State University, Sonoma,
Calif.
8/17-9/1 Mary Doyle, Castle Park Middle School, San Diego,
Calif.
NOAA Ship ALBATROSS IV
(Fisheries Research)
6/19-6/30 Judy Johnston, Holy Rosary School, Seattle, Wash.
6/19-6/30 Elaine Mandigo, Avrona Hills Middle School,
Littleton, Colo.
7/24-8/4 Michael Veit, Lawrence Academy, Groton, Mass.
7/24-8/4 Dale Wolfgram, Grand Blanc High School, Grand
Blanc, Mich.
8/14-8/25 Autumn Farber, Lynndale Elementary, Lynnwood, Wash.
8/14-8/25 John Beeuwkes, Skowhegan Area High School, Mercer,
Maine
NOAA Ship OREGON II
(Fisheries Research)
6/16-6/20 Susan Seyfried, Bay High School, Panama City, Fla.
6/21-7/3 Tom Allen, O'Neal Elementary School, Naylor, Mo.
7/4-7/19 Roger Frary, The Birch Wathen Lenox School,
Wantagh, N.Y.
NOAA Ship MT.
MITCHELL (Charting and Hydrography)
7/5-7/27 Jessica Patterson, Bishop Byrne High School,
Memphis, Tenn.
7/20-7/27 Nelice Fitch, Sycamore Middle School, Ashland City,
Tenn.
7/20-7/27 David Moore, Middle Tennessee State University,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.