NOAA TEACHER AT SEA PROGRAM LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Teacher at Sea program has launched a new Web site, better enabling teachers from kindergarten through college to find and apply for opportunities to get first-hand research experience aboard NOAA hydrographic, oceanographic and fisheries research vessels.

The site address is: http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov.

Teachers who sail aboard NOAA ships write daily logs of their experiences and email them to the NOAA program coordinator. The new Web site’s main feature allows access to these logs, which include information about sea temperatures and other data, research of the day, and interviews with scientists and crew. The logs also contain personal reflections that give insight into what life at sea is really like. Interested educators can also access the materials needed to apply to the NOAA Teacher at Sea program, while program alumni can use the site to keep in touch.

The mission of NOAA’s Teacher at Sea program is to give teachers a clearer insight into our ocean planet and a greater understanding of maritime work and studies, and to foster an interdisciplinary educational experience that provides a unique environment for learning and teaching. The enthusiasm for learning about science that is generated between teachers and students is the biggest payoff of the program, according to teachers who have participated in it. Now in its 15th year, the education program has enabled more than 430 teachers to gain first-hand experience in science at sea. Teachers can enrich their science lesson plans with a depth of understanding made possible by living and working side-by-side, day and night, with those who contribute to the world’s body of scientific knowledge.

“This new Web site will make it easier for teachers to see what it’s like to be a NOAA teacher at sea and apply for the program. The program continues to be an effective way to introduce educators to NOAA science in a personal way that helps them bring science alive for their students,” said Rear Admiral Samuel P. De Bow Jr., NOAA Corps, director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

“The education program has been so successful, we’re expanding it to make sure more teachers have an opportunity to participate and improve their research skills. It benefits NOAA as well. Enthusiastic teachers make great assistants and tend to boost the morale of everyone on board. After spending a couple of weeks on a ship, they also are able to offer career information to their students about the various shipboard jobs. We are always looking for good NOAA recruits! All around, it’s a win-win situation,” De Bow said.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service Special Projects Office created the new Teacher at Sea Web site.

The NOAA Teacher at Sea program is administered by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. OMAO is responsible for operating, managing and maintaining NOAA’s fleet of research and survey ships and aircraft, and is composed both of civilians and officers of the NOAA Commissioned Corps, one of the nation’s seven uniformed services.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global Earth observation network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.