News you can use from NOAA Planet Stewards 

"Everybody is a genius.

but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,

it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

― Albert Einstein

Planet Stewards Education Program Links

• NOAA Planet Stewards Education Program Website
• NOAA Planet Stewards Upcoming Events
• NOAA Planet Stewards Select Webinar Archives
• NOAA Planet Stewards Educational Resources
• Sign up receive NOAA Planet Stewards The Watch e-newsletter

Did a colleague or friend share this copy of The Watch with you? 

Thank them, then sign up to receive it. - See above!

Thank you, teachers! October 5, 2020

Planet Stewards Bookclub Returns in October!

Join us on Monday  October 19th to discuss The Yellow House. Winner of the 2019 National Book Award in Nonfiction by Sarah M. Broom. Book club dates include:  October 19: The Yellow House November 16: Plastic Free Find the entire book schedule for 2020/2021 and information on how to join each meeting. Check out our Book Club Archives with book selections and discussion questions from previous Book Clubs. Everyone is always welcome!

FIVE: NOAA Ocean Podcast

NOAA’S latest Ocean podcast is a double feature. In the first episode, NOAA interviews two researchers about a study that asks: what if mussels could be used to learn more about microplastic pollution in our waterways? (see NOAA’s Mussel Watch program 2012). In the second episode, NOAA experts discuss their study with a walk-through of the scientific method. Hear how unexpected results are often part of the scientific process — and how conducting a study in the field with living organisms is so challenging. If you work with students, this is a must listen too!

FOUR: Up, Up, and Away - Flying High with NWS
Oct. 7th, 4 pm ET

Join NOAA to learn how weather balloons collect information to help forecasters predict the weather in your community and what you can do if you find one.  This webinar will be recorded and posted here (with English captions and Spanish subtitles) after going live.  (Grades 2-8 but all ages will enjoy) . »  Register for the live webinar here  ****American Sign Language will be provided. Additional resource: National Weather Service Kids Corner:  Weather balloons page including a video of a weather balloon launch.

THREE:  2021 Marine Debris Calendar Available

he NOAA 2021 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download! This year’s calendar features artwork from thirteen students in kindergarten through eighth grade from nine states and two U.S. territories, all winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest. Learn more.

TWO: NOAA Live! is Back

Join NOAA Live! Get a sneak peek at what NOAA scientists do all across the country! Students in grades 2nd-8th can connect with scientists and ask questions in real-time through a moderator. Webinars are streamed via GoToWebinar and are ~45 minutes in length. On Oct. 20, join us for NOAA Live! Alaska! Click here for a full list of both upcoming and past recorded webinars.

ONE: NOAA by the Numbers: Science, Service, Scholarship

Explore 50 years of NOAA and where the magic began with Sherman’s Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey. Over the years, he has lent his well-loved characters to support NOAA's mission. Watch the video here and learn about the artist, conservationist, and NOAA friend, Jim Toomey in this article.

OneNOAA Science Seminar Series

Love to learn about NOAA, its science, and programs? Check out these upcoming webinars from the OneNOAA Seminar Series - the most complete and integrated summary of NOAA science and climate seminars across the nation. The OneNOAA Science Seminar Calendar can be viewed here.  All seminars are posted in Eastern Time and subject to change without notice; Seminars are open to the public via remote access.

Register for the weekly list of upcoming NOAA science webinars here. Future seminars include, but are not limited to:

• From Orchids to Oceans - Environmental Citizen Science Leadership in Action, Dr. Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Oct. 13, 2 - 3 pm ET - Register!

• The Great Collaboration: A Conservation Adventure Story from the Frontlines of Coral Rescue, Oct. 8, 4 - 5 pm ET

• NEDTalk- Rising Voices Panel, presented by The Rising Voices Center and Earth Sciences, Oct. 16, 2-3 pm ET

• What we did on our fall vacations –Submersible research on the fishes of southern California oil/gas platforms, Oct. 20, 1-2pm ET

Seminar recordings, and sometimes PDFs of the PowerPoints are available thru the point of contact listed for each seminar.

What’s Working Series: K-12 STEM Education and the Transition to Virtual, Oct. 7, 2 pm ET

This special What’s Working Webinar will showcase the delivery of what has historically been in-person educational STEM programming for K-12 students in a virtual, pandemic-constrained environment. The webinar offers guests insight into translating and successfully delivering their own programs in a virtual setting. To register please click here

NSTA’s Teacher Tip Tuesday: Taking Familiar Digital Tools to the Next Level; Google Slides & Docs, Oct. 13, 7-8:15 pm ET

Digital tools can be leveraged as a means for students to share ideas, evaluate competing ideas, and give and receive critique. This month’s focus is Google Slides and Docs. Join NSTA’s Teach Tip Tuesday webinar to explore how to take familiar tools like these to the next level and share your next-level ideas with others!  Register or find out more here.

University of Maryland Offers a Webinar Series 

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is hosting a free webinar series this fall at 7:00pm ET on Tuesdays on ZOOM especially for educators interested in learning about current Chesapeake Bay research. Registration is required: http://www.usmf.org/scienceforcitizens/ October 13:  "Patuxent River Research Cruises: Building on a scientific & educational      legacy," presented by Dr. Ryan Woodland October 20:  "Decades of Change in the Patuxent River and its Tributary Companions,"      presented by Dr. Jeremy Testa October 27:  "Reducing Plastic Waste and Pollution," presented by Dr. Helen Bailey After you register, a link to join the seminar(s) via Zoom will be sent to the email address you provided.

Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP)

October Webinar: Neighborhood Resilience, Oct. 14, 2 pm ET

How can you improve flood resilience? How is green infrastructure performing? Come find out the answers to these questions and more during the next Climate and Resilience CoP webinar. Visit the CoP website for more details, download a flyer, and register for the webinar.

STEAM Resources for Virtual Learning Sought and Shared

Inwater.org has built a website page dedicated entirely to virtual resources and they need your help!  Resources need to be STEAM-based and require little to no additional supplies (beakers, testing equipment, etc.) other than what a parent or teacher might have on hand. This list will be shared and posted to the website, as a resource for parents/teachers all over the world. If you would like to contribute, please fill out this short form.  Again, these programs must be FREE to be featured. You can visit their website here.

 Two STEM with LM educator competitions:

• LIGHTS, CAMERA, TEACH Competition for Educators
• ION THE PRIZE (in recognition of Nat’l Chemistry week Oct. 18 - 24)

Free webinars: Careers in Marine Mammal Science

Every Tuesday in October

During the month of October, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) will offer a free career webinar series where you can meet people who move the PMMC mission forward. Hear about how they got into their careers, what their typical day is like and what they love most about their job. Ask them questions about what they do, what they find the most challenging or other occupational information you would like to know! Check out the schedule and register here!

STEM With LM from the Dept. of Energy – STEM for Students

Going back to school looks different for everyone this fall. No matter where class is in session, STEM with LM is here for students and educators. STEM with LM (Legacy Management) and DOE’s STEM Rising programs provide online resources, challenges, and more for students  and/or educators who want to explore opportunities. These resources are intended to spark curiosity through educational videos and at-home experiments and inspire a life-long passion for STEM.  STEM with LM and its various resources students (and educators, too) can be found here.

Free Virtual Open House at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Whether your students are aspiring young scientists or long-time science enthusiasts, they’re sure to enjoy this event! They can tour a lab, participate in hands-on earth science demonstrations, and learn from world-renowned researchers about their latest discoveries. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has an exciting line-up of K-12 programming to learn, explore and make. Don’t miss out. Explore these programs, learn more about planned events,  and register here.

Undergraduate Infographic Challenge

Did you know that one in three people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water? The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) challenges undergraduate students to develop an infographic to communicate the leading ways we purify drinking water. Three winners will be named in December, with a top prize of a $5,000 scholarship! Visit ORISE online for more information

9th Annual Cool Science Artwork Competition

interested in the arts and/or sciences or know someone that is? Participants are to address one of these three questions: What can you and your family do to keep cool in a heat wave or keep warm in a blizzard? How does a severe storm form? How can your community prepare for extreme flooding? Cool Science is a collaboration between UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, University of Kansas, and Kansas City Art Institute. Submission details can be found here. Deadline is December 11, 2020.

North America Consultation: Call for International Advisory Committee Nominations

The Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) - a global coalition operating under the auspices of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment – is seeking youth nominations (age 13-25) for an Intergenerational Advisory Committee that will be responsible for helping to guide the agenda, content, promotion and follow-up for the intergenerational consultation on the right of children and youth to a healthy environment for the North American region in Spring 2021 that is part of the CERI’s series of regional consultations with children and youth across the world. For further details please visit: North American Consultation webpage  and the Inter- generational Advisory Committee Terms of Reference.

NSTA’s Daily Dos

The NSTA Daily Do is an open educational resource (OER) used by educators and families to provide students with distance and home-science learning. Check out recent NSTA Daily Dos. Resources available are organized by the following audiences: Elementary, Middle, High School, and For Families. Find them all here.

Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network’s New Resources

CLEAN has recently added over 65 resources appropriate for teaching climate topics to younger learners, as well as some support pages designed to provide guidance on integrating climate science into the elementary classroom. They also have a professional development webinar for elementary teachers, and an upcoming virtual learning session for elementary students. You can check out all the new elementary teaching support and resources from the CLEAN Elementary landing page: https://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/elementary/index.html For example, check out the “Teach Climate: Sea Level Viewer from NASA” in the CLEAN portal.

WAVE of PLASTIC for Classroom or At-Home Use

Wave of Plastic is an education partnership program, funded by NOAA's Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, that is helping students understand the connections between actions on land, plastic pollution in local waterways, and student environmental stewardship. The Wave of Plastic unit, now available to all educators, is designed to support: Next Generation Science Standards (MS-ESS3-4, MS-PS1-3, MS-ESS3-3, & MS-LS2-4) The curriculum unit has been adapted to support at-home learning. The Teacher/Facilitator Guide and Student Workbook for the whole unit are available online for free.

Spark Some Inspiration With Dept. of Energy Poster & Blog Series

Women are leading major science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs and discoveries. Get inspired with the U.S. Department of Energy's STEM Rising: Women @ Energy posters, and Women @ Energy Blog series, which shares over 100 profiles of women in STEM in their agency.

NAAEE Conference & Research Symposium Online this October 

Join the North American Association for Environmental Education’s 2020 Virtual Conference (October 13-16) & Research Symposium (October 8-10), and Workshops (October 5-13). View the detailed schedules for the Conference and the Research Symposium, packed full of exciting content and speakers to help us build a just and sustainable world.  NAAEE has put together a promotional toolkit to make it as easy as possible to do so! Educators can attend the virtual conference for as low as $25!

The USA Science & Engineering Festival – Online through October 31

The USA Science & Engineering Festival, SciFest is the largest and only national science festival with thousands of hands-on activities, conversations with STEM mentors, and exciting presentations. While it may take another year to attend the in-person Expo, you can join SciFest this fall for a FREE Virtual Festival – SciFest All Access to October 31st. CLICK HERE to learn more and view SciFest All Access exhibitors and performers.

Grants, Contests

• Federal Funding Opportunity; Due October 22, 2020.
  
  
• NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program is excited to announce the awards for eight new projects that will use education to build the foundation for resilience to weather and climate hazards. Explore the 2020 award winners here.
  
  
• The 2021 Science Without Borders® Challenge for students. Deadline: March 1, 2021. Learn more.
  
  
• Earth.Org Global Wildlife & Natural World Photography Competition 2021. Deadline: April 4, 2021. Find out more here.. (For students.)

Jobs, Internships and Opportunities

• The Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program (STIP) for graduate-level research and undergraduate-level research. Learn more. Deadlines: Spring Internship: November 15; Summer Internship: March 15

• Educators, apply to the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program to spend eleven months as a fellow working in a federal agency or congressional office. The deadline to apply for the 2021-2022 class is Nov. 17, 2020.

• Graduate students: apply by December 4 for the Marine and Hydrokinetics (MHK) Fellowship Program with ORISE. Participants submit research plans and conduct research at their school as well as a hosting facility selected by the DOE Water Power Technologies Office, spending at least six months on their projects.

• Coral Restoration and Conservation Internship Application Spring 2021. Deadline to apply is Oct. 30 2020; Notification of acceptance: Nov. 23, 2020; Start date: Jan. 4, 2021.  Learn more and  apply here.

• Education Specialist position, Digital Communications Specialist, and a Grants Management Specialist are being sought to support the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Office of Response and Restoration. Learn more and apply here.
  
  
• NOAA is pleased to announce the 2021 call for applications for NOAA’s Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship (C&GC) program. C&GC  fellows are UCAR employees and receive a fixed annual salary. For more information go here or email! 
  
  
• Reef Relief's Spring and Summer Internships are now open! Please see the attached document for more information. Interested applicants must send a cover letter and resume to reefrelief@gmail.com. 

.

Coastwatch Magazine

The award-winning Coastwatch magazine recently released the Autumn 2020 issue. The latest edition covers far-ranging content, from the connection between a COVID-19 vaccine and horseshoe crabs to how climate change affects sea turtle hatchlings -- and it's all available free online. Make sure to check out Coastwatch Classroom, too!

.

Especially for Educators at this Time, from NSTA

• Overcoming Isolation by Joining Professional Learning Communities
  New York chemistry teacher Sarah English discusses why now more than ever, educators need the tools to learn how to join or build learning communities that provide positive emotional-support structures while also serving as content resource providers and sounding boards. Read more.>>
  
  
• Discovering Community and Learning
  Veteran science educator Wanda Rodriguez shares how she found support for teaching online interactive science all around her through like-minded community groups. By sharing ideas, experiences, and hopes for the future, Rodriguez is learning how to “keep the boat afloat and navigate the waters together.” Read more.>> 
  
  
• Building Community to Create Your STEM Ecosystem.
  California STEM teacher Andy de Serière provides tips for building a STEM community. While challenging, de Serière notes, “Your greatest reward could be the human connections you will make through building community.” Read more.>>

.

News You Can Use on the NOAA and Stewardship Front

Weather

• D.C. area’s main weather radar goes down and awaits repair
• National Weather Service selects Navajo Department of Emergency Management as ambassador of excellence
• What To Expect From The Final Two Months Of The Atlantic Hurricane Season
• National Geodetic Survey damage assessment imagery from Hurricane Sally available online

Ocean

• Mysterious beaked whale sets the record straight. It can make the longest and deepest dive
• Following the Whales
• Amazing discovery in Palm Beach County: Giant manta ray babies and a study that could save a threatened species
• There’s a giant ‘Green Banana’ off Florida’s coast, and researchers have finally gotten to the bottom of it
• How Businesses Are Trying To Protect America’s Coral Reefs
• Maui 10-Year-Old Grows 900 Plants to Protect Coral Reefs

Climate

• Fall colors in Midwest spotted from space as autumn arrives
• Rate of mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet will exceed Holocene values this century
• Climate Change receives unexpected attention and first presidential debate
• How Cold was the Ice Age? Researchers Now Know

Environment 

• Could the Sahara ever be green again?
• Air quality: a measurement from space

Sign up to our email list and receive invitations to future events. 

Have questions, comments, or suggestions? We love to hear from you! Email us here to suggest content and include:

• Event/announcement title

• Date and time if applicable

• One paragraph description

• Link or email address for more information

NOAA Planet Stewards Education Program

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.