Are you an formal or informal educator focused on building science literacy so your students, of any age, can understand concepts in ocean, atmospheric, and Earth science? Would $5,000 help you to realize these goals? Applications are available now through June 6th from the NOAA Planet Stewards Program.

If you're interested but not sure about your project, numerous resources are available to help you develop and deliver wonderful and worthwhile projects. Check out everything you could need here and be sure to apply by June 6th! You'll be glad you did!

Why are some areas of the ocean saltier than others? Curious minds want to know! The image at right shows methane mussels living at the edge of a underwater brine pool in a cavern at a depth of 650 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. The pool of brine in the foreground is nearly four times as salty as seawater and is so dense that a submarine can float on the pool (in fact, this photo was shot from a submarine). Find out why this area of the ocean is so salty here.

May 18, 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET, Conservation of USS Monitor - Past, Present, and Future

Will Hoffman, Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator at The Mariners' Museum and Park, will present an overview of the USS Monitor conservation effort to date, including the establishment of the USS Monitor Center and Batten Conservation Complex. the USS Monitor fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, and just nine months later, sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Learn how in 1987,  Register for the webinar >

May 25, 3:00  - 4:00 PM ET, Can Oyster Aqua-culture Help Restore Coastal Water Quality?

Excess nitrogen in coastal waters can lead to a variety of problems,  but there aren’t easy solutions. This webinar will feature a recently completed research project and highlight  how to identify best practices for siting and maintaining aquaculture operations that maximize benefits for water quality. Register via Zoom >

Science in the Virtual Pub is a bi-weekly program where you can grab a drink and engage in some friendly science! Every other Thursday the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) will host a speaker on an aspect of science followed by rich conversation. Meetings are held on Zoom and links to join are sent upon registration. Sessions are generally live streamed through the Science in the Virtual Pub Facebook Group, but participation in the discussion requires joining the Zoom meeting.

Upcoming Science in the Virtual Pub programs include:

• May 20 - Fossils, Culture, and Diverse Narratives in Paleontology, from Georgia State
• June 3 - A Scientist walks into the virtual pub… how stand-up comedy and storytelling
       can break the science-communication paradox, from Cornell University

Find out more here,  register for upcoming events, and join their Facebook Group at this link.

For the first time in human history, the difference between a thousand, a million, a billion, and a trillion is important for the average person to understand. The workshop will:addresses why understanding scale is essential to understanding climate change; provides resources and strategies for teaching and learning about scale in the context of climate change; and engages workshop participants as collaborators in developing resources and strategies for teaching about climate change and Earth systems science. Register here for the May 20 workshop.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), will celebrate the High-Level Launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development on 1 June 2021 from 5 am to 9 am (ET) in Berlin.

Join us for the virtual launch of the Ocean Decade and to contribute to “Creating the Ocean we want”. For more information go to ocean decade-conference.

Data Puzzles are a free resource that combine classroom-friendly data sets with the research-backed pedagogical practices of Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) to give students the ultimate inquiry-based learning experience. Developers will lead participants through the Data Puzzle instructional framework in the context of these free resources. Participants will leave with the skills/tools to implement Data Puzzle engagements in their own classrooms. Register for this virtual workshop. Participants will receive a certificate for PD hours.

This online workshop is for adults who work with at least ten K-12 youth in Massachusetts, Kansas, or Missouri interested in learning how to educate youth about the science of extreme weather through artistic expression and become an even better youth mentor. Art materials and supplies are provided. Each workshop series consists of three online sessions:

• Early June 2021 Series: June 7, 9, and 11 
• Late June 2021 Series: June 22, 23, and 24

Space is limited. Apply by May 15, 2021.  
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by May 21, 2021.   

Cool Science 2021-2022 Mentor Application

Do you want to discover new ways to connect your students to nature and still meet learning objectives defined in the K-12 standards, NGSS, or Vision & Change Recommendations?

The Demo Camp is designed to provide materials and resources to educators looking for easy to adopt educational materials that engage students with the natural world via Zoom. Learn more >

Cost: Free to all participants

Registration is open to attend the event here. 

Youth Climate Summits from Harvard

The climate change crisis is the greatest change to public health in the history of our planet, and the coronavirus pandemic has revealed how critical public health systems are in society. High school students are encouraged to join with other youth from around the world this July for two week-long Youth Summits focused on climate change and public health.  They will learn from scientists, health experts, academics, and energy innovators. The program is hosted by the Center for Climate, Health, and Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The two sessions are:

From Columbia University's Earth Institute learn about the interaction of ice and ocean water around Antarctica. Find out how Lamont marine geologist and geophysicist Frank Nitsche is observing and measuring ocean water to learn more about melting in the area.

Target audience: grades 6-8. RSVP here.

Join this free, family-friendly, virtual event  including activities , demonstrations, science talks, and  more!  VIMS is one of the largest marine research and education centers in the United States and a global leader in coastal and estuarine science, During Marine Science Day, you'll learn how VIMS is solving real-world problems with innovative solutions.

Registration is required. All registrants will receive an email on Thursday, May 13th with instructions on how to access the Marine Science Day platform.

Recordings of all of the day's programs will be accessible on the platform until June 11th, 2021. 

The purpose of the Unleash Your Inner STEM event series was to help STEM students—especially non-traditional and community college students—discover, develop and learn to convey their own identities; and to research the impact of networking events on these students. SWE aims to equip them to succeed in male-dominated fields and explore various tools' impact. 

Watch a video of the entire event, held earlier in May here.

Students ages 14-25 and passionate about finding solutions to climate change have an opportunity to attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Summit (COP-26) in Glasgow, and even win up to $2,000 in cash!

The ClimateScience Olympiad is a global climate competition engaging 10,000 youth (ages 14-25) in an effort to find solutions to some of the most challenging climate problems. REGISTER. 

Check out NOAA's Trash Trip with the Marine Debris Tracker App, a five-minute video guiding users—including high school students and teachers—through the processes of safely collecting, logging, and tracking trash data using the app. In tracking and submitting trash data, scientists gain a better picture of marine debris issues, and citizens contribute to their community by helping to keep it clean and reducing the amount of trash that ends up in the waterways. A transcript of the video is also available.

This resource has more than a dozen lessons and activities to build K–12 learners’ plastic literacy and inspire thoughtful solutions to plastic and water pollution issues. Developed by The 5 Gyres Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing the amount of plastic in the environment, the guide’s lessons cover topics from tracking and recording daily trash data and adopting strategies for using resources wisely. Find the resource here.

The Alliance to Save Energy began this program to teach students the importance of timing energy use to help California’s transition to 100% renewable energy. The program is open to California schools; is aligned with 3rd-12th grade Next Generation Science Standards; and every participating teacher receives a $100 stipend. Learn more about the program, view the program video, and access the sign-up form to participate.

This web mapping tool visualizes community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise (up to 6 feet above average high tides). Data is included from across the United States at different scales. Various timelines and sea level rise projections can be explored. Photo simulations of how future flooding might impact local landmarks are also provided, as well as data related to water depth, connectivity, flood frequency, socioeconomic vulnerability, wetland loss and migration, and mapping confidence. Find the tool here >

Satellites have been imaging Earth for many decades now and Google Earth has consolidated a series of images from 1984-2020 in a new features called 'Timelapse'. Timelapse allows users to explore the changes right in their neighborhood, or anywhere else in the world. Google also incorporated five major themes that include a guided tour for users to explore, which include deforestation, urban growth, warming temperatures, sources of energy, and fragile beauty. Check out the article for greater detail on this new tool.

NOAA's Sea Grant programs have a collection of websites featuring lesson plans, virtual field trips, citizen science opportunities, activity ideas, videos/webinars, and other educational materials for grades K–12 to use in at-home learning settings nationwide. The resources are produced by state-specific Sea Grant programs; however, teachers, students, and parents in any location can use the materials to learn about the plants and animals and other unique features of a particular region. Visit the Sea Grant Programs homepage and select a state of interest to preview that state’s educational resources, or download the hyperlinked pdf: Sea Grant Educational Resources Summary for links to all the state-specific Sea Grant programs in a single location. Access the site here.

Daily Do Playlists help K-12 educators plan their lessons based on the best research on how to engage all students in learning science. The Playlists include tailored Google Docs, Slides, and/or Jamboard templates.

Free resources from NSTA including lesson plans, book chapters, and our popular column, Freebies can be found here. 

Resources for Elementary Teachers are here.

Resources for Middle Level teachers are here.

Resources for High School teachers are here.  

Students are doing amazing work around climate change awareness, education, and action. On June 28th  MACCEC will provide a space for them to share and learn from each other. Across the world universities are incorporating climate literacy into various disciplines to prepare students for the inevitable changes they will experience during their careers because of climate change. Students will have the opportunity to engage in climate solutions through a series of networking activities and presentations on the topics of climate science, justice, and action. At the end of the day, students will rejoin the larger conference community for a student panel so us educators can learn from them. Student Track Registration for middle and high school students is FREE.

Registration page is here. Learn more and join the Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Education Conference if you're a secondary student or educator!