The Watch. News You Can Use From NOAA Planet Stewards - 22 February 2022

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News you can use from NOAA Planet Stewards -

February 22, 2022

"You can not escape the responsibility of tomorrow

by evading it today."

– Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

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NOAA Planet Steward's Symone Barkley celebrated by U.S. Department of Commerce as a Leader in STEM!

Black Leaders

Black History Month is a time to show appreciation for the achievements of the Black scientists, educators, creators, activists, and others who have contributed to our nation’s greatness and continue to propel this nation forward every day. 

In honor of Black History Month, two outstanding individuals from NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were chosen by the Dept. of Commerce who continue to be leaders in advancing research, education, and inclusion in STEM. Planet Stewards own Symone Barkley was chosen! Kudos to Symone. Well deserved!

Read all about it here!


Join the next Planet Stewards Book Club Meeting on March 7!

Girls

Join us Monday, March 7 at 8pm ET when we'll talk about

Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the World

by Rachel Sarah

The author will be joining the event along with one of the Girl Warriors featured in the book.

You do not want to miss this event! 

All Are welcome! Discussion questions will be posted prior to the meeting on our Website.

To join the discussion Dial 866-662-7513 (toll free) then use the pass code 1170791#. Learn more and see our entire lineup for the rest of the 2021-2022 academic year.


A NOAA PLANET STEWARDS PROJECT INSPIRATION 

The Great Water Design Challenge: A NOAA Planet Stewards and Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) Collaboration

Great Lakes

Schools in the Northern Illinois area had the unique opportunity to participate in a one-day design challenge that focused on local and state environmental issues.  Fifth grade through high school student teams engaged in research and design thinking to create innovative responses and solutions to address their selected water challenge. Read all about it here!


Past Planet Stewards Webinar Highlight

Western Water Resources, Climate, and Science

“Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” - Mark Twain.

drought

The Western U.S. and northern Mexico are now experiencing an intense period of drought. Find out more about the precarious situation this area of the United States is facing. in this Planet Stewards Webinar.

Kevin Werner's presentation describes the water resources environment in the Western United States including the impact of climate change. Kevin describes his own experience working with decision makers in the water resources sector to use forecasts and science from NOAA to improve their operations. (At the time of this broadcast Kevin Werner was the NOAA’s Western Regional Climate Services Director.)


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The Watch

If you're looking for educational resources or ideas to plug into your academic planning, check out archived issues of The Watch! Our team has reviewed all content for use by formal and informal educators working to increase their own ocean, climate, and environmental awareness as well as that of their students and audiences.

If you have an item you'd like to share with our education community, email us at: oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov. Be sure to include:

  • Event/Item announcement title
  • Date and time if applicable
  • One paragraph description
  • Clear thumbnail image
  • Link for more information
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atlantic ocean

Help NOAA! Take the New NOAA Education Multimedia Needs Assessment!

NOAA Education has created a new needs assessment for educators working with elementary through university level students. The goal of this mechanism is to provide NOAA information about the types of STEM multimedia and distance learning tools educators want to use with their students and for their own professional development. Please take the BRIEF survey then distribute it to your colleagues and networks in education.

Take this very short survey and let NOAA know how it can help you!


NOAA Ocean Service releases new NOAA Sea Level Rise Portal!

sea level us

NOAA has just released a sea level rise portal web page. In addition to providing access to the 2022 report: Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States. It provides sea level rise scenarios to 2150 and their likelihood using future global warming levels. The page also offers worthwhile resources from NOAA and other federal agencies.


NOAA Ocean Service Offers new Ocean Literacy and NGSS Alignment Resources

handbook

NOAA Ocean Service Education is excited to announce the availability of the Ocean Literacy Guide, The Handbook for Increasing Ocean Literacy, the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K–12, and the Alignment of Ocean Literacy to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These materials present an extensive framework to share the vision of an ocean-literate society and the range of knowledge required to be considered ocean literate.

You can access all of these resources as well as the Climate Literacy Essential Principles in English and in Spanish on the Ocean Service Education Literacy Resource Page. We strongly recommend you visit the NMEA Ocean Literacy Page for additional resources and more information about Ocean Literacy efforts.

noaa webinars
whales

Webinar (archived): How to Help Whales

Celebrate Whale Week and become a citizen scientist with this webinar!

Join Ocean Today host Symone Barkley and a team of NOAA scientists for an hour-long deep dive into the world of whales! Learn how you can help whales and why they are so important to us and the health of our ocean.  NOAA Ocean Today's "How to Help Whales" Watch Party is a winner of an Anthem Award!" Join the webinar to celebrate!

Watch the webinar anytime here.


Webinar: Introducing the Coral Check-up Lesson Series! Inspire students to dive in as coral scientists-in-training! 

Thursday, February 24, 2022 | 5:00 pm ET

coral series

Dive in and learn about the newly released Coral Check-up Lesson Series from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument This free, NGSS-aligned curriculum introduces middle school students to coral reef monitoring and ecology through virtual real world experiences focused in the Hawaiian archipelago. By assessing coral bleaching impacts, students become reef stewards, budding scientists, and active agents for change. Register here to attend the webinar.

Catch up on National Marine Sanctuaries presentations you may have missed here.

Join historian John V. Quarstein as he dives into the 160-year-old question, “Who Won the Battle of Hampton Roads?” The first clash between ironclad vessels was over by mid-day on March 9, 1862. Both North and South claimed victory; neither side admitted the battle was a draw. This engagement changed naval warfare forever, proving the power of iron over wood. Register here for the webinar.

ironclads

webinar series

 

NOAA Science Seminar Series

Read all about these and other upcoming webinars here!

Something for Everyone!

24 February 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET

“Urban Ocean: Partnering to advance

clean, healthy cities for clean, healthy seas”

 

Add to Google Calendar or join the meeting.

-----------------------------------------

8 March 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET

“FathomNet: An open-source, underwater image repository to

train AI for ocean exploration and discovery”

 

Add to Google Calendar or join the meeting.

Educator opportunities

Why Hope Matters: How to Find Meaningful Engagement in the Age of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Doom

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 | 12:00 pm ET

ErrinK

Elin is a scholar, author and passionate leader in the evidence-based hope, climate change, and environmental solutions movement. Her newest book for adults, “Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical for Solving the Environmental Crisis” was published  in 2020 and includes her work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Stanford University in the Graduate School of Education.

She is a Kone Foundation Fellow working with climate science researchers, the Climate and Environmental Communication Science Association and children’s book writers in Finland on the "Developing Climate Change Communication with Emotional Awareness" project.

You can learn more about Elin and her work through the registration link


Black Leaders on Environmental Justice and Beyond

Thursday, February 24, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET

leadership

The environmental movement has historically excluded the voices of Black leaders, even when policies and practices are directly affecting their livelihoods and communities. Today many are still fighting for a transformation of the environmental movement to prioritize funding and opportunities for justice for Black communities.

Join Green 2.0 and Hip Hop Caucus for a discussion with Black leaders in the environmental sector about what needs to happen to move the needle. Register for the webinar here.


Creating a Coastal Acidification Module for the Mid-Atlantic

28 February 2022 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET

land_ocean

NOAA's Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) workshops are held at over 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves across the U.S.  every year. To address habitat change and impacts to local environments, TOTE educators will be including coastal acidification information for K-12 teachers at these workshops. Come and learn about a new coastal acidification learning module for Mid-Atlantic states, created by a regional network of educators, and pilot tested with teachers last summer. Register here.


Register for the CLEANet.org Climate & Energy Education Webinar Series

cleannet

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) is presenting a professional development webinar series this spring to help teachers learn how to use the CLEAN Collection to teach about climate and energy. CLEAN also exciting webinars this year highlighting climate change and mental health! Find out more about the series on their site. Join the events, and help spread the word. (You can also follow CLEAN on Facebook and Twitter to share CLEAN posts). 


Society for Science Advocate Program

advocates

Apply for the Society for Science Advocate Program! It provides a $3,000 stipend and training to an individual (teacher, scientist, counselor, or mentor) who agrees to serve as an advocate for a minimum of 3 additional students from traditionally underrepresented groups to transition them from conducting scientific or engineering research (science fair-type) projects to completing applications to STEM research competitions. There are four different types of Advocates for both beginners and more advanced applicants.

For eligibility information and to apply for the Advocate Program, click here. Advocates must already have a formal role with students completing research projects. This program is sponsored by Arconic Foundation, Intel, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, National Geographic, and Regeneron.

Application Deadline:  March 6, 2022


NESTA is seeking authors for their Summer 2022 Issue

Feature your great ideas, activities, or lessons

nesta

The Earth Scientist publishes articles that provide exemplary tested classroom activities and background science content relevant to K-12 classroom Earth and Space Science teachers. They are seeking articles for their Summer 2022 issue (weather, climate, atmosphere).

Articles may run from 500 to no more than 2000 words. More details about requirements can be obtained on the NESTA website.

Manuscripts for the summer 2022 NESTA Nuggets Issue are due April 15, 2022


One-Week GLOBE Pacing Guides from NASA

city

Are you interested in doing Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) but not sure where to start? NASA has worked with experienced GLOBE teachers to put together new one-week Pacing Guides. Each guide provides a five-day sequence of activities that address a guiding question that are aligned to NGSS and incorporate making citizen science observations with GLOBE. Each also includes an activity from My NASA Data using real satellite data.

View all the Pacing Guides on the NASA Langley GLOBE Partner page. To learn more, join any of the free webinars from now through the end of March.

Student opportunities

Virtual Marine & Environmental Science College & Career Fair

March 12, 2022  | 12:00 - 6:00 pm ET

ocean_Institute

Ocean Institute is pleased to announce their inaugural Virtual Marine and Environmental Science College Fair.

This FREE event will give high school students the opportunity to learn about educational programs in the areas of marine and environmental sciences directly from colleges, universities, etc. There will be live presentations, small session chats, student and alumni panels, exhibits, and more. 

SPACE IS LIMITED. To receive updates and to register, please complete this registration/interest form.


North American Marine Environment Protection Association Annual Art Contest

Can you think of ways to depict innovative, new technologies for greener shipping in the maritime industry? Students are asked to submit an original poster depicting creative ideas about the possibilities for new technology leading to a sustainable future for shipping and our global society. Learn more about the contest here.

The submission deadline is March 31, 2022. Winners will be announced by May 13, 2022.

shipping

When Innovation Meets Algae

algae

You get prizes! competition, networking, and most importantly, science! The U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced its inaugural 2022-2023 AlgaePrize competition, hosted with the Algae Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. High school, undergraduate, or graduate programs students can create teams to compete for national recognition and a total of $130,000 in prize awards, with a grand prize of $20,000 as they work to advance algae technology. Visit the AlgaePrize website and subscribe to BETO updates to ensure that you are among the first to learn the latest AlgaePrize and bioenergy news.


Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students

Deadline: 1 April 2022 (Phase 1)

The EPA has launched an Environmental Justice (EJ) Video Challenge for students to enhance their communities’ capacity to address environmental inequities. In Phase 1, students may submit a video that demonstrates innovative approaches to identify and characterize an EJ issue(s) in a community using data and publicly available tools. Win up to $20,000, and other benefits. Details on Phase 2 of the challenge will be shared at a later date.

 Learn more about the challenge and how to apply.

logoEJ

2022 Ocean Awareness Contest

Deadline:  13 June 2022

art contest

The 2022 Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, and become advocates for positive change. Its theme, THE FUNNY THING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, challenges students to learn about climate change and its impact on the ocean, and to explore new ways, like humor, satire, or kitsch, to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis. 

Visit the website for full details, and be sure to check out Bow Seat’s Resource Studio on methods that break the mold on your typical doom and gloom messaging.

Special Awards:

There will also be an Educator Innovation Awards. If an educator brings the Ocean Awareness Contest into your physical or virtual classroom this year, Bow Seat wants to hear from you! Nominate yourself or a colleague for a $750 award. Learn more >

Ed Resources

NAAEE Black History Month 2022

path

During Black History Month and beyond, the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE)  shares the inspiration and strength of regional, place-based initiatives that address Black history in nature. The following blog post focuses on this year's theme, Black Health and Wellness: Embers of Alternative Futures in Alaska. This blog post is a collage of conversations between Black, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous Alaskans. Charting the ways personal histories unravel the self, these writers, artists, healers, family members, and leaders map paths toward healing and alternative futures.


It's Easy to Help Whales (with the Ocean Alert App)

Celebrate Whale Week with these video resources from NOAA!

app
  • Whales face threats from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. YOU can help! All it takes is a smartphone. Find out how in this short video.

  • A.I. and Citizen ScienceImagine if anyone could be a scientist and contribute to understanding where ocean animals travel? Today, data from citizen scientists is playing an important role in revealing the secrets of ocean animals.

  • Grey Whale Migration: The Gray whale is one of the oldest mammal species on the planet. It has been evolving and adapting for 30 million years! In the 1700 and 1800’s, whalers in search of oil, meat, and baleen hunted gray whales to near extinction. Today, nearly 24,000 gray whales migrate annually along the coast of North America, giving humans a glimpse of these majestic creatures. 

kids learn

Ocean Exploration Trust’s Nautilus Exploration Program has a collection of science, technology, engineering, art, and math education resources to engage K–12 learners of all levels in the excitement of deep-sea exploration and ocean studies. The resources are designed for use in either in-person or via remote learning settings. They include a mix of standards-supported STEM learning modules, engineering design challenges, creative projects, teaching animations, data-driven activities, videos, and more. The site also has career resources for middle and high school levels. Explore the site here.


Ocean Plastic Pollution Online Course

plastics

Looking to initiate a plastic pollution reduction project with students in grades 3–12? This self-guided online course for educators from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in San Francisco is a place to start. Through seven chapters participants learn about the science behind plastic pollution and experience the project process from start to finish. (To access the course materials, free e-mail registration is required.) Find the course here.


Focus on early Childhood Education: Guide to Addressing STEM Myths

stemie guide

The STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education team has produced a Guide to Addressing STEM Myths. The 24-page PDF document lists 19 common myths affecting STEM learning experiences and opportunities for young children. Following the list of myths, the guide presents facts and accompanying resources educators can use to dispel each one.

Find the Guide here.


Stories of Women in STEM from the Smithsonian

stories

This resource targeted for grades 7–8 is the second installment in the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s Stories of Women in STEM e-Book series, which highlights the largely untold stories of women's contributions to science and innovation. Available as a downloadable PDF, Stories of Women of Color in STEM features biographies of women whose ingenuity has transformed STEM in America and beyond. Download it today!


Green Careers for a Changing Climate for Middle Schoolers

green carreers

Targeted for grades 6–8, Climate Generation’s Green Careers for a Changing Climate video and accompanying curriculum guide provides an inside look at green career pathways and their connection to climate solutions. The 20-minute video features interviews with eight STEM professionals working in green careers that positively impact climate solutions. The downloadable curriculum guide includes printables and worksheets to guide students during the viewing, as well as discussion questions, activities, and more. (Free e-mail registration is required to access the video and curriculum guide.)


What is environmental DNA?

dna

Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are using a new tool to identify the many unknown species in the ocean's twilight zone. Watch this video to learn more about environmental DNA.


Stories To Watch from the World Resources Institute

wri

The World Resources Institute (WRI) hosted the annual Stories to Watch event in which WRI’s president, Ani Dasgupta, shared his insights on the biggest climate stories to watch in 2022. This resource focuses on one of the most important questions in this decade of climate action: Will this be the year that leaders turn promises into action? Watch the presentation from Ani Dasgupta, view the accompanying slides, and read the blog: From Promises to Action: 6 Sustainability Stories to Watch in 2022!

Conference Reports

Recovering Threatened and Endangered Species Report to Congress 2019–2020 Newly Released

whale

This report summarizes efforts to recover all domestic species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction. It highlights progress made toward recovery of nine critically endangered species identified in the Species in the Spotlight initiative.

Grants

GRANTS: Bay Watershed Education and Training Grants


JOBS

Job Post Lists

News
coast

Education Bytes

Climate Bytes

Ocean, Coastal Weather, Sea Ice, Ocean Life, Water Bytes

Weather Extremes and/or Other Earth Bytes


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Have questions, comments, or suggestions? We love to hear from you! You can also share opportunities for your fellow educators, students, educational resources and more! Email us at: oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov. Be sure to include:

  • Event/announcement title
  • Date and time if applicable
  • One paragraph description
  • Link or email address for more information
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