At our December book club we’ll talk about Escape Undersea, a young adult fiction book by marine scientist Dr. Ellen Prager - who will be joining the meeting! - to engage all attendees in discussion. In the book, protagonists Ezzy and Luke are invited to the world’s only undersea research station in the Florida Keys with their father, and dive into an unexpected adventure. While visiting the Aquarius Sea Station, Ezzy and Luke encounter a strange algae bloom at the surface, giant goliath groupers, and a mysterious fish that threatens the coral reefs and their own safety. It’s another wild ride filled with humor and action as Ezzy Skylar explores the depths of her courage while overcoming her insecurities. With new friends, she and Luke discover the wonders of the undersea world and what it is like to live underwater. But once again they unwittingly stumble into a plot that could have disastrous consequences for the local wildlife and must jump into action to save the day

A complete description of the book, meeting discussion questions, login information, and all the dates and selections for the entire 2023-2024 academic year are posted on our website.

And remember...

• For details on all our meeting dates, times, selections, and how to log in, go to our Upcoming Events Page.
• Sign up to receive reminder announcements on our mailing list!
• See previously selected books and discussion questions in our Book Club Archive.

Now is a great time to start thinking about engaging your students and your school community to carry out a stewardship project in the spring.

Read how Jerry Cantrell, a science and engineering teacher at Seminole High School (SHS) in Seminole, Florida, enabled his students to take ownership in designing, creating, and maintaining natural gardens around SHS. Through this project approximately 350 – 400 students had, and continue to have, opportunities to earn service hours, and become leaders within the school community restoring Florida native plants to their campus, increasing both floral and faunal biodiversity, and expanding access to the gardens for educators who use them for lesson enhancements. 

Read about their stewardship project.

Cornerstone Learning Community, a recent recipient of NOAA Planet Stewards funding, was just featured in coverage of CNN's third annual Call to Earth Day 2023: How Students Helped Care For The Planet  (scroll down to the bottom of the Web Page to click through images of their students in action!) Their project is working to restore native longleaf pine and wiregrass ecosystems, a unique and ecologically valuable landscape at the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. The restoration area is adjacent to a wiregrass seed donor site where the students harvested wiregrass seed spikes one year ago, then germinated and raised 2,250 plugs on their campus that they planted at the Preserve.

Get inspired to take action! Check out all the amazing projects carried out by NOAA Planet Stewards Educators and Students on our What Success Looks Like Web page.

This "Holiday Season" explore "The Future of Ocean Farming" Video Collection with your students

Learn what "The Future of Ocean Farming" collection is all about with Symone Barkley.

American Samoa is home to some of the most resilient coral reefs in the world. From the 500-year-old giant Porites corals in Ta’u, to the heat resistant “super corals” in Ofu, and the thriving coral communities in Fagatele Bay. The reefs protect the shorelines, provide food for families, and play an integral role in Samoan culture and heritage. The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is working with partners to better understand how ocean acidification may affect the corals and the communities that rely on them. Efforts include monitoring ocean acidification, integrating ocean acidification into climate adaptation efforts, and education and outreach. Register now!

Check out the Ocean Acidification Resources for Communicators and Educators to learn about ocean acidification tools that can be used by all educators and communicators to inform students & community members about this important issue.

The Fifth National Climate Assessment has just been published!. This congressionally-mandated report brings together hundreds of experts from federal, state and local governments, as well as academic, non-profit and private sectors. It is a roadmap to a better future through science-based information, data, and real world examples of ways to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and develop resilience strategies.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program is hosting a series of webinars dedicated to this report. Each event presents the focus and highlights of a chapter in the report from authors, and allows you to ask them questions directly. Some of the events have already occurred, the remaining broadcasts are noted below. Register at the topic links below!

December 5:Forests ;  December 6:Southeast;  December 6:Southern Great Plains;  December 7: Energy;   January 9:Northwest;  January 10:Earth System Processes;  January 11:Mitigation;  January 12:Ecosystems;  January 17:Alaska;  January 18:Agriculture, Rural Communities, and Food Systems;  January 19:Tribes and Indigenous Peoples   January 22:Coastal Effects and Blue Carbon;  January 23:Oceans;  January 26:Complex Systems and Compound Extreme Events;  February 12:Social Systems and Justice;  February 13: Hawaii and US-Affiliated Pacific Islands;  February 14:Human Health and COVID-19;  February 15:Adaptation;  February 16:International;  February 20:Midwest;  February 21:Transportation;  February 22:Northeast;  February 23:Southwest and Western Wildfire;  February 27:Northern Great Plains;  February 28:Air Quality;  March 4:Economics and Supply Chains;  March 12:Indicators;  and March 15:Land Cover and Land Use Change

Exploring Ocean Mysteries lessons and resources were created by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in collaboration with Engaging Every Student, and supported by the National Geographic Society and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The lessons focus on the Ocean Literacy Principles, Climate Literacy Principles, and use the National Marine Sanctuary System as an engaging backdrop to help students understand their importance for exploration, research, Indigenous cultures, and more. 

All lessons build upon work connecting Ocean Literacy with NGSS via the Ocean Literacy Handbook using the Ocean Literacy Framework, which is made up of the Ocean Literacy Guide, the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K–12 and the Alignment of Ocean Literacy to the NGSS.

The 2023 Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Summit will bring together Mid-Atlantic groups working on the mitigation and removal of marine debris (including litter that becomes marine debris). It will include state and federal agencies, tribes, non-profit organizations, academia, and other groups – to identify opportunities to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into marine debris efforts, coordinate efforts between groups, discuss current and emerging marine debris fields, and highlight solutions to marine debris prevention and reduction. The Summit is free to attend and open to the public! Register now!

Integrating Science Fiction in Science Education: Saturday, February 24, 2024 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Join the Shedd Aquarium for an impelling in-person educator workshop that explores the fascinating intersection of science and science fiction. From “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” to “Waterworld,” modern science fiction has long captivated our imaginations and sparked curiosity. As a genre, it allows us to speculate about our future while holding a mirror to present challenges. By bringing sci-fi into the classroom, we encourage our students to engage with science critically and creatively. Learn more and register.

Grades: 3-12 educators

Illinois Teachers:1.5 - 3 ISBE clock hours available

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Environmental Education is requesting applications for the 2024 President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA), which recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects from students in Grades K–12 that promote environmental awareness and encourage community involvement.

Projects eligible for the awards can apply to a variety of environmental topics.

Learn more about the program and apply!

Who?

Students in grades 6 to 12 living in the United States (including the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories) or Canada and enrolled in a public, private, cyber, religious, charter school, or who attend a home school pro­gram can participate.

What?

Learn about Dr. Hilleman, and write a 500- to 1,000-word essay that responds to this prompt: “Dr. Hilleman made his impact on the world through the development of vaccines. What scientific issue would you take on if given the chance and why?” The essay should be written in English for U.S. submissions and English or French for Canadian submissions using complete sentences and appropriate grammar. One entry per person. See “Official Rules” for complete details.

Winners will receive:

• Cash prize: 1st place US $500; 2nd place US $250
• Winner certificate
• Recognition at a virtual award event on May, 2024. The event will be hosted by Dr. Paul Offit - VEC director, vaccine inventor and Hilleman biographer. The event will include special guests and student winners reading their essays.

Find out more information about the contest, how to enter, and examples of winning essays from past years here.

Explore the Submission Requirements to learn more about the Categories

Middle school students, as scientists, investigate the impact of our diet choices on the environment to answer the driving question: How does eating beef affect climate change? Students analyze data to explore the motivations underlying deforestation in the Amazon, including some of the tensions between indigenous populations and other interest holders about land use. Students then get to model these ideas explaining how beef consumption in the United States and other countries is connected to deforestation in the Amazon and how this exacerbates climate change. Lastly, students use the evidence they have collected to create a campaign that spreads awareness, aims to change human behavior, and proposes a solution at different scales to mitigate the impacts on ecosystems.

Try these five holiday-themed physics experiments to surprise your students with wild science before the winter holidays! From creating flame erasers to celebrating 12 Days of Tape, each experiment involves materials that can be easily found around your home or classroom.

Visit SciJinks—NOAA’s weather education website for middle school level students—to find straightforward answers students’ most frequently asked questions, like Why Does Earth Have Seasons? To answer this question, an article provides a brief short answer summary, then addresses the most commonly held student misconception about why the Earth has seasons. The article provides an additional explanation and diagrams to explain the concept in greater detail. Read the answer to this question, as well as browse answers to many other frequently asked questions about topics such as storms, tides and oceans, atmosphere, water and ice, satellites and technology, weather forecasting, and space weather at the SciJinks website.

This virtual field trip from The Nature Conservancy shows students in grades 3–8 how citizen science projects work. During the trip, students learn the history of citizen science—it started with cicadas!—then follow along as the host participates in a citizen scientist event with volunteers calling frogs and toads at wetlands in the Washington, D.C., area. The trip also discusses other citizen science opportunities and their benefits. An accompanying Teacher’s Guide contains discussion questions (and answers), which can be used during and after the virtual field trip. The guide also includes information on learning standards, vocabulary words, suggested action steps for getting started with citizen science opportunities, and links for additional resources.

Quiz-based learning platform Kahoot! and the Museum of Science (MOS), Boston, have produced a collection of STEM learning resources for K–8 audiences, called Museum of Kahoots! The STEM content is featured on the Kahoot! platform and was created through the “MOS at School" initiative, which brings together museum expertise, educators, and Engineering is Elementary, the museum’s curriculum division. The quiz-based resources support the Next Generation Science Standards and address various themes, including Timely Topics (grades 1–8), Space (grades 1–3, 3–5), Mars (grades 4–7), Climate (grades 6–8), Animals (grades 3–5), Resources (grades 2–5), Forces and Motion (grades 1–8), and Women in STEM (grades 1–8).

Learn more about the program and apply!

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation will award 10-15 grants ranging between $5,000 and $7,500 to support initiatives that investigate and prevent the impacts of marine debris in communities that are underserved, underrepresented, or overburdened. Projects may include marine debris prevention, research, monitoring, detection, response, removal, and coordination activities. Priority will be given to projects that directly benefit or support communities in need and involve community members in all aspects of the project. 

Find out more about the grant, eligibility and submission information, and how to apply.

Application Deadline by: January 1, 2024

Reef Environmental Education Foundation announces its REEF Educator in the Field Fellowship, an exciting opportunity for all educators to gain hands-on experience with ocean citizen science. They will join other citizen scientist volunteers to learn about marine life and conduct fish population surveys while scuba diving or snorkeling as part of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project in Bonaire at Buddy Dive Resort on July 20-27, 2024. REEF will cover the total cost of the Field Survey Trip, including meals and air transportation up to $1,200.  Click here for complete trip details. The recipient can also earn continuing education credits from University of California at San Diego.

Learn more and apply here. For any questions regarding the Fellowship email explorers@REEF.org

• be a current preK–12 classroom teacher or information educator from the 50 U.S. states, Canada, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Department of Defense Activity schools;
• have plans to return to a classroom or teaching environment the year following their assigned expedition and demonstrate the ability to incorporate what they learn into their teaching; and
• have a proven dedication to geographic education in their teaching field and show promise of continued active engagement in the future.

Application Deadline by: January 15, 2024

EPA’s Office of Environmental Education is accepting applications for the 2024 Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). The awards recognize outstanding Grade K–12 educators who integrate environmental education and place-based learning into school curricula and school facility management across the country.

Place based-learning topics eligible for the awards can apply to a variety of topics, including (but not limited to):

• Climate change
• Environmental justice
• Water infrastructure
• Lead in drinking water
• Reducing ocean and marine litter
• Recycling solutions
• Using science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to teach environmental education
• Environmental sustainability and agricultural practices
• Healthy school environments
• The reduction of food waste and loss and excess food recovery efforts.

For PIAEE, up to two teachers from each of EPA’s 10 regions, each from different states, will be selected to receive the award. Teachers will receive a presidential plaque and an award of up to $2,500 to be used to further professional development in environmental education. The winners’ local education agencies will also receive awards of up to $2,500 to fund environmental educational activities and programs. Winners will be highlighted on EPA’s website.

Application and eligibility information is available on EPA’s PIAEE page.

The Master of Arts in Teaching Earth Science Residency Program at the American Museum of Natural History is a full-time, fifteen-month fellowship program that takes place at the museum and in urban partner schools. Favorable candidates are those  with diverse life and career experience who want to change lives by becoming culturally responsive middle- and high-school Earth science teachers. All degree candidates receive free tuition and books, a $40,000 living stipend, and financial and professional support throughout their first two years of teaching. In return, candidates commit to teaching in a high-needs school for three years. 

The fellowship is intended for graduates with a background in Earth science and related fields (e.g., Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, or Space Science). Current college seniors and recent graduates are encouraged to apply.

Read more information on eligibility requirements, application deadlines, courses, and more here! 

Apply by: January 22, 2024 for internships beginning April to December