Course in communicating science effectively
The Integration and Application Network is conducting a three-day course in communicating science effectively. The course is being held in Cambridge, Maryland, 7-9 May, 2013. The hands-on approach means that participants come away from the course with the technical skills to effectively communicate scientific information in a variety of communication products. Further details and online registration are available on the course website.Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek Report Cards
The aim of these two report cards is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of the watershed health for Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek in 2012. Old Woman Creek, on the south-central shore of Lake Erie, is one of Ohio's few remaining examples of a natural estuary and is designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve and an Ohio State Nature Preserve. Pipe Creek is a small tributary to Sandusky Bay on the south-central shore of Lake Erie to the west of Old Woman Creek. Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek watershed health is defined as the progress of three water quality indicators (nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus, and turbidity) toward scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. These three indicators are combined into one overarching Health Index, which is presented as the report card score. Detailed methods and results are available from the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Watershed Program. The overall score for Old Woman Creek was a C in 2012, and for Pipe Creek was a C- in 2012.
USAUS-H2O virtual environmental partnership officially launched
The intent of the USAUS-H2O program is to educate and inform responsible stewardship of water resources between U.S. and Australian student teams through an interactive-virtual partnership. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State as part of the Global Connections and Exchange Program. It was officially launched on World Water Day, 22 March 2013 in Canberra, Australia by Peter Garrett, the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood, and Youth, and the U.S. Ambassador, Jeffrey Bleich. The program relies heavily on virtual tools to share data, photos, and stories regarding the water cycle and guides student from the 16 schools through a series of modules. It will be fun to watch as it gets populated with student data, photos, and videos and finally their collaborative H2O Stories pages.
Seagrass synthesis project
Bill Dennison participated in a project entitled "Australian seagrass habitats: Condition and threats" as part of the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis (ACEAS). The workshop was held at the Moreton Bay Research Station on Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane, Australia in March 2013. Synthesis papers on seagrass resilience are the goal of this working group which involves both seagrass researchers and resource managers. ACEAS, like the U.S. based synthesis centers, for example, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), bring small, diverse and focused groups of scientists together for immersive sessions to develop synthetic products.
Welcome to Megean Garvin
Megean joins IAN as part of the UMCES and MSDE partnership. She is providing science education support for the MADE CLEAR project. She will coordinate the K-12 work group, which provides teacher professional development opportunities that promote climate science integration into curricula. Prior to joining UMCES, she completed her doctoral degree in Science Education Curriculum and Instruction from UMD, College Park. Her research focused on how curriculum development teams worked to infuse technology into science curricula. She also earned a M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. degree in Education from Towson University. When she's not working with educators and climate scientists, Megean enjoys time with her husband, Jon, two active children, and two dogs. She also competes in sprint triathlons.