Collaborative Research: Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence - National Network Partnerships

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This proposal will be awarded using funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This award provides funds to support the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Central Coordinating Office (CCO) in a set of projects that will focus on identifying best practices in ocean science education and develop internal and external Network partnerships. Specifically, this award provides funds for the development of an online COSEE Community Center to network teachers, ocean researchers and the public. The COSEE program, now in its seventh year, has a mission to bridge the gap between the ocean science research enterprise and science education, both in the formal and informal sectors. This is accomplished through activities at individual COSEE Centers, each a consortium of up to 30 several diverse ocean science institutions and education partners. Center activities include the development of catalytic partnerships among these diverse institutions, the integration of ocean science research into high-quality educational materials, and the establishment of pathways that enable ocean scientists to interact with educators. The National COSEE Network is comprised of 12 Centers and a Central Coordinating Office (CCO). The PI's propose funding to develop a program for creating new COSEE partnerships among institutions and organizations that are not currently partners in COSEE. In addition, they propose to coordinate the identification of best practices within the COSEE community by holding a series of workshops focused on issues common to most Centers (e.g. teacher workshops), to develop a speakers series, and to develop an online COSEE Community Center. The need for improved ocean science literacy is related to the need for improved overall science literacy. Ocean science education is not only important in itself, but it can also provide a motivating context for learning about many aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through COSEE initiatives, inquiry-based ocean science activities can integrate current scientific research and meet a critical educational need for the nation.