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RISE ABOVE PLASTIC (RAP) SUCCESS! Green Ambassadors, in partnership with The Surfrider Foundation and The Algalita Marine Research Foundation, created the Rise Above Plastics Program, a student speaker series that encourages Los Angelenos to curb their single-use habits. Through the program, students learn about the impact of plastics on our lives and the environment, including plastic marine debris, chemicals and toxins. Students spread the word to their peers and the community by delivering engaging presentations that encourage practical solutions. In addition to learning about the inherent problems of living in a throwaway society, students learn the value of teamwork and polish their public speaking and presentation skills. In 2009, nearly 20 students participated in the program, delivering 30 presentations to more than 850 students and community members!

How important are museums, TV shows and after school clubs to teaching kids science? Ira Flatow and guests look at "informal science education" and what researchers are learning about learning science. Plus, what's the best way to keep undergraduate science majors in science?

December 18, 2012 The Ten Best Ocean Stories of 2012 | | | Share on redditReddit | Share on diggDigg | Share on stumbleuponStumble | Share on emailEmail | More Sharing ServicesMore Two market squids mating 2012 was a big year for squid science. Photo Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com Despite covering 70 percent of the earth's surface, the ocean doesn't often make it into the news. But when it does, it makes quite a splash (so to speak). Here are the top ten ocean stories we couldn't stop talking about this year, in no particular order. Add your own in the comments! 2012: The Year of the Squid From the giant squid's giant eyes (the better to see predatory sperm whales, my dear), to the vampire squid's eerie diet of remains and feces, the strange adaptations and behavior of these cephalopods amazed us all year. Scientists found a deep-sea squid that dismembers its own glowing arm to distract predators and make a daring escape. But fascinating findings weren't relegated to the deep: at the surface, some squids will rocket themselves above the waves to fly long distances at top speeds. James Cameron Explores the Deep Sea Filmmaker James Cameron has never shied away from marine movie plots (See: Titanic, The Abyss), but this year he showed he was truly fearless, becoming the first person to hit the deepest point on the seafloor (35,804 feet) in a solo submarine. While he only managed to bring up a single mud sample from the deepest region, he found thriving biodiversity in the other deep-sea areas his expedition explored, including giant versions of organisms found in shallow water. Schooling sardines form a "bait ball." Small fish, such as these schooling sardines, received well-deserved attention for being an important part of the food chain in 2012. Photo Credit: © Erwin Poliakoff, Flickr Small Fish Make a Big Impact Forage fish-small, schooling fish that are gulped down by predators-should be left in the ocean for larger fish, marin

Objective: Students will learn significance of scientific testing and how scientists get results and information. They will learn about acids and bases in relation to the environment and people.

Teaching & Learning with the New York Times

Science 8 July 2011: Vol. 333 no. 6039 pp. 173-175 Galaxy Zoo Volunteers Share Pain and Glory of Research 1. Daniel Clery A project to "crowdsource" galactic classifications has paid off in ways the astronomers who started it never expected. Figure View larger version: * In this page * In a new window Space oddity. Greenish "voorwerp" spotted by a Dutch volunteer still intrigues scientists. "CREDIT: NASA, ESA, W. KEEL (UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA), AND THE GALAXY ZOO TEAM" The automated surveys that are becoming increasingly common in astronomy are producing an embarrassment of riches for researchers. Projects such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are generating so much data that, in some cases, astronomers don't know what to do with them all. SDSS has compiled a list of more than 1 million galaxies. To glean information about galaxy evolution, however, astronomers need to know what type of galaxy each one is: spiral, barred spiral, elliptical, or something else. At present, the only reliable way to classify galaxies is to look at each one. But the SDSS list is so long that all the world's astronomers working together couldn't muster enough eyeballs for the task. Enter the "wisdom of crowds." An online effort called Galaxy Zoo, launched in 2007, set a standard for citizen-scientist participation projects. Zealous volunteers astonished the project's organizers by classifying the entire catalog years ahead of schedule. The results have brought real statistical rigor to a field used to samples too small to support firm conclusions. But that's not all. Buoyed by the curiosity and dedication of the volunteers, the Galaxy Zoo team went on to ask more-complicated classification questions that led to studies they hadn't thought possible. And in an online discussion forum on the Galaxy Zoo Web site, volunteers have pointed to anomalies that on closer inspection have turned out to be genuinely new astronomical objects. "I'm incredibly impres

They're the second largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. At TEDxDublin, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("Great Fish of the Sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them. http://www.ted.com/speakers/simon_berrow.html

Educational Global Climate Modeling. This was developed from an older 'real' modeling program, so the difference between this and current programs is the grainy-ness of the data. (It will run on today's laptops - yesterday's supercomputers - current programs need the power of modern supercomputers.) Good for high school student direct use, middle schoolers would probably be more comfortable with demos. Learning curve isn't too bad!

Deep Earth Academy Teaching for Science - Learning for Life Deep Earth Academy facilitates and develops programs and materials based on scientific ocean drilling expeditions and Earth Systems Science to strengthen students' science, mathematics, and analytical skills. Our approach includes use of authentic data, inquiry-centered activities and interdisciplinary explorations drawing from the adventures of the JOIDES Resolution ship and the earlier ocean drilling ship; the Glomar Challenger.

"Objectives: This is a multileveled approach to learning some of the common characteristics of acidic and basic solutions and use of some of the common indicators."

"Welcome to the Penguin Science Education Page! Here you will find fun and educational activities to help students learn about many interesting aspects of Adelie penguin life, history and their relationship to climate change. Students can also send questions to the researchers who study penguins, check the nests of penguins as they look today, and (if the season is right) even receive a postcard from Antarctica! Adelie Penguin's existence in the far south region of our planet is a fascinating subject. The average day in the life of a penguin is filled with adventure and drama, as they struggle to live and thrive in a challenging environment and changing climate. "

This is a list of resources from the NSDL/NSTA Web Seminar, "Thinking Like a Scientist: Teaching and Learning with Current Science Issues"

Climate Change Action Projects Facing the Future has released the Climate Change Action Project Database, a resource with ready-to-use service-learning projects that prepare students to understand and take action on climate change.

Endangered Species Day Endangered Species Day, May 21, 2010, celebrates America's wildlife legacy with a celebration of our nation's wildlife and wild places, and is an opportunity to learn about the everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation's disappearing wildlife and last remaining wild places. Visit the website to download educational materials, register an event, and check out the toolkit.