STEM Education Programs at NOAA
Carrie McDougall, Ph.D.NOAA Office of Education
Triangle Coalition Annual Conference on STEM Education Policy
October 21, 2010
NOAA-Science & Service Agency
Major Organizational Units
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National Weather ServiceNational Marine Fisheries ServiceNational Ocean ServiceNational Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information ServiceOffice of Oceanic and Atmospheric ResearchNational Climate Service (proposed)
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NOAA Vision
An informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions
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Mandate to Educate4
• The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers.
2008 Annual Sea Ice Minimum
America COMPETES Act of 2007
Education Strategic Plan5
NOAA’s education missionTo advance environmental literacy and promote a diverse workforce in ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences, encouraging stewardship and increasing informed decision making for the Nation.
Goal 1: An environmentally literate public supported by a continuum of lifelong formal and informal education and outreach opportunities in ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences.
Goal 2: A future workforce, reflecting the diversity of the Nation, skilled in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and other disciplines critical to NOAA’s mission.
Science Literacy Essential Principles
• Ocean Literacy Principles and Concepts:– Community driven effort to clarify fundamentals of ocean
literacy– Used as guiding document by many institutions (e.g.,
Smithsonian Ocean Hall, Aquariums, Sanctuaries, Coastal America, Centers for Ocean Science Excellence in Education, K-12 school districts)
– Model for other literacy efforts (e.g., Climate) – K-12 scope & sequence & NSES alignment companion
documents
• Climate Literacy Principles and Concepts:– Community driven effort to clarify fundamentals of
climate literacy– Used as guiding document by many partner organizations
(e.g., the GLOBE Program, TERC, Association of Science Technology Centers, National Science Teachers Association)
• Support Other Literacy Efforts:– Great Lakes, Earth Science, Atmospheric Science, Energy
Literacy and others
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NOAA’s Education Resources7
Grant & Scholarship OpportunitiesLesson Plans & CurriculaTeacher Professional DevelopmentMultimedia, Games, & InteractivesExperiential LearningInnovative Education TechnologyPlace-based and Research-focused ResourcesReal-time Data & Information
NOAA’s Competitive Grants & Scholarships
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K-12 & Informal Science EducationBay-Watershed Education & Training (B-WET) GrantsEnvironmental Literacy Grants
Undergraduate & Graduate Science Education
Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving InstitutionsErnest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarships (~120 new students supported each year)Dr. Nancy Foster Graduate Scholarships
Bay-Watershed Education and Training
(B-WET) GrantsA regional competitive grants program supporting projects that integrate classroom instructional requirements with meaningful outdoor experiential learning Managed in partnership with Sanctuaries, Chesapeake Bay Office and Coastal Services CenterExisting programs in Chesapeake Bay, California, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and the Pacific NW
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http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/BWET/
Environmental Literacy Grants
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A national competitive grants program for K-12 and informal education
71 funded projects = $26.9M
Annually 8-10 awards, $3.2-$7.5M total$100,000-$1.5M awardsTypes of projects funded:
Citizen ScienceScience On a Sphere & OthersData Visualization & InterpretationMuseum ExhibitsCivic EngagementPublic Opinion ResearchTeacher PD (in-service & pre-service)Curriculum Development
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grantprog.html
Educational Partnership Program
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Goal:Increase the number of students from underrepresented communities who are educated, trained, and graduated in fields that directly support NOAA’s mission.
• Cooperative Science Centers funded through competitive grants at minority serving institutions (MSIs)
Builds research capacity in the NOAA sciences at MSIs
Increases the graduation rates of students from underrepresented minority communities in NOAA sciences
• Graduate Sciences Program• Undergraduate Scholarship Program
Lesson Plans & Interactives
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education.noaa.gov
27 National Estuarine Research Reserves
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Place-based & Experiential Education
13 National Marine Sanctuaries
32 Sea Grant Colleges
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Ocean Exploration & Research
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Research-focused Experiences
Teacher at Sea
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Real-time Data & Multimedia Resources
Climate.govDataintheclassroom.org
Interagency Coordination16
NSTC Subcommittee on Education & Workforce DevelopmentOcean Education Working Group (National Ocean Council)US Global Change Research Program-Interagency Working Group on Education (& focused collaboration on grants)Interagency coordination of teacher research experiencesGLOBE Program
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/
Thank you.
Carrie McDougall, Ph.D.
Senior Program Manager
NOAA Office of Education
202-482-0875