http://www.ocean-institute.org
Catie Graver, Program Coordinator, Hayley Ritterhern, Mission Viejo
Ocean Institute Welcomes 2012 Girls in Ocean Science Teen Conference
The Ocean Institute is pleased to host its 2012 Girls in Ocean Science Teen Conference on Saturday, February 11, and Saturday, March 17, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day. The February 11th conference is for Middle School students and the March 17th conference for High School students. The day-long conferences are designed for girls who have an interest in science.
The goal of the conference is to inspire and excite young women to pursue degrees and careers in the sciences. Prominent female scientists from around the county will interact with the girls in a series of interactive workshops aboard the Institute’s research vessel, R/V Sea Explorer, and in its teaching labs. Girls will explore careers in areas such as veterinarian science, marine biology and ecology, oceanography, scientific illustration, marine geology, wetland conservation and marine policy.
“The conferences will be a great opportunity for young women interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. They’ll get first-hand experience and advice from positive female role models who are experts in their fields,” commented Dan Stetson, Ocean Institute president.
Presenters for the February 11th conference include octopus and squid expert Dr. Jennifer Mather, marine geochemist Dr. Emily Klein who studies volcanic movements of the ocean floor, marine mammal expert and rescuer Christina Fahy, microbiologist Dr. Shana Goffredi, marine mammal veterinarian Dr. Juli Goldstein, biological illustrator Karen Talbot and biologist and dolphin expert Kerri Danil.
Presenters for the March 17th conference include deep-sea explorer Shannon Johnson, research professor Dr. Astrid Schnetzer who specializes in studying plankton, Pepperdine professor and grunion expert Dr. Karen Martin, microbiologist Donna Ferguson who researches our coastal environment, climate change researcher Dr. Juliette Hart, underwater photographer Jeanne Bear Sleeper, marine biologist Gwen Goodmanlowe and wetland conservationist Christine Whitcraft.
For more complete biographies on the scientists above, please visit the Ocean Institute website, www.ocean-institute.org.
Cost is $20 per participant, which includes breakfast and lunch. Scholarships available. Registration now open; contact Shanette Grieve, (949) 496-2274, ext. 339 or srillorta@ocean-institute.org.
The Sea Dragon
Ocean Institute Welcomes Research Vessel “Sea Dragon, January 7 & 8
The Ocean Institute will welcome the Sea Dragon, a 72-foot steel-hull sailing research vessel, on Saturday & Sunday, January 7 & 8, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Beginning May 1, 2012, the Sea Dragon will embark on a 7,000-mile expedition through the Pacific Ocean’s “Western Garbage Patch Gyre,” a vast vortex of ocean currents where plastic debris accumulates, and through the “Japan Tsunami Debris Field,” the remnants of the tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. The expedition was organized by 5 Gyres Institute and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (Algalita) in collaboration with Pangaea Explorations.
Visitors can tour the Sea Dragon and view exhibits highlighting the focus of its exploration. Cost: $3 adults, $2 children ages 4-12. Cost to tour the Ocean Institute is an additional $6.50 adults, $4.50 children ages 4-12.
Elizabeth Novack, right, with Students
Ocean Institute Welcomes 2,500 Anaheim Students for New Climate Change Program
The Ocean Institute welcomed 2,500 9th grade students from the Anaheim Union High School District, who have been participating in the Institute’s new Earth’s Changing Climate program since October. The final day of the program was December 16; AUHSD superintendent Elizabeth Novack and other district officials came down on the final day to participate in the program. The program was made possible by a $200,000 grant from the Doyle Foundation. For additional information on Institute programs, please visit www.ocean-institute.org or call (949) 496-2274.
Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean. The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children (ages 4-12), Ocean Institute members free. Unique maritime and ocean-themed items are available in the Chambers Gallery everyday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Institute address: 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr., Dana Point. Website: www.ocean-institute.org. Phone: (949) 496-2274.
