NOAA Science Camp is celebrating its 10th year of bringing middle-schoolers, NOAA scientists and camp staff together to explore marine science through fun, hands-on activities.
This year, campers will hear from the National Ocean Service’s Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) about marine debris from the 2011 Japan tsunami. ORR will discuss potential ocean paths of tsunami debris and connect this issue to other marine concepts that campers are learning about.
Through Science Camp’s Junior Leadership Program, now in its second year, participating high-school students develop camp leadership skills and gain exposure to NOAA science careers. The two-week leadership program runs concurrently with the NOAA Science Camp sessions.
Who: Youth entering seventh and eighth grades in the fall of 2012.
Where: NOAA’s Sand Point Facility on Lake Washington, 7600 Sand Point Way
N.E., Seattle.
When: Session I: July 9-13, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Session II: July 16-20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Note: Visitors must have security clearance from NOAA. Please call Maile
Sullivan in advance to make arrangements — (415) 377-8812.
In addition to learning about tsunami debris, campers will:
· Try on dive gear and simulate a dive in a hyperbaric chamber
· Learn about the challenges faced by salmon during their life cycle and how chemicals in the water affect fish behavior
· Find out what marine mammals feed on and where they go
· Analyze water samples and see how buoys sample the ocean to help predict large-
scale climate events
· Learn about hazardous substances and how to respond to an oil spill
· Learn about wind and weather.
The week culminates with a scientific symposium, at which the campers share the results of their small group projects with family, friends and scientific experts. Each person attending the camp leaves with increased environmental knowledge and an awareness of how NOAA science applies to their local and global communities.
NOAA Science Camp is a grassroots effort to increase environmental literacy in the
Puget Sound area and help campers gain an understanding of environmental issues in their own communities. Event sponsors are NOAA, Washington Sea Grant and the Joint
Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean.
Based at the University of Washington, Washington Sea Grant provides statewide marine research, outreach, and education services. The National Sea Grant College Program is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce.
www.wsg.washington.edu
Washington Sea Grant and the Gig Harbor BoatShop at the Eddon Boatyard are holding a first-aid at sea course for recreational boaters and commercial fishermen. Topics to be covered during the Coast Guard-approved course include cardiopulmonary resuscitation, patient assessment, hypothermia, shock, trauma, burns, fractures, choking and first-aid kits. Check it out here!
Washington Sea Grant has partnered with Smith Brothers Farms of Kent, to produce a milk carton featuring “Cows for Clean Water” and offering a selection of simple steps for protecting Puget Sound. Read more here.
The challenges detailed by the first-ever Symposium on Ocean Acidification Acidification, convened by Washington Sea Grant at the Center for Urban Horticulture, are now being tackled by a new Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. Read more here.
Ever wonder how to participate or learn about the research going on in your favorite park, beach or neighborhood? You just might be a citizen scientist. If you’re in Bellingham tomorrow (Thursday April 5), check out this talk being given by Washington Sea Grant citizen scientist specialist Kate Litle on “how to become a citizen scientist”. This talk is being hosted by the Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee. Learn more here!
This Saturday, March 3rd, marks the yearly event when students from across the state of Washington come together for a day of friendly competition and exciting enrichment experiences: at Orca Bowl, the regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl®. Orca Bowl challenges and recognizes high-school students’ knowledge of the world’s oceans.
Would you like to be involved? Well, we’d like you to be involved too! Sign up to volunteer: Orca Bowl officials and judges are faculty, researchers, graduate students and staff from the University of Washington, as well as their colleague institutions and agencies. Or, provide much-appreciated sponsorship. Learn more about the Orca Bowl here, and how you can get involved here.
The geoduck (Panopea generosa) is North America’s largest burrowing clam. It is found in soft intertidal and subtidal marine habitats in the northeast Pacific Ocean to depths of more than 200 feet. In Washington state, this large clam has been cultured for enhancement of wild stocks since 1991 and on a commercial scale since 1996. However, there was little scientific information available on the ecological impacts of applicable culture practices. In 2007, at the direction of the State Legislature, Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, established a six-year research program to assess possible effects of geoduck aquaculture on the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca environments.
The symposium is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6, 1:30-5 p.m., at the Alderbrook Resort and Spa, 7101 E. State Route 106, Union.
Researchers will present their latest findings from the following projects:
o The Ecological Effects of Geoduck Aquaculture — Glenn Van Blaricom and Sean McDonald, University of Washington (UW) School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.
o The Influence of Geoduck Clam Culture and Harvest in Puget Sound on Sediment Nutrient Biogeochemistry — Roger I. E. Newell, Jeffrey C. Cornwell and Mike S. Owens, Horn Point Marine Laboratory, University of Maryland.
o Effects of the Geoduck Aquaculture Cycle on Fisk Bar, Samish Bay, Washington — Micah Horwith, UW Department of Biology.
o Characterizing Trends in Endosymbionts of Native Geoduck Panopea generosa — Elene Dorfmeier, Brent Vadopalas, Julian Olden and Carolyn Friedman, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; and Paul Frelier and Ralph Elston, AquaTechnics.
o Microsatellite Parentage Analysis of Reproductive Success and Genetic Diversity in Cultured Geoduck, Panopea generosa — Kristina M. Straus, Brent Vadopalas and Carolyn S. Friedman, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; and Jonathan Davis, Taylor Shellfish.
The symposium will also include a panel discussion following the research presentations.
Admission is free, but space is limited, so registration is required. Early registration is recommended. Contact Janis McNeal at wsgcanal@uw.edu or 360.432.3054.
This Saturday, March 3rd, marks the yearly event when students from across the state of Washington come together for a day of friendly competition and exciting enrichment experiences: at Orca Bowl, the regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl®. Orca Bowl challenges and recognizes high-school students’ knowledge of the world’s oceans.
Follow CoEnv