Concurrent Sessions

2014 NAME Conference: Sessions

Here is a quick look at a few of the great presentations that will be at the 2014 Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators conference this summer in Bandon, Oregon.

STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math 

Suzi Wong Swint, Watershead Education Program Coordinator at Snohomish County

Are you a non-formal educator trying to share your amazing programs with teachers and schools? Have you sent letters of introduction and program flyers to teachers that have mostly gone unanswered? Getting into schools is easier if you know the right "passwords” and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are an important part of this.  In this session Suzi will share tips that'll help get you invited into the classroom! You’ll see how the NGSS are organized and get tips for aligning your existing lessons and activities with the NGSS.

Tracy Crews, Marine Education Manager at Oregon Sea Grant

The Oregon Regional Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) program is designed to integrate STEAM and improve 21st Century skills in students, in a fun and relevant way. Learn ways you can become involved and see this program through the eyes of a student as you work in small groups to design, construct, and test your own mini-underwater robot.

Vanessa Hunt, Professor, Science Education at Central Washington University

This presentation describes a freshman level general education course at an urban university with students who are under-performing academically at the college level.  By using the organisms of Puget Sound as a lens through which to teach research, writing and presentation skills as well as a variety of new approaches to engage these science-phobic students, Vanessa will summarize successes and areas of difficulty in the class.

Stewardship

Renee O’Neill, Program Coordinator at Oregon State University

StreamWebs is a student watershed stewardship network that links teachers and organizations to resources for conducting real world watershed monitoring projects. This indoor presentation will introduce participants to the online watershed database that facilitates data analysis, peer to peer learning, and content sharing. Participants will also go into the field and be given hands-on training in water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, photopoint monitoring, and riparian surveys. Participants will enter the data that they collect into the StreamWebs database and learn strategies for using this tool with their students.

Jim Grano,  Siuslaw Salmon and Watershed Studies Project Manager at Siuslaw School District

Wear two hats for this excursion: one as teacher and one as student.  Learn how to structure a typical stream stewardship field trip and experience it like your students would.  Explore the riparian zone, collect macro invertebrates, monitor water quality and have fun learning.

Laurie Morrow, Senior Education Manager, Alaska SeaLife Center

When an oil spill occurs, are you prepared to talk to the public about the complex and thoughtful processes that went into preparing for exploration, extraction and potential hazards? Our online module trains informal science educators to discuss oil use, risks, spill remediation, and monitoring - especially as they relate to the increasingly accessible Arctic region.

Diversity

Anna Morgan, Critters & Currents Team Member , University of Oregon

University of Oregon’s ELP Environmental Education teams develop, implement and share transformative learning experiences for children in nature. Promoting awareness, compassion, stewardship, and action through community partnerships and public engagements the curricula each team develops focuses on several aspects of the McKenzie River watershed.