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Publication #SGEF-123

 

Resources for Marine Educators 1

William Seaman, Jr. and Jacquelyn Whitehouse2

The principal efforts of the Florida Sea Grant College Program address statewide coastal research, extension/outreach and communications. All of this work can have a bearing on the work of marine educators, notably by providing science-based information about Florida coastal and ocean resources and systems. Although Florida Sea Grant does not have the funds to support a formal program in traditional marine education, we aim to assist educators and students in locating the best and most reliable information.

This fact sheet identifies resources for teachers, youth program leaders, students, citizens and the media interested in learning more about Florida, national and global marine subjects. (Note that the version of this sheet on our homepage http://www.flseagrant.org has links to various websites, including those listed below.)

What's Available in Florida

  • Internet Directory of Marine Education and Research Organizations in Florida. Florida Sea Grant offers this directory in both online and print versions. It is a guide to link people to marine and coastal institutions in Florida. See the Faculty, Students and Teachers section of the Florida Sea Grant web site, http://www.flseagrant.org or write for a free printed copy.

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  • Florida Marine Science Education Association is a principal umbrella group for professionals with this concern. An annual meeting is held in Spring. The FMSEA website is http://www.fmsea.org/. Mailing address is: 1455 Londra Lane, Kissimmee, Florida 34744

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  • League of Environmental Educators of Florida. Annual meeting in early spring. The web site is http://www.leef-florida.org/. "LEEFlet" newsletter includes selected websites and description of resource materials. LEEF, P.O. Box 6061, Live Oak, Florida 32064.

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What's Available in the National Sea Grant and Other Networks

  • Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center, The Bridge -- Contains a wealth of information on marine science education. Website http://web.vims.edu/bridge/?svr=www has numerous links, also. Mailing address: Sea Grant Marine Advisory Services, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062.

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  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- NOAA is the parent agency of the 31 Sea Grant programs in the United States. NOAA is a federal government agency whose mission is to warn of dangerous weather, chart our nations seas and skies, guide our use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conduct research to improve our understanding and stewardship of the environment. NOAA's education web site can be found at http://www.education.noaa.gov. It is for teachers, students, and the general public. It includes information about weather, the ocean and coasts, satellites, fishes and marine mammals. Mailing address is: Outreach Unit, NOAA Office of Public and Constituent Affairs, 1305 East West Highway, #1W514 Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301/713-1208.

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  • See also the NOAA photograph library collection, at http://www.photolib.noaa.gov, which spans centuries of time and much of the natural world from the center of the Earth to the surface of the sun.

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  • The Sea Grant MARINECAREERS.NET is a great place to further your search. See the homepage at http://www.marinecareers.net/. It is based on the publication, “Marine Science Careers,” which can be ordered from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, 193 Oyster Pond Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543-1525, 508/289-2665

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  • National Estuary Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is a place to start learning about estuaries. The website is http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/. Mailing address is: US EPA, 401 M Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20460, 202/260-6502

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Footnotes

1.

This document is Fact Sheet SGEF-123 published by the Florida Sea Grant College Program with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Sea Grant, U.S. Department of Commerce. Revised 2002. Reviewed March 2009. For more information contact Florida Sea Grant at P.O. Box 110400, Gainesville, FL 32611-0400. 352-392-5870.

2.

There is a wealth of information about marine subjects. This list gives teachers, students, the media, citizens and others a starting point. For more information contact Florida Sea Grant, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110400, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0400, telephone 352/392-5870, Fax 352/392-5113, e-mail: seaman@mail.ifas.ufl.edu

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.