Education

The Education node of CBEO represents the culmination of Science interpreting the Test Bed data stored on the Network and translating that information for consumption by the public and, more specifically, students.

Chris Burrell (left), Jeremy Testa, William Gray, and Jennifer Bosch participate in a team-building activity during the scientist-educator team orientation program.

Chris, Jeremy, William and Jennifer

During the summer of 2008, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE)- Coastal Trends partnered with CBEO to form a “scientist-educator team.” Led by CBEO Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Michael Kemp, a team consisting of a scientist (Dr. Kemp, University of Maryland) an educator (William Gray, high school science teacher), two graduate students (Jeremy Testa and Jennifer Bosch, University of Maryland) and an undergraduate (Chris Burrell, Hampton University) conducted research focusing on hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay and created educational resources based on the research.

A classroom experiment designed by the dead zone team in which students add fertilizer to bottles containing pond water to stimulate an algae bloom, then place bottles in the dark and monitor oxygen levels to simulate hypoxia.

Dead Zone module algea experiment

The resources created by the team were incorporated into the COSEE-Coastal Trends Education Module Website, consisting of several “modules” containing basic content information on various coastal trends, including interactive graphics and visuals, as well as classroom lesson plans based on scientific research. The CBEO team’s “Dead Zone” module features CBEO research and offers activities and experiments to help students understand the complex phenomenon of hypoxia with the goal of disseminating CBEO research to a broad audience.

During fall of 2009, a group of 10 teachers reviewed the “Dead Zone” module to ensure maximum usability by educators. To date, the materials created by Dr. Kemp’s team have been shared with over 60 teachers from more than 15 states across the US.