Teachers from Around the World Take Part in Hands-On School of Rock 2009 Workshop
Filed under: Deep Earth Academy, News & Resources, Press Releases, School of Rock, Understanding
(Click to enlarge image) 2009 School of Rock (SOR) participants aboard the JOIDES Resolution.
-Experienced JOIDES Resolution Scientists Teach Investigative Processes, Paleoceanography to Program Participants -
(Washington, D.C.) - The JOIDES Resolution (JR) Expedition 321T that cemented reentry cones around subseafloor borehole observatories and hosted the School of Rock 2009 teacher workshop, has docked. This marks the end of the 4th annual School of Rock (SOR), Deep Earth Academy's signature educator workshop, which took place this year from June 22nd to July 7th.
During the 12-day transit from San Diego, California to Victoria, British Columbia, 15 teachers from around the world, including the United States, Japan, Portugal and France, learned about scientific ocean drilling from scientists and technicians on board the JR. The JR is the recently refurbished drilling and research vessel supported by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) that consists of 50 scientists and technicians and 65 crew members.
"After years of hosting the program on shore, it was wonderful to bring School of Rock back to the ship where it really belongs," said Leslie Peart, education director, JOI Division. "Each School of Rock is unique and exceptional in its own way, but the JOIDES Resolution made the science come alive this year."
While on board the JR, "Rockers" participated in daily scientific investigations and hands-on experiments on water related processes, using examples of cores and data mostly from the eastern Pacific Ocean. They performed the same investigative process that scientists routinely follow during IODP expeditions through a discovery-based methodology. The teachers then made the appropriate preparations to allow them to replicate this process with their students at home. Two investigations on paleoceanography ─ changes in the temperature, circulation and nutrients in the ocean, and the forces that cause them ─ also took place.
"IODP and Deep Earth Academy offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for earth science educators to immerse themselves in ocean drilling operations and marine science," said Patricia Cleary, assistant professor of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside. "The opportunity teaches both the science and the workings of science itself, which are crucial connections for 21st century educators involved with teaching new generations to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and highly adaptable in a rapidly changing society."
For a list of the School of Rock 2009 teachers and staff, visit http://www.oceanleadership.org/education/deep-earth-academy/educators/school-of-rock/2009-school-of-rock-teachers/.
For more information about the School of Rock 2009 and to read first-hand stories from the participants, visit http://www.oceanleadership.org/education/deep-earth-academy/educators/school-of-rock/ and http://joidesresolution.org/blog.
About Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Ocean Leadership is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that represents 95 of the leading public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria and industry with the mission to advance research, education and sound ocean policy. The organization also manages ocean research and education programs in areas of scientific ocean drilling, ocean observing, ocean exploration and ocean partnerships.
About Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
The JOIDES Resolution is a research vessel with unique capabilities for exploring and monitoring the subseafloor; it operates as part of the international Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). IODP is supported by two lead agencies, the U.S. National Science Foundation and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. Additional program support comes from the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), India (Ministry of Earth Sciences), the People's Republic of China (Ministry of Science and Technology), the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, and the Australian-New Zealand IODP Consortium. The U.S. Implementing Organization (USIO) for IODP is comprised of Texas A&M University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. The JOIDES Resolution is now poised to help IODP continue to push the envelope of science by collecting unique subseafloor samples and data that would otherwise remain out of reach to researchers. For more information, visit http://joidesresolution.org/.
For more information or interviews, contact:
Kristin Mellon
202-787-1644
kmellon [at] oceanleadership [dot] org
