Bowdoin College Coastal Science Institute For Middle School Science Educators June 26

Bowdoin College will be offering a week long Summer Institute for middle school science teachers to help improve coastal and marine "literacy" in the sciences. The College's proximity to the coastal and marine environment offers a unique opportunity for secondary school educators to engage in scientific inquiry and learning through interacting with a living coastal classroom. The Institute will provide a meaningful professional development opportunity for Maine and New England teachers to conduct hands-on science and disseminate important environmental knowledge into classrooms over time. Every three years the Institute will center on a particular theme that has important relevance to coastal and marine ecosystems. Our first theme will focus on invasive species and will introduce teachers to laboratory and field techniques that will help to identify, monitor and trace the spread of introduced species.

The first five day Summer Institute will take place June 26-July 1, 2005 and will use existing on-site resources at Bowdoin, including the Coastal Studies Center and surrounding coastline as well as on-campus facilities. The program is open to any in-service middle school science teachers in the New England region, with a special emphasis on Maine. The Institute's curriculum will be designed to meet state and national standards and will be informed by recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Oceans Policy outlining U.S. ocean education.

The Institute is working in coordination with marine scholars from the University of Maine, McGill University, Maine Sea Grant, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Bowdoin College to involve teachers in on-going research in the growing science related to invasive species, with a special focus on the Gulf of Maine. The program will be problem-oriented and designed for two-person teacher teams. Teachers will receive course packets, equipment, and software training that will help them implement invasive species monitoring and analysis in their own classrooms. The program will also introduce curriculum that utilizes the web resources and databases on marine systems available through the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observatory System and National Marine Educators Association. Teachers who participate in the program will earn Continuing Education Credit, receive room and board in Bowdoin campus housing as well as a modest stipend. The program will also offer a mid-year conference follow-up, where teachers can share how they implemented the curriculum in their own classrooms.

Sign up now! Application Deadline March 8, 2005

To apply, visit our website:

http://academic.bowdoin.edu/csc/bccsi/index.shtml