Sea Turtle Ambassadors for the Gulf: Increasing Scientific Literacy Through Field Experiences for Teachers/Students
Implementing Organization
Inwater Research Group
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$144,500
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – Gulf Research Program (NASEM - GRP)
Funding Program
NASEM Gulf Research Program Grants
Details
Project Category
Human and Social
Project Actions
Education and Outreach
Targeted Resources
Project Description
The Sea Turtle Ambassadors for the Gulf (STAG) program will expand our current programming to underserved 3rd-8th grade students and teachers from Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco County School Districts by providing immersive experiences that empower them to become sea turtle ambassadors within their communities. The program will give students and teachers a hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunity using field experiences, training workshops, and our successful ""Traveling Trunk"" programs. These trunk programs are built upon actual sea turtle research and align with state standards to advance conservation efforts and enhance environmental literacy. Teachers will gain hands-on training on how to run these free programs with their students, disseminating what they’ve learned during the field experience and bringing the Gulf into the classroom. Each trunk can reach over 1,000 students per year. During the field experience, teachers and students will join our research vessel in the coastal waters of the Gulf as we capture, collect data from, and discuss threatened/endangered sea turtles. Participants will learn about sea turtle biology from live specimens, ecology will be taught while in the ecosystem, and conservation issues highlighted firsthand. After the field experience, teachers and Inwater Research Group staff will lead a workshop with students to develop school-wide, student-driven projects that support the conservation messages they’ve received. By collaborating with school districts, students, and teachers, we will provide opportunities to inspire the ongoing engagement of classroom students in finding creative, innovative solutions to the pressing issues facing Florida's imperiled sea turtles.
Contact
Rebecca MottNone
rmott@inwater.org
Project Website
None
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