1998 Year of the Ocean Marine Education U.S.A.: An Overview 



five "historically black colleges and universities" to develop and encourage undergraduate 

 participation and studies in ocean sciences. NOAA's total annual investment is about $1 .5 

 million. Unfortunately, there is no coordination of the program in NOAA. 



The U.S. Navy probably has the best record for recruiting ethnic minorities into the ocean 

 sciences by virtue of its overall record in this area. 



NSF has funded projects to encourage ocean science study by ethnic minorities as well. 

 An example is a summer program between Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and 

 Savannah State University. This provides research and ship-board opportunities for both faculty 

 and students from Savannah State. 



NOAA is also supporting an Earth Systems Science curriculum at Clark Atlanta 

 University which includes an agreement with Oklahoma University leading to a BS in Earth 

 Systems Science and an MS in Meteorology. Students spend three years at Clark Atlanta and 

 two years at Oklahoma. 



There is no clear answer to the glaring problem of low numbers of people from ethnic 

 minorities in the ocean sciences community. Surely more intra- and inter-agency coordination 

 would help matters. Universities and K-12 educators also need to direct more attention to this 

 matter and must shoulder some of the blame for the present condition. New ideas in this regard 

 are urgently needed. 



CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 



Too often, ocean scientists advise students only about careers in research. High school 

 students receive little information about ocean related careers. The best job opportunities today 

 are in marine recreation and tourism. In California alone, it has already been noted that this is a 

 $17 billion per year industry. There are a few good publications that provide information about 

 marine careers. Sea Grant has a recent publication. Marine Science Careers: A Sea Grant Guide 

 to Ocean Opportunities. This can be obtained from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea 

 Grant Program, 193 Oyster Pond Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1525. A good source for 

 information about ocean-related careers other than the sciences is Opportunities in Marine and 

 Maritime Careers by William Ray Heitzmarm (VGM Career Horizons, 4255 West Tonky 

 Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60645). Additional resources include the organizations and 

 publications listed below: 



Publications: 



Careers in Oceanography and Marine-Related Fields. The Oceanography Society, 4052 Timber 

 Ridge Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, (804)464-0131, fax: (804)464-1759, e-mail: 

 jrhodes@ccpo.odu.edu. 



K-20 



