1998 Year of the Ocean 



Marine Education U.S.A.: An Overview 



Ethnic minorities while under-represented in science are even more under-represented in 

 the ocean sciences. Women are generally represented in oceanography similar to their 

 representation in other sciences. 



There are some publications available for career opportunities in the ocean sciences. 

 Students at all levels are poorly informed about the range of careers available in the ocean 

 sciences. The best job opportunities lie in the area of marine recreation and tourism. 



OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION 



Provide leadership and visibility for marine education; 



Seek new international/national advocates for marine education; 



Coordinate efforts and new ideas to promote diversity of people in marine education; 



Increase public awareness of ocean issues; 



Educate the public regarding the role of the ocean in global climate; 



Coordinate marine education support by federal agencies; 



Revise/amend the National Science Education Standards (National Research 



Council) to infuse ocean sciences; 



Fund and organize a national conference/workshop to educate K-12 textbook authors 



and editors about the oceans; 



Support CORE and National Ocean Partnership Program; 



Make real-time oceanography accessible and useful for teachers and students; 



Encourage more university programs in marine affairs, law, coastal engineering, and 



ports and harbor management and plarming; 



Improve career education information about ocean-related employment at all levels of 



education; 



Provide marine career information to career and guidance counselors. 



REFERENCES 



1 . Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea Report of the Conference: Oceans and 

 Security. U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, 1997. 



2. Benson, Keith. History of Marine Education. Proceedings of the IV Congress on the History 

 of Oceanography, La Jolla CA, 1993 (in press). 



3. California Sea Grant, Directory of Academic Marine Programs in California. 3rd edition. 

 University of California, La Jolla, CA, 1993. 



4. CORE. "Report from Education Workshop on Ocean Sciences and K-12 Education." 

 Washington, DC, 15 October 1996 (unpublished: cast.msstate.edu). 



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