PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



teacher from Delaware, finds the marine 

 geology lesson very informative. "I am 

 interested in the natural conservation of the 

 environment. I have watched the whole 

 environment being raped. ... It is impor- 

 tant to maintain an equilibrium with the 

 environment and understand how geology 

 works with plant life. We have a real 

 obligation to teach our students about these 

 processes." 



Oregon Inlet 



isn't the only place teachers explore during 

 their 15-day course. During field trips and 

 classroom activities, 27 teachers from the 

 mid- Atlantic states, Georgia, Idaho and 

 Missouri have learned firsthand about 

 marine life and coastal processes along 

 North Carolina's Outer Banks and the 

 Virginia shore of the Chesapeake Bay. 



Lundie Spence, marine education 

 specialist for North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 leads the course with Vicki Clark from 

 Virginia Sea Grant, Terri Hathaway from 

 the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke 

 Island and Bill Martin, a teacher with the 

 Forsyth County Schools. North Carolina 

 Sea Grant and Virginia Sea Grant co- 

 sponsor the course offered through NC 

 State University. 



"It is important to maintain 

 an equilibrium with the environment 

 and understand how geology works 

 with plant life. We have a real 

 obligation to teach our students 



about these processes. " 

 Pattie Chapman, Delaware 



Spence says it's important for all 

 teachers — whether they live near the sea 

 or inland — to understand the dynamics of 

 the coast and its living resources. "In 

 addition, teachers need to meet researchers 

 to understand how science works. In the 



Lundie Spence explains sand types and beach composition 

 to Operation Pathfinder participants. 



next century, coastal states will be facing 

 important decisions about their shorelines. 

 These decisions should be made by people 

 who understand the science and sociology 

 of an area." 



Kathryn English, a science teacher at 

 Pamlico County High School in Bayboro, 

 plans to use her experiences to develop 

 hands-on activities for her students. 



"I want to have my seniors develop an 

 ocean lesson and present it to elementary 

 students," she says. 



CO AST/Pathfinder began as a pilot 

 program in Mississippi in 1993. One year 

 later, it was implemented in six regions 

 across the country. The program now 

 includes Web technology and an integrated 

 approach to education. Participants learn 

 how to develop Web pages and find 

 lessons on the Internet. 



"In six years, the program has been 

 offered twice in North Carolina," says 

 Spence. "It also has rotated among Sea 

 Grant programs in Delaware and New 

 Jersey." 



COAST is funded through the 



National Ocean Partnership Program by the 

 Office of Naval Research, in cooperation 

 with the National Marine Educators 

 Association, the University of Southern 

 Mississippi, St. Norbert's College in 

 Wisconsin and the National Sea Grant 

 College programs. 



The participants range from recent 

 graduates to educators with more than 20 

 years of experience. Several of the teachers 

 work with disadvantaged students who have 

 little access to the coast. 



"One of our objectives is to illustrate 

 career opportunities in oceanography," says 

 Spence. The program includes presentations 

 on careers, deep-sea experiments and bay 

 fisheries by researchers at the Virginia 

 Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). 

 "Oceanography is a field that is 

 underrepresented by minorities and 

 women," she adds. 



One of the COAST course require- 

 ments is to develop a curriculum and lesson 

 plans for the fall semester. The program 

 also emphasizes the use of technology and 

 multi-disciplinary approaches to teaching. 



24 AUTUMN 1999 



