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AMS Resources and Response to the Federal Science Crisis
Pre-residence online work: 10-15 July 2023 On-site residence experience: 16-22 July 2023 Post-residence online work: 23 July-10 August 2023
St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, Maryland
PLEASE NOTE: We closely monitor potential health and safety impacts on the planned residence component of this course. A decision regarding the residence component also going virtual will be made BEFORE invitations to participate are sent.
Project Ocean is an online and in-residence teacher professional development course with a one-week residence experience offered by the American Meteorological Society's Education Program in partnership with SMCM. This course is specifically designed for K-12 teachers who desire to include ocean content in their curriculum.
Participants will have the opportunity to:
Cost and Resources:
For Summer 2023, the academic fee is being waived for all who are selected to participate.
Each participant will be supplied with a variety of instructional resource materials, including those that can be used in peer-led teacher training sessions.
After successful completion of course activities, participants will:
To be eligible for Project Ocean, teachers and supervisors of science at the K-12 level should:
Participants will be selected to provide a broad geographic distribution, with focus on areas particularly vulnerable to ocean-related natural hazards and climate change, and a cross-section of school environments. Teachers interested in promoting participation by those traditionally underserved in STEM are strongly encouraged to apply.
There are three main components to Project Ocean: the residence experience, online activities, and post course peer training. Successful completion of all aspects of these components is required to earn the graduate credits for the course.
Residence Experience: The Project Ocean on-site portion will be held at St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The on-site, in-person portion of the course includes lectures, tutorials, seminars, hands-on laboratory exercises, a research cruise, and field trips. SMCM faculty members, Navy scientists, as well as other scientists and science educators, will present course topics. Presentations will be articulated with science content and oceanographic education presentations led by course faculty. Participants will have an active role in the course and will be placed in breakout groups at times to collaborate with other colleagues on how materials can be integrated into their classrooms.
Online Activities: Prior to arrival at St. Mary's College of Maryland, teacher-participants will be required to complete multiple, asynchronous online learning modules related to the oceanographic and related sciences. This preparatory work will enable teacher-participants to engage at a similar level of competency prior to arrival at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Participants will also have asynchronous modules/activities to complete after the conclusion of the in-person component of the course.
Post Course Peer Training: After the on-site and online components conclude, participants are required to submit a plan for and/or lead a synchronous peer training session for other K-12 teachers in their schools, districts, or communities that utilizes the concepts and materials learned during their Project Ocean experience. More information about this component can be found on the page linked here (although in-depth details are shared with participants during the residence experience).
The course will include the following topics (online or on-site):
On-site residence activities typically run from about 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM EDT each day.
You will need a computer and high-speed Internet connection. If you are reading this on-screen with your own computing hardware and you can print it out, you are essentially ready for the online portion of Project Ocean.
Project Ocean will be held in St. Mary's City, MD with field activities in the nearby lower Potomac and Patuxent Rivers, close to the Chesapeake Bay. The in-residence portion of the course includes a research cruise and field trip to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
Participants will be expected to stay in housing accommodations arranged by the AMS and SMCM, as the course will be intensive and involve several evening meetings. Informal interaction among participants during meals and evenings will be an integral component of the course.
Participants should attend without families as their presence is likely to detract from full participation. No support will be provided for dependents.
Participants who complete all course requirements, including the submission of a follow-up report on their peer-training session, will earn continuing education credits.
The 2025 application process will open in mid/late Fall 2024.
Click here to learn how to apply to Project Ocean.
The application deadline will be posted in mid/late Fall, at the same time as the instructions to apply.
In selecting individuals for participation and otherwise in the administration of this course, the AMS will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, and status as a Military veteran.
Questions regarding Project Ocean 2025 should be directed to [email protected].