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Announcing the Third Annual
North Shore High School Marine Science Symposium
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Salem State University, Salem, MA
Please join the Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME) for an exciting glimpse into
the marine world through a diversity of perspectives from around Massachusetts.
Presenters will include experts from Northeastern University, the Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries, Seacoast Science Center, Massachusetts Bureau of
Underwater Archaeology, and others. Students will have the opportunity to
investigate current and on-going projects in marine science and related disciplines.
Symposium Schedule:
8:15 am
9:00 am
9:20 am
10:25 am
11:30 am
12:15 pm
1:00 pm
Registration
Introduction
Workshop A
Workshop B
Featured Presentation
Lunch
Depart
Featured Presentation: Two Weeks Underwater: Becoming an Aquanaut on
Mission 31, presented by Liz Magee, who recently spent two weeks living on the Aquarius Reef Base with
Fabien Cousteau, conducting a variety of underwater experiments led by Northeastern University researchers.
Workshops: There will be 14 hands-on marine science workshops that will be repeated in each of the two time
slots. Students will attend two workshops during the day in addition to the featured presentation. Please
complete the attached Participant Detail Form by Friday, March 6th. This will be emailed to you upon
registration, or you can request it in advance by emailing mscoutreach@neu.edu. Workshop attendance will be
assigned by MME to accommodate student preferences to the greatest extent possible while ensuring a relatively
even distribution of participants in each session.
Cost: $10 per student includes registration materials, morning refreshments and a boxed lunch.
Media release: Please bring with you a signed media release for all students attending the program. A blank
version is attached below.
Other logistics: Light refreshments will be provided during the registration period. A box lunch will be
provided for all registered students, teachers, and chaperones, and vegetarian options will be available.
However, if a student has a different specific dietary limitation, they are advised to bring their own lunch. We
recommend a ratio of one adult for each ten students. Schools are responsible for their own transportation.
Space is limited, and registration will take place on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment can be made
by check or credit card, however if paying by check, a purchase order number must be provided at the
time of registration. Please register here: https://massmarineeducators.wufoo.com/forms/z109i54c1docp1z/
If you have any questions, please email Shannon at mscoutreach@neu.edu or call 781-581-7370, x321. Please
visit ma-marine-ed.org for more information about MME.
This event is sponsored by:
Massachusetts Marine Educators New England Aquarium Central Wharf Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Media Release By signing below, I hereby: 1. Grant to Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME), the right and permission to use, reuse, and/or broadcast, publish, and distribute in any form whatsoever, including print, photograph, or by electronic means such as the World Wide Web, the media (images, video, and/or audio) that is the subject of this release. 2. Use my name in connection to any media taken. 3. Waive any right to inspect or approve of the original or any copies of the media that is subject to this agreement. I understand that I will not be compensated in any way for the use by MME of any media subject to this agreement and that any use by MME of an image(s), video(s), or audio clip(s) that is subject to this agreement shall not constitute an unreasonable, substantial, or serious interference with my privacy. I hereby certify that I am over eighteen years of age, and competent to contract in my own name. I have read and understood the foregoing. Signed: Dated: Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Minor Release: I hereby certify that I am the parent and/or guardian of , who is under the age of eighteen years. By signing above, I hereby consent to the terms of the foregoing agreement in connection with MME’s use of the image(s) that is subject to this agreement. Workshop Offerings
Please use the workshop number in designating student preferences on the Participant Detail Form.
#
1
2
3
Topic
Content
Ocean Acidification,
Calcification and How
They Work
Calcification is the process many marine organisms (corals, clams, snails, urchins, etc.) use to
create their skeletons from carbonate minerals. These skeletons and organisms are sensitive to
changes in ocean acidity. The oceans are currently becoming more acidic as carbon dioxide
increases in our atmosphere. This ocean acidification threatens the calcifying marine
community. Come learn about these processes and take part in them yourselves.
How Old is that Fish?
Rescuing NH Marine
Mammals
4
Marine Archaeology:
Mapping a Shipwreck
5
Life in the Rocky
Intertidal: Challenges
and Adaptations
6
7
Ocean Engineering
and Underwater
Vehicles
Squid Dissection
The age of a fish is one of the most valuable pieces of information scientists use to manage
species, but how do we figure it out? In this workshop we will explore a few of the many
different techniques that we use to decipher the age of a fish. Learn how to remove scales and
otoliths (“ear stones”) from specimens and then interpret the markings on these structures to
discover their ages.
What would you do if you found bones on the beach? If you were on the
CSI forensic science squad, you’d be investigating human remains. But could it be
some other mammal? There are an amazing number of similarities when comparing
anatomy between different marine mammal species. Using real bones,
students will “reconstruct” skeletons and determine what marine mammal species it is. Learn
all about the Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team and what they do.
The field of archaeology is a destructive science. In order to maintain context, understanding
how each piece of the puzzle relates and connects to its surroundings, archaeologists record
everything they observe. Learn how marine/nautical archaeologists survey, record, and interpret
a shipwreck.
We will learn about the challenges faced by organisms living on rocky shores in Massachusetts.
We will discuss different ways organisms have adapted to deal with these challenges and
observe live animals and seaweed collected from local shores. We will then use what we have
learned to design our own intertidal critters.
Ever wondered about the field of Ocean Engineering? What is it exactly that engineers
do? How do they do it? Come learn how engineers design and build technology to study and
interact with aquatic environments. This workshop will introduce you to the field of Ocean
Engineering, specifically underwater vehicles like Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Learn how to design and make your very own
ROV.
Through a hands on investigation students become acquainted with one of the ocean’s most
fascinating creatures. As students examine the squid’s external anatomy they search for clues to
the squid’s behavior based upon its unique adaptations. During the dissection students are
introduced to the basics of lab procedure and provided with an opportunity to examine the
internal anatomy of a squid. All of the squid used for dissections is frozen for use as food in
Maritime Gloucester's aquarium system.
8
Talking Trash for
Cleaner Oceans
Learn how one local group of teens in Salem is working to change behaviors and improve the
environment. Teen empowerment at its best, this project showcases how we can make change happen
and stop street trash from polluting the oceans right in our own backyard.
9
How Scientists Survey
and Identify Corals
and Their Prey,
Zooplankton!
Changing environmental conditions like ocean acidification and ocean warming are predicted to have
dire consequences for coral reefs. Scientists are studying these important, biologically diverse
ecosystems as they are declining in order to better protect and conserve the coral reef environment. In
this workshop, learn how scientists survey coral reefs and how to identify key coral species and coral
food – zooplankton! Students will identify and quantify coral species in photo-quadrats and
zooplankton from samples taken over healthy and degraded coral reefs.
10
ClimaTeens - Using
Ocean Stewardship to
Face Climate
Challenges
ClimaTeens from the New England Aquarium will share three hands-on climate change activities and
talk about how climate change is impacting the ocean. They will also be discussing best practices
around community level solutions.
Boston's Rising Seas:
Are We In Over Our
Heads?
Students will participate in a board game style climate change scenario. We will look at issues that
are literally in our own backyards – in Boston’s neighborhoods, and in ocean habitats right off the
Massachusetts coast. Students will choose roles, and they will need to make challenging decisions
from the perspective of their roles. Discussion will likely be thought provoking and relevant. The
presenters are from Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center and Urban Coastal
Sustainability Initiative.
11
12
DRIFTERS Exploring Ocean
Currents
13
Seeking Relief from
Sea Level RiseStudent Mapping and
Leadership Initiative
14
Fisheries, Then and
Now
Student-built, fishermen-deployed, satellite-tracked “drifters” provide a low-cost means to monitor
currents off the New England coast and beyond. These instruments are constructed according to
oceanographic standards to move with the current and report their positions on a regular basis via a
GPS tracking system. During this workshop, students will learn about the Drifter project and practice
the engineering design process by creating and testing a model size Drifter.
How can high school students help their towns prepare for rising sea level, and increased storm
surges? What tools are available to help us see what areas are most vulnerable to coastal flooding?
Learn how high school students on are helping Mass Audubon and local communities plan and
prepare for the future. Use maps to assess vulnerability of some coastal towns on the North Shore.
Students will be able to explore how the cod fishing industry has changed over the last hundred or so
years. As the technology of the fisheries increases, students will be able to see how the cod
population decreases, and the other affects this has on the ecosystem. Fisheries change the
ecosystems, and force the fishery itself to adapt, along with the society around it. Through a hands on
activity seeing the impact of technology, this all will become clear. Also, some juvenile lobsters will
make an appearance to show students exactly what species are being affected.
PARTICIPANT DETAIL FORM
North Shore High School Marine Science Symposium
Using the workshop descriptions and #s as reference, please fill out the following form with student names,
grade levels, top 4 workshop choices (use the workshop # provided), and lunch plans. Please return this via
email to mscoutreach@neu.edu or fax to 781-581-6076 by Friday, March 6th.
Failure to submit the form by that time may result in student preferences not being considered.
SCHOOL NAME:
_________________________________________________
LEAD TEACHER:
_________________________________________________
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