Jo Slavitz with a Chrysaora Jellyfish. (Photo Courtesy Joanna Slavitz) Slavitz’s view returning to land. (Photo Courtesy Joanna Slavitz) The Constant Altitude Towed Camera used on the trip. (Photo Courtesy Joanna Slavitz) A Smooth Lumpsucker, one of the fish encountered on the trip. (Photo Courtesy Joanna Slavitz) An echogram charted on the trip. (Photo Courtesy Joanna Slavitz)
DOVER — Dover Middle School STEM teacher Joanna “Jo” Slavitz spent part of her summer aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel, working alongside scientists during a 22-day fisheries survey in the Bering Sea.
Slavitz, a nationally recognized STEM scholar, was just one of 10 teachers selected for the NOAA Teacher at Sea program, giving educators the opportunity to take part in scientific research and bring their findings back to the classroom. To be accepted into the program, Slavitz completed multiple essay responses, received two recommendations, and expressed great interest in the NOAA program and what it could bring to her classroom.
On July 20, Slavitz boarded the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. During the trip, she worked alongside scientists conducting an acoustic-trawl survey of Alaska Pollock in the Eastern Bering Sea. The survey involved collecting data on pollock populations and the surrounding marine environment.
Slavitz worked in tandem with the research team daily, gaining firsthand experience with the equipment and methods scientists use to study marine life.
For Slavitz, the experience was also an opportunity to find new ways to get her students interested in science.
“The true essence of good science teaching is igniting student curiosity to the magic and wonder of the world around them,” said Slavitz. “NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program provides literal oceans of exciting “wow-moments” and hands-on research experiences that I can then share with students in my classroom, opening new and unexplored horizons to them. Engaged, excited teachers create engaged, excited students.”
Slavitz plans to use what she learned during the trip in her STEM lessons at Dover Middle School. She documented her time aboard the Oscar Dyson through the NOAA Teacher at Sea blog, sharing photos and updates from the research trip.
In addition to completing the program, Slavitz will submit an article for publication or deliver a presentation at an educator’s conference and to her colleagues.
“NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program gives teachers the professional opportunity of a lifetime with a chance to participate in cutting-edge science on the ocean, working side-by-side with world-renowned scientists,” says Jennifer Hammond, the program’s director. “Teachers describe this authentic research experience as transformative and one that allows them to bring new knowledge and excitement back to their classrooms.”
Slavitz’s blog can be found here.
For more information about NOAA, visit the organization’s website here.
About NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program
Since 1990, the program has provided nearly 850 teachers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience participating in science at sea. Educators are able to enrich their curriculum with the depth of understanding they gain by living and working side-by-side with scientists studying the marine environment.
###
Discover more from John Guilfoil Public Relations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.