Mote scientists awarded grants to promote student involvement in environmental education
Two Mote Marine Laboratory scientists were recently awarded Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Bay Partners grants to promote environmental education, awareness, community involvement and stewardship to improve the overall quality of Sarasota Bay and its tributaries.
Mote scientists received two of the nine total awards given in 2016.
Dr. Emily Hall, Mote staff scientist and adjunct professor at Ringling College of Art and Design, received $1,500 to build upon an existing partnership with Ringling College to create new outreach materials about impacts of climate change and the related issue of ocean acidification on Sarasota Bay. Mote and Ringling College have established a program named "The Art of Marine Science” utilizing the creativity of Ringling students in the translation of Mote research to the public.
Through this partnership, Ringling students have previously developed comic books, t-shirts, children’s books, websites, a video game, smart phone applications, candy lines and videos featuring computer-animated and documentary footage. Science and environmental experts and local artists judged the projects on creativity, scientific accuracy and complexity. The projects selected as “Best in Show” were used as examples to present to resource managers, scientists and the general public. One such example is a video game currently displayed in Mote Aquarium called “2115: The Florida Keys Ocean Acidification Experience,” which was funded by a Florida Protect Our Reefs license plate grant.
Beginning in September 2016, Hall will manage Ringling College students creating the next round of science-based outreach artworks in the Ecology of Water class (fall 2016 and spring 2017). The winning projects will be displayed in a public setting where the community can learn more about important environmental issues, Hall’s research and the talent and skill of Ringling College students.
“The Mote-Ringling partnership allows me, as a marine scientist, to transfer and translate my work to the public in a fun and unique way while involving the incredibly talented students at Ringling,” Hall said. “My hope is that we create awareness of climate change in a way that provides these students with a piece of art they can be proud of and even use in their portfolio for the future.”
Dr. Jordon Beckler, Mote staff scientist, received $1,500 to contribute to Mote’s new Ocean Technology Club – a program that will allow Sarasota- and Manatee-county high school students and teachers to learn and apply science and technology skills through the mentorship of marine researchers at Mote.
The club, which launches this fall, will be the first of its kind in Florida, led by Mote’s Ocean Technology Research Program with the support of Mote’s Education programs and Aquarium. Collaborators include the University of Hawaii, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS).
Student and teacher members will explore oceanography, physics, chemistry, electronic circuitry and computer programming through real-world examples and applications — from deploying monitoring devices in local environments to working closely with Mote scientists using robotic gliders to monitor for harmful algae.
“Funds from this grant will be used to purchase materials for club members to build and install low-cost, scientific-grade sensor suites at four locations in Sarasota Bay and Phillippi Creek and another sensor will be installed as part of a new exhibit in Mote Aquarium,” Beckler said. “In the fall, each sensor suite will measure temperature and depth. to document tide or creek flow stage. We plan on adding salinity and dissolved oxygen sensors later in 2017."
All of the data will be processed and stored on the GCOOS web portal and will be accessible to users worldwide. The club curriculum will incorporate this data into lessons to engage students in the importance of environmental processes in Sarasota Bay and its connected creeks.
Each sensor suite location has been carefully selected to yield valuable scientific information. The data collected can be used to learn about the environmental niche of Sarasota bay wildlife and will allow for more informed decisions by wildlife resource managers.
For example, the club-built sensors in Phillippi Creek will be co-located with instrumentation installed by Dr. Ryan Schloesser, Mote Postdoctoral Scientist, to monitor the abundance of juvenile snook as a function of shoreline features (i.e. hardened with seawall versus natural mangroves). The club sensors will add an additional layer to tease apart the various environmental influences on snook habitat.
The salinity data can also be used to trace freshwater inputs, such as stormwater pollution, into Sarasota Bay, as one source of information for area wastewater managers who make decisions about such questions as where to divert runoff.
“Thanks to this grant, club members will take pride knowing that their work is improving our scientific understanding of Sarasota Bay processes,” said Beckler. “Hopefully this pride will influence them and others into pursuing marine science and other STEM careers.”
Mote’s Ocean Technology Club is accepting applications through Aug. 7. If interested, apply here.
About the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is dedicated to restoring Sarasota Bay by improving water quality, increasing habitat and encouraging environmental stewardship. The SBEP's Bay Partners Grants Program (http://sarasotabay.org/get-involved/bay-partners-grant-program/) helps the program carry out that mission by providing funding for environmental education and restoration projects that aim to improve the overall quality of Sarasota Bay and its watershed. Since 2003, the SBEP has awarded over $267,000 to support projects by 65 organizations in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Although the maximum award amount per project - $3,000 - is small, the impact of these projects is great. Spreading the available funds to multiple groups each year amplifies the SBEP's messages about Bay stewardship and restoration.