2004
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The Fishman Cometh

Contents

In Their Own Words

Partners in Science

Summer Students on the Bay

Mud Unearths Scientist Within

How Old Is That Crab?


This Issue's Videos:
Scientific Literacy for the 21st Century
REU summer student examining contents of a petri dish with a dissecting microscope - by Harold Anderson  

The 2004 landmark report from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy emphasizes the importance of education and marine science literacy as a foundation for stewardship of our coastal and ocean resources. An informed, actively engaged public is key to finding solutions to the problems facing our coastlines. In a broader sense, science and technology are now part of our everyday lives, and a citizenry comfortable with the insights and innovations that scientists produce is essential as we move forward in this new century.

Education lies at the core of Maryland Sea Grant's mission and in this issue we highlight programs that span the full spectrum of our efforts. With a distinct focus on coastal and marine examples, Adam Frederick and Jackie Takacs from the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program open doors for middle and high school students just beginning to appreciate how science can empower them to make discoveries and interpret their world. The innovative Aquaculture in Action program helps teachers find new ways to make biology, physics and environmental science relevant and fun - at the same time these new lessons address core learning goals and build a better appreciation for Chesapeake Bay. Toward the other end of our spectrum, we profile Rebecca Holyoke, an accomplished young scientist who has made the commitment of time and intellectual energy to complete a Ph.D. Years of study and dedication to a rigorous path lie before her as she works to build a career that blends her growing expertise in estuarine research with a sincere wish to contribute scientific knowledge to the public arena. Also in this issue, Maryland Sea Grant Research Fellow Brandon Puckett explains his blue crab research in his own words, taking on the challenge of communicating technical information in broadly understood language.

What links all these efforts is the belief that an essential part of learning science is doing science - at all levels. The skills that young students acquire as they plan and run their first experiments can lay the foundation for the sophisticated techniques and hypotheses that, for some, build a Ph.D. dissertation. At the same time, developing an understanding of the scientific method helps build the knowledge base and confidence necessary to interpret the information all of us must process on a daily basis. In no small part, science literacy and education are key in our ability to make informed decisions about the stewardship of coastal resources like Chesapeake Bay.     Read more . . .

Jonathan Kramer
Director, Maryland Sea Grant


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