Headwaters to Ocean

SCOPE OF WORK: The Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) requests $55,000 from the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute to support the direct engagement track of our Headwaters to Oceans Education Program (H20)(previously known as Science of the Sound). This proposal addresses the School Year Programs portion of OSRI’s FY14 Work Plan. H2O consists of three tracks that target different sectors of society. Our direct engagement track consists of programs (described below) for elementary and high school students in Cordova and other communities in coastal Alaska.

Discovery Room provides hands-on science education to students in Cordova’s elementary school with the goal of inspiring a life-long passion for science and increasing scientific literacy. PWSSC proposes to further refine, deliver and share lessons and materials related to OSRI’s mission of understanding the effects of oil spills and recovery of Arctic and subarctic marine environments. OSRI funding will support program delivery, development of marketing materials, and web-based distribution. These experiences will give students the knowledge and skills needed to understand how natural systems function and respond to climate change and other human impacts.

Outreach Discovery program extends Discovery Room programming to audiences outside of Cordova and increases the number of individuals served by Science Center education programs. Many of the students served by the Outreach Discovery program qualify as “underserved populations” and often have limited access to science and environmental education resources and opportunities. This request seeks to use OSRI funds to support the continued delivery of marine-themed Outreach Discovery programs to youth from northwest Alaska as well as enhancement of our remotely operated vehicles kits.

High School Outreach programs allow PWSSC to keep older students engaged in marine science-centric activities that promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and ecological literacy skills. OSRI funding will support program delivery of lessons about ocean sciences to high school students in Outreach Discovery and National Ocean Sciences Bowl programs, as well as preparation of one or more NOSB teams