Student Conference Schedule

Wednesday, July 24, 2019/Student Conference
7:30 am Registration Opens Granite State Room
7:45 am Welcome and Opening Comments Room 330, MUB
8:15 - 9:30 am Speaker: Dr. Larry Mayer
Ocean mapping: Exploring the secrets of the deep
Graduate Student Lightning Talks
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Granite State Room
9:30 - 10:00 am Break in exhibit hall Strafford Room
10:00 - 10:45 am Session 1 Session Rooms in MUB
11:00 - 11:45 am Session 2 Session Rooms in MUB
12:00 - 12:45 pm Lunch Holloway Commons
12:45 pm Walk to Chase Ocean Engineering Lab Chase Ocean Engineering Lab
1:05 - 1:20 pm Keynote - Lucas Merrow Chase Ocean Engineering Lab
1:25 - 2:10 pm Afternoon Session Options
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Chase Ocean Engineering Lab
2:10 pm Walk to MUB
2:30 - 3:30 pm Stegner Lecture: O'Chang Studios
Communicating Science with Cartoons
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Granite State Room
3:45 - 4:45 pm Poster Session & Exhibits
Sand, Shell, and Shirt Swap
Afternoon Ice Cream Social
Granite State Room
4:45 pm Closing Remarks Room 302, MUB
5:00 pm Pick up

Session Descriptions

Wednesday, July 24, Session 1, 10:00-10:45 am
  • Room 302
    Sean McKenna, Seacoast Science Center
    Marine mammals: Making waves
    Join a member of a local Marine Mammal Rescues Team to explore the threats and challenges they face responding to stranded seals, dolphins, porpoises and whales. What are the importance of these species to our local ecosystem? How can we work together to conserve marine mammal populations in the Gulf of Maine?
    All Audiences

  • Room 338
    Cassie Stymiest, Educational Passages with Holly Blair
    How far will it sail? Using miniboats as a tool for ocean exploration in the classroom and beyond
    Discover the ocean like never before by building and launching your very own miniature sailboat (“miniboat”) and following its GPS track as it sails across the sea. Your miniboat becomes a hands-on tool for exploring science, math, art, communication, and teamwork. Learn how you can engage your students, school, and community throughout the year and connect with people all around the world by integrating an Educational Passages miniboat into your program.
    All Audiences

  • Theater II
    Susan Haynes, NOAA OER/Collabralink Technologies with Debi Blaney
    Exploring the deep ocean with NOAA: A dive into our most amazing recent discoveries
    Ocean exploration spans the globe, discovering never before seen worlds in the deep sea. NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research expands the reach of ocean exploration, frequently making discoveries completely new to the human race and to science. This session will dive into intriguing recent discoveries from the Atlantic, as well as activities and multimedia resources developed to help integrate ocean science into classroom instruction.
    All Audiences

  • Quad Way
    Patrick Flanagan, Ocean Learning Lab and Immersive Experiences,
    Explore the ocean in a digital submarine - Special session for students only
    In this session, we'll travel to a coral reef in Bermuda aboard OLLIE's traveling immersive virtual submarine, investigate the changing local and global ocean and climate, and learn about local research and conservation efforts.

Wednesday, July 24, Session 2, 11:00-11:45 am
  • Room 162
    Olivia Wood, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
    Aquariums - Not just for fish: Engaging communities to build and support our mission
    When you think of those who build and participate in the success of an aquarium, the field of marine sciences tends to come to mind. But who else makes our institutions and missions possible? No matter our background, or the circumstances of our guests, we are ALL part of our Living Planet and are ALL connected to the fate of our oceans and ecosystems and must act together to Turn the Tide.
    All Audiences

  • Room 332
    Hannah MacDonald, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
    Moving the scale from knowledge to behavior change to resource protection
    The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has initiated an institutional approach to documenting the impacts of our education programs. All 14 sites have been asked to report on both outputs and outcomes, using common metrics and instruments. Simultaneously, some of our education programs are being evaluated to determine the economic impact of their environmental stewardship activities.
    All Audiences

  • Theater II
    Brian Soash, Science Friday with Ariel Zych, Megan Cook, and Kelly Moran
    E/V Nautilus and Science Friday, live from American Samoa!
    With a live ship-to-shore interaction from E/V Nautilus on the far side of the world, learn what the Ocean Exploration Trust’s team of deep-sea scientists, engineers, and educators is exploring in their 2019 expedition. After the interaction, learn about free STEM educator resources from the Ocean Exploration Trust and Science Friday to implement current research, career role modeling, and ocean data in your classroom today.
    All Audiences

  • Quad Way
    Patrick Flanagan, Ocean Learning Lab and Immersive Experiences,
    Explore the ocean in a digital submarine - Special session for students only
    In this session, we'll travel to a coral reef in Bermuda aboard OLLIE's traveling immersive virtual submarine, investigate the changing local and global ocean and climate, and learn about local research and conservation efforts.

Wednesday, July 24, Keynote, 1:05 - 1:20 pm

Lucas Merrow, CEO of Mobius Mobility
A lifelong entrepreneur, Lucas Merrow has founded three successful companies in the healthcare field that span information technology, digital health applications, data science, and medical devices. He holds over 40 domestic and international patents, a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He currently serves as the CEO of Mobius Mobility and sits on the boards of several start-up companies and non-profit organizations. Lucas lives with his wife Robin in Rollinsford, NH.

Wednesday, July 24, Afternoon Session, 1:25 - 2:10 pm
  • Option 1: Drone workshop
    The essence of being a good drone teacher is to be able to fly safely, and within the regulatory guidelines. Chuck Getter will provide lessons on the drones I am bringing, and a demonstration of a more sophisticated drone that can be used to teach mapping.

    Dr. Chuck Getter is the founder and director of the Coastal Drone Academy. He has been a licensed pilot for over thirty years, has mapped thousands of miles of shoreline, and has hundreds of hours flying manned and unmanned aircraft.

  • Option 2: Career Panel

  • Lucas Merrow, CEO of Mobius Mobility

  • Maggie Phillips, Marine Education Doyle Fellow for NH Sea Grant

  • Harriett (Hattie) Train, Marine Science Student at the University of Maine

  • Meme Lobecker: Physical Scientist (CNSP) NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

Lucas Merrow, CEO of Mobius Mobility
See Keynote for bio.

Maggie Phillips, Marine Education Doyle Fellow for NH Sea Grant
Maggie is the Marine Education Doyle Fellow for NH Sea Grant. In her role, she has worked on NMEA conference logistics, the Marine Docent Program’s outreach events, and has been developing high school marine science curriculum. Maggie is passionate about protecting the beautiful environment of NH, but also loves to travel and experience new places, including New Zealand where she spent a semester doing applied field studies. She just graduated from UNH with her Bachelor’s in environmental science and is pursuing a career in science communication and outreach.

Harriett (Hattie) Train, Marine Science Student at the University of Maine
Hattie is a Marine Science major at the University of Maine with a Marine Biology concentration and a double minor of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Raised on Long Island, Maine (a small fishing island in Casco Bay), with a commercial fisherman as a father and a science focused teacher as a mother, she has seen first-hand how important science is to the Gulf of Maine. As of late most of the projects that Hattie has worked or been involved with have been lobster focused, either biology or policy base.

Meme Lobecker, Physical Scientist (CNSP) NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Elizabeth (Meme) Lobecker spends approximately two to three months per year offshore supporting the mapping efforts on the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. Shoreside at the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM) center at UNH, she facilitates data archival procedures with the National Geophysical Data Center, and collaborates with other scientists on Okeanos Explorer exploration missions. Meme began her career in hydrography in 2002 at Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC) in her hometown of Newport, RI, where she spent five years mapping the US east coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska, primarily for NOAA and USGS contracts. In 2007, Meme participated in field work in Papua New Guinea, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean for various research and commercial purposes. Meme completed her masters degree in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island in 2008, where her worked focused on the recent string of Californian and US Supreme Court cases attempting to manage the potential effects of US Navy mid-frequency sonar testing in the Southern California Range Complex on marine mammals. She holds a bachelor's degree from The George Washington University in Environmental Studies, with minors in geography and biology.

Wednesday, July 24, Poster Session, 3:45-4:45 pm
  • Noriko Imamiya, Marine Learning Center; Akiko Tsuzuki
    Coral Territory Wars: Educational program for teaching and learning about coral reef ecosystems and the impacts on it
    We developed a hands-on educational program “Coral Territory Wars” to teach and learn the influence of growth constraints on the coral reef ecosystem through simulating its changes across the ages. In this presentation, we introduce the background of this program’s development, the characteristics of the program’s design, the learning flow of the program, and implementations in various educational opportunities.
    All Audiences

  • Jennifer Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation; Cynthia McInnis, Katie Pelon
    Booth in a Box: An innovative tool to educate about Right Whales
    The Year of the Right Whale is a project that protects North Atlantic right whales through celebration, education and action. The project consists of social media outreach, events and fundraising initiatives to engage the public in learning about right whales and supporting recovery efforts. A key strategy used in this campaign is the innovative “Booth in a Box.” This presentation will showcase the Booth in a Box and how it can be used in organizations.
    PreK - 5 Teachers (Elementary), 6 - 8 Teachers (Middle School), 9 - 12 Teachers (High School), College Instructors, Informal Educators, Resource Managers, Government Agencies

  • Cristin Krasco, The Nature Conservancy
    The Center for Conservation Initiatives (CCI): Advancing conservation through education, outreach, science, and stewardship across landscapes & generations
    The poster will highlight The Nature Conservancy Florida Chapter's new program, the Center for Conservation Initiatives. The Center is dedicated to increasing outreach, education, training, and research across the Conservancy's four flagship preserves in Florida.
    College Instructors, Informal Educators, Resource Managers, Researchers (scientific or educational), Government Agencies

  • Anne Smrcina, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
    STEM to STEAM: The beauty of biodiversity
    The ocean is filled with a diverse array of amazing creatures, and students have been demonstrating that in the annual marine art contest sponsored by Massachusetts Marine Educators and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. We will look at how both art and science learning objectives can be approached by studying and drawing local marine species.
    All Audiences

  • Sandra Huynh, Grand Bay NERR with Dennis McGrury
    Conceptualizing Human Alteration and Natural Growth in Estuaries and Savannas (CHANGES): Year 1
    The Grand Bay NERR’s CHANGES program will support the development of environmental literacy and stewardship in future generations and supply direct exposure to the real-world work of natural resource managers using student-centered, field-based education. In this poster presentation, the NMEA audience will learn about the program, its progress within its first year, and the evaluation process in the curriculum development.
    9 - 12 Teachers (High School), Informal Educators, Resource Managers, Researchers (scientific or educational), Government Agencies

  • Chuck Getter, Career Tech High School
    Using drones to monitor whale migration: A secondary school marine studies curriculum
    High school student pilots participated in Sea Grant shipboard programs acting as pilots and aerial photographers in support of NMFS licensed whale researcher, learning STEM concepts and CTE skills associated with aviation science, marine studies, and shipboard operations.
    6 - 8 Teachers (Middle School), 9 - 12 Teachers (High School), Researchers (scientific or educational), Government Agencies

  • Tsuyoshi Sasaki, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
    Current issues or challenges in marine education
    In order to carry out Aquatic Marine environmental education in regional and school education in Japan, a mechanism to promote outreach activities in specialized universities and other institutions is essential. However, the recruitment and placement of human resources to promote outreach activities are not sufficient. In this research, based on the activity policy of Philippine Association of Extension Program implementation, the question items for evaluating outreach activities were created and outreach activities were evaluated.
    All Audiences

  • Piper Bartlett-Browne, St. Thomas Aquinas
    Northern Chukchi Integrated Study: An observational research program evaluating changes in the Pacific Arctic ecosystem in response to sea ice declines and other climate related processes
    The approach is to undertake repeat sampling of specific locations that are biologically diverse or rich in production to detect change, and also to use the capabilities aboard the USCGC Healy to undertake process oriented experiments that address specific issues such as ocean acidification, changes in biological productivity and other areas of sampling that can be addressed by shipboard sampling and experimentation. They will be ship-based aboard the USCGC Healy in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas.
    All Audiences