The Lettered Olive: S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Education News
[ April 1, 2022]
“Gotcha!” is something you might hear today as you celebrate April Fool’s Day with jokes, pranks, and general Tom Foolery. We're not fooling around, however, that this week’s featured creature, the sea pansy (Renilla reniformis), is an incredibly unique marine organism found along the sandy bottoms of South Carolina's coastline. Although it shares physical similarities such as a purple hue, petal shape, and stem-like appendage with its terrestrial namesake, you won't find this "pansy" gracing garden beds, flower pots, or window boxes. A member of the phylum Cnidaria, sea pansies are closely related to jellyfish and hard corals, and are colonial in nature -- comprised of aggregates of specialized polyps (small anemone-like animals) functioning together as one. The "petal" shape of the animal is one large polyp that functions to anchor the organism in the sand using a stem-like structure called a peduncle. Located on the surface of this polyp are smaller specialized polyps that function to filter plankton out of the water column. When disturbed or threatened, sea pansies can become bioluminescent -- emitting a green-colored light to ward off would-be dangers. So, while you may not want to plant sea pansies in your yard this year, we aren't fooling around when we tell you not to miss out on these exciting educational opportunities brought to you by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and our partners! (photo: E. Bell)
Jobs and Internships
Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission

  • CCPRC Environmental Education Aide: Under the direction of the Recreation Environmental Education Coordinator, the Environmental Education Aide will assist full time staff in creating and implementing environmental education programs for a wide variety of park patrons throughout the County Park system and in outreach locations. Deadline to apply: May 31, 2022. Apply here.

  • CCPRC Education Camp Aide: Under the direction of the Recreation Education Coordinator, the Education Camp Aide will provide environmental and historical programs for Charleston County Park Summer Camps. Deadline to apply: May 31, 2022. Apply here.
Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network (LMMN)

  • Charleston Dolphin Education Summer Internship: Join the LMMN team this summer and help protect our local marine mammals through science, outreach, and conservation efforts. Our summer intern will assist with our Dolphin Summer camps, monitoring programs, events, and more! Learn more about LMMN on their website and Facebook.

  • Hilton Head Island (HHI) Dolphin Education Summer Internship: LMMN is extending its education & conservation reach to the HHI area! Our interns will lead Dolphin Camps with Spinnaker Resorts, become naturalists for dolphin cruises, lead weekly community outreach presentations, assist with marine mammal stranding response in the area, and more! Learn more about LMMN on their website and Facebook. 
Educator Professional Development
Virtual Environmental Quarantrivia
No Foolin' Around: Nature's Tricks for Survival
April 19, 2022 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Deadline to Register: April 15, 2022

Register today for our LAST Virtual Environmental Quarantrivia competition of the school year -- and that’s no April Fool’s joke! Compete as a team or individual and challenge your knowledge on how nature across our state shows off its talent for “Tom Foolery” -- creatively employing ways to obtain food, find protection, attract a mate, and more. Fabulous prizes and bragging rights are awarded to the winning teams. This event is sponsored by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina, and the South Carolina Marine Educators Association. Participation is free, but pre-registration is required by April 15. Questions can be sent to E.V. Bell, Hannah Giddens, or Courtney Gerstenmaier-Felton.
REconnect (Researcher/Educator) Symposium
July 12, 2022 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
South Carolina Aquarium
Registration Opens April 18, 2022
 
We're back! After rescheduling twice due to COVID-19 concerns, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the S.C. Aquarium (SCA) are excited to announce the new date for our first REconnect (Researcher/Educator) Symposium! This free event is designed to: 
 
  • Connect formal and nonformal educators with local scientists conducting coastal and marine science research to learn about ways to incorporate research into education programming and avenues to address the new College- and Career-Ready Science Standards.
  • Provide an opportunity for scientists to engage in communicating research in non-lecture formats (e.g., demonstrations).
 
Registration will open April 18th via the REconnect Symposium website. Renewal credits are offered. Questions can be sent to Emmi Palenbaum or E.V. Bell.
From Seeds to Shoreline Educator Workshop
July 27, 2022 (new teachers)
July 28, 2022 (veteran teachers)
S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division
Charleston, S.C.
Registration Opens May 6, 2022

The From Seeds to Shoreline® (S2S) program wants you to join our team for the 2022 - 2023 school year! The S2S program, coordinated by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium in partnership with S.C. Department of Natural Resources and Clemson University, is the only salt marsh restoration program in the state designed specifically for K - 12 students and teachers. By growing Spartina alterniflora, the dominant plant of southeastern salt marshes, throughout the school year and transplanting young seedlings to areas of the coastline, students not only learn about the importance of this critical ecosystem but they also serve as environmental stewards.

Two training sessions will be offered in-person at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources:

July 27, 2022 (New Teacher Training): This one-day training is a pre-requisite for new teachers interested in participating in S2S for the upcoming school year. The training offers sessions on salt marsh ecology, restoration techniques, classroom applications, and more. There is no cost to attend; however, pre-registration is required.

July 28, 2022 (Veteran Teacher Training): This one-day training is optional for those S2S teachers who have been with the program for at least one year. Join us for a fun-filled day of exploring the College of Charleston's Grice Marine Lab, learning about ongoing research from local scientists, updates to the program, new resources/giveaways, and field-based explorations! There is no cost to participate, but pre-registration is required.

Reserve your spot when registration opens May 6th by visiting the S2S website. Questions can be sent to E.V. Bell.
Environmental Education Association of South Carolina's Annual Conference
"Educating Outside the Box"
June 8 - 11, 2022
Aiken, S.C.
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Registration is now open for the 2022 Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) Annual Conference! During this fun-filled educational time, you'll enjoy plenary sessions, workshops, and field trips to places like the Ruth Patrick Science Center and the Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve. Learn more about this exciting conference and register by visiting the EEASC Conference webpage.
S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Education Resources
Latest Edition of Coastal Heritage Magazine and Curricululm Connection Now Available!

The newest edition of Coastal Heritage Magazine, Jewel of the Marsh: The Remarkable Diamondback Terrapin, is now available for free download. In this issue, readers will learn about this year-round salt marsh reptile, including their ecology, threats to their populations, and ongoing conservation efforts. Educators can also access the online educational supplement, Curriculum Connection, which provides lessons and resources related to the issue and aligned to S.C. state science standards.
Enviroscape Loaner Program

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium offers use of their Wetlands Enviroscape Model free-of-charge to any S.C. K-12, nonformal, and homeschool educator. The Wetlands Enviroscape Model provides a hands-on demonstration about how watersheds can be affected by development, pollution, and other human-made and natural impacts. Included as part of the demonstration are ways in which potential pollution impacts can be mitigated (e.g., riparian buffers and salt marshes). To find out more information on requesting to borrow the Enviroscape, please visit the Enviroscape Loaner Program page to fill out the request form. Questions can be sent to Emmi Palenbaum.
S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Career Website

Do you know someone who is considering a career in the ocean sciences? Check out the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium's brand-new website designed to provide information on a variety of different types of career paths within the field of ocean sciences. Don't want to be a scientist? No problem! This website has relevant information for both science and non-science fields-of-study.
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