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The Lettered Olive: S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Education News
[ February 9, 2024]
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January often seems like it lasts longer than its 31 calendar days, while February leaps in afterwards with just 28...make that 29 days this year! Although brief in length, the month packs a punch with notable holidays, dates, and awareness campaigns: Black History Month, American Heart Month, Valentine's Day, and President's Day to name a few. While this month's featured species' common name gives a nod to the concept of brevity, the Atlantic brief squid (Lolliguncula brevis) has an impressively long list of unique characteristics. Closely related to the octopus and cuttlefish, the brief squid, is included in the class Cephalopoda, which translates to "head-foot" since their arms and tentacles appear to come directly out of their head. To add more to the taxonomic twist, cephalopods are classified in the phylum Mollusca alongside clams, oysters, and scallops that have a hard exterior shell and soft internal body. Why? Millions of years ago, cephalopods had a hard exterior shell that was internalized over time.
These squid are commonly found in the shallow waters off the Atlantic coast and can grow between four and five inches. Seemingly translucent, the brief squid, like most cephalopods, are covered in chromatophores, which are color cells that can constrict and expand resulting in bodily color change. This trait provides the squid with the ability to instantly camouflage from predators, with some scientists proffering that the color change can also indicate fear or anger. In the middle of the mass of tentacles and arms is the mouth that contains a sharp, bird-shaped beak used for tearing apart prey such as small fish and crustaceans. For defense, brief squid can emit ink to thwart pursuing predators and are aerodynamic in shape to allow for short bursts of speed.
So while the month of February may be brief, be sure to con-squider these ink-credible opportunities and resources from the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and our partners!
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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Celebrating Black History Month | |
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Below are just a few South Carolina educator and student resources designed to deepen knowledge related to the contributions, history, and culture of African Americans.
Coastal Heritage Magazine and Curriculum Connection Access issues of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium's award-winning, quarterly magazine, Coastal Heritage, that highlight the contributions and celebrate the history of African Americans in South Carolina. Each issue is free to download and has an accompanying educational supplement, Curriculum Connection, designed for use in K -12 classrooms.
PBS Student Lessons and Resources: Commemorate Black History Month in your classroom with lesson plans and resources that cover topics ranging from civil rights events to discussions about race in current events. These lessons are appropriate for history, English language arts (ELA), and social studies classrooms, and include resources for students in middle or high school. Access the library of resources here.
International African American Museum: The International African American Museum (IAAM) opened in 2023 in Charleston and provides visitors with an immersive experience to hear stories about multi-generational African-American experiences and learn about the vast contributions made to society, science, history, art, and culture. Plan your visit today by visiting the IAAM website.
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Student Resources and Educator Professional Development | |
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Palmetto Environmental Education Certification
2024 - 2026 Cohort Dates Announced
Join the growing network of South Carolina certified environmental educators! The Palmetto Environmental Education Certification (PEEC) program is the state's first and only environmental education certification for formal and nonformal educators. This two-year course employs a series of face-to-face workshops, online modules, and self-directed exploration opportunities to develop best practices for effective environmental education. PEEC is a flagship program of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and is co-coordinated with the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.
The application period for the 2024 - 2026 cohort will open May 1 with the selected candidates announced July 31. Informational sessions about the course are offered in March and April 2024. To learn more about the program and to register for an information session, please visit the PEEC page. Questions can be sent to E.V. Bell.
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Environmental Education Association of South Carolina Annual Conference
June 20 - 22, 2024
University of South Carolina - Upstate
Mark your calendars for the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) 2024 conference that will be held June 20 - 22 at the University of South Carolina (USC)-Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C. This conference is an opportunity for environmental educators and science communicators to learn about climate education; participate in hands-on professional development events; and network with like-minded professionals from across the state. EEASC is currently accepting proposals and strongly encourage those that address the following topics: climate education, resilience, content knowledge, pedagogy, curriculum resources, and education. To submit a proposal and learn more about the 2024 conference, please visit the conference webpage. Proposals are due April 1, 2024.
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Ocean Odyssey Coastliner Program
Are you a coastal, formal educator who is interested in engaging your students in learning about ocean-related careers? Join our Ocean Odyssey Coastliner Program (OOCP)! The OOCP, funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Exploration and the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, provides educators with direct access to career-related outreach events and resources related to the marine industry. While the program is open to any coastal middle and high school educator, the program aims to reach Title 1 status schools and those communities that are historically marginalized.
Becoming a "Coastliner" through the OOCP is free-of-charge and provides you with the following:
1) Access to free Coastliner Toolkits that are STEM (science-technology-engineering-math)-based, ocean-related, career-focused, and incorporate NOAA resources. Topics include (but are not limited to): building a working weather buoy or ROV (remotely operated vehicle), designing a product that aligns with the ocean industry, or exploring the engineering mechanics of pulleys.
2) First-hand knowledge of career-related opportunities, outreach events, and resources.
3) Invitation to participate in a 2024 Youth Summit.
Please visit the OOCP webpage for more information and to sign-up to receive notifications about kits, outreach events, and more! Questions can be sent to E.V. Bell
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BioDiscovery Project Educator Training
March 15 - 16, 2024
Charleston, S.C.
Deadline to Apply: March 8, 2024
Registration is now open for the BioDiscovery Project Educator Training that will be held March 15 - 16, 2024! The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, in partnership with the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, will guide participants through how to construct and deploy a biorack to collect fouling organisms for further study with your students. The training is free-of-charge but pre-registration is required by March 8, 2024. Please visit the BioDiscovery Project page to learn more about this STEM (science-technology-engineering-math)-based, community-science project.
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Coastal Conservation Summer Student Internship
S.C. Department of Natural Resources
Deadline to Apply: February 29, 2024
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Division and ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) are hosting a summer 2024 coastal conservation summer internship program! The goal of this program is to create and promote conservation-based career paths for South Carolina students. Five interns will be selected to learn about various conservation careers including: biological research and monitoring, communication, fisheries management, wildlife and land management, and environmental education and outreach. The internship is a full-time, paid position and applicants must be at least 18 years old. More details can be found on our application form. For questions, contact BuenoO@dnr.sc.gov.
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NOAA eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Program
Proposals Due: March 15, 2024
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Program is accepting proposals for funding up to $20,000 for projects that aim to enhance public understanding of aquaculture. For more information on the funding requirements and to apply, please visit the eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Program.
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Additional Opportunities and Resources | |
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S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Speaker Request Form
Do you have a science night or career day coming up in the future? Would you like a speaker for your students or organization? The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium (Consortium) has plenty to share regarding marine science careers, current research projects, and engaging coastal science activities for all ages! Be sure to check out our career page to learn more about the Consortium, and if you are interested in booking the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium for an upcoming career day or science night, please fill out this request form.
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Enviroscape Loaner Program
The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium offers use of the Wetlands Enviroscape Model free-of-charge to any S.C. K-12, nonformal, and homeschool educator. The 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 webpage to fill out the request form. Questions can be sent to Morgan Treon.
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Join hundreds of South Carolina educators like you! The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium sends out marine science and coastal education updates every month with opportunities and resources. |
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