Stony Brook, NY, April 1, 2013 — New York Sea Grant is accepting applications for four mentor teachers for this year’s Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher program in New York.  Pairs of teachers from each of the following grade level subsets are encouraged to apply: K–8 and 9–12. Each grade level specific pair will work together to plan and execute a professional development session for their peers that will be conducted in New York. There is funding for each pair to provide an outdoor component as part of the session. Each teacher will receive a stipend ($25.00/hour for 40 hours = $1,000 stipend per teacher) and lots of Long Island Sound resources for you and your classroom!
 
The Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher (LISMT) program, now in its third year in New York, is sponsored by New York Sea Grant and funded by the EPA Long Island Sound Study.  The program goals are to promote the use of Long Island Sound educational resources, and to promote the interdisciplinary use of the Long Island Sound watershed and its resources in K-12 classrooms.


Educators conduct hands-on activities that they can use with their students during field trips to the beach. The teachers are at a 2012 “Teach at the Beach” Mentor Teacher Workshop in Wading River. (Photo by Larissa Graham)


How to apply:

Email a two-to three-paragraph statement describing (1) why you would like to be a LIS Mentor teacher and (2) your ideas for the one-day workshop that you would like to conduct to Amy Boyajian, Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, by Monday, April 29. The deadline was extended from April 15. Please remember to include your name, phone number, email, school, and grade level that you teach.

The dates and locations for the LISMT professional development workshops will be determined by the teachers selected.

If you have any questions, please contact the Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, Amy Boyajian (pictured below), at acb328@cornell.edu or 631-632-9216.



Boyajian began working in the position in late February, taking over for Larissa Graham, who vacated the post in mid-January after five years. Graham has relocated to Ocean Spring, Mississippi, where she accepted the Coastal Training Program Coordinator position at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).

Boyajian comes to New York Sea Grant from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where she was a Program Associate for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program as well as a Water Resources Agent for New Jersey Sea Grant.  In these roles, she was in charge of New Jersey's rain garden program and conducted outreach on stormwater management to communities throughout New Jersey and the region. Amy holds a master's degree in science education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education in New Brunswick and a bachelor's degree in environmental science at Cook College, also in New Brunswick.  "I enjoy working in team environments to solve complex environmental problems and appreciate the opportunity to develop and implement outreach programs that not only help solve environmental issues but also engage and motivate stakeholders," Boyajian said.



More Info:

Long Island Sound is one of the 28 nationally-designated estuaries under the NEP, which was established by Congress in 1987 to improve the quality of Long Island Sound and other places where rivers meet the sea.

The Long Island Sound Study, conducted under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program (NEP), is a cooperative effort between the EPA and the states of Connecticut and New York to restore and protect the Sound and its ecosystems.

For more on what you can do to make a difference, click over to the "Get Involved" or "Stewardship" sections of the Long Island Sound Study's Web site. News on the Long Island Sound Study can also be found in New York Sea Grant's related archives.

If you would like to receive Long Island Sound Study's newsletter, please visit their site's homepage and sign up for the "e-news/print newsletter" under the "Stay Connected" box.

For daily updates and tips on how you can help protect and restore Long Island Sound, please join LISS on Facebook or, sign up for their RSS feeds.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, and Currents, its e-newsletter supplement, each distributed 3-4 times a year.