National Sea Grant Communications Network Chair Visiting Central NY to Teach Students about Social Media

Contact:  

JoAnne Getchonis, Cornell University Biological Field Station, Field Station Manager, P: 315-633-9243, E: jgg4@cornell.edu

Paul Focazio, New York Sea Grant, Web Content Manager, P: 631-632-6910, E: Paul.Focazio@stonybrook.edu

Bridgeport, NY, June 11, 2012 - Students from Cornell University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will have the opportunity to learn about the use of social media in the nonprofit and science sectors in a workshop with the National Sea Grant Communications Network Chair Paul Focazio on Wednesday, June 13. The meeting will take place as part of the weekly Summer Seminar Series for students at the Cornell University Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake.

This year, Focazio, New York Sea Grant’s Web Content Manager, leads the Network of communicators from among the 32-university based Sea Grant research, education, training and extension programs across the U.S.

Focazio writes and edits content for various venues, including www.nyseagrant.org; New York Coastlines and other shoreline science publications; several New York Sea Grant (NYSG) blogs; and social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter.  Based at Stony Brook University, Focazio also manages NYSG’s Extension and Research Web sites.

“Some of the issues I deal with on a daily basis include ways to ensure compliance with university and government-mandated Web policies, including accessibility; increasing the uniformity of New York Sea Grant’s numerous topical Web sites through a database-driven Content Management System; and utilizing online systems to track Web activity and report results for Sea Grant staff across New York State,” Focazio says.

Focazio is currently working with New York Sea Grant Coastal Education Specialist Helen Domske, based at SUNY Buffalo, on a blog component for a four-day Lake Ontario Field Experience workshop scheduled for late July. In addition to attending lectures at SUNY Oswego and visiting the Salmon River Fish Hatchery and sand dunes along the Lake's eastern shore, the dozen or so teachers selected will visit the Cornell University Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake. Educators who are interested in this program should contact Domske at hmd4@cornell.edu.

This “Sea Grant and Social Media: Connecting with Partners, Promoting Research and Extension” presentation is supported by the Oneida Lake Education Initiative that educates elementary through high school students about natural resources appreciation and management.

“This learning opportunity is timely for our student education mission,” says Field Station Manager JoAnne Getchonis with the Cornell University Natural Resources Program. “Social networking provides the opportunity to reach a new generation that is comfortable with and has embraced the Web-based way of learning and retrieving information.”

To learn more about the Oneida Lake Education Initiative (OLEI) providing science-based information on Oneida Lake and its watershed to enhance understanding and encourage environmentally-sound use of this water resource, visit www.oneidalakeinfo.org. OLEI is funded and supported by a host of local, state, and federal partners as part of the Oneida Lake Watershed Management Program.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York is one of 32 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 New York Sea Grant activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.