Contact:

Nordica Holochuck, NYSG's Hudson Estuary Specialist E: nch8@cornell.edu

Kingston, NY, May 9, 2013 - What do tectonic plates, fish tanks, and baby birds have in common?  They all were presentations at the April 28th, 2013 Marine Science Share-A-Thon workshop held at Mercy College, located in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. on the Hudson River.

The New York Marine Education Association (NYSMEA) teamed up with Mercy College and New York Sea Grant extension to hold this marine and aquatic education event. 

“Six presenters shared their knowledge and expertise with more than 25 participants, including K-12 classroom teachers and informal environmental educators at this half-day workshop,” said Nordica Holochuck, Hudson Estuary Specialist, New York Sea Grant (NYSG).  “I was happy to work with fellow NYSMEA members to pull this event together along the the shore of the Hudson.  

"NYSMEA is a great platform for connecting our community of marine science educators and support and encourage people new to associated issues," adds NYSMEA President Meg Marrero.

This is the second Share-A-Thon that New York Sea Grant has organized, In  March 2012, the Share-A-Thon was hosted by Columbia University in New York City. "This type of event is proving to be successful and worthy of replication," says Marrero.

NYSMEA and NYSG are now interested in building marine science education partnerships and welcome participation from all interested. For more information about this April 2013 event and ones like it, contact Holochuck at nch8@cornell.edu. And for some background on last year's Share-A-Thon at Columbia, see the pre-event press release (click here) as well as the post-event article that appeared in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of New York Coastlines (click here), NYSG's flagship publication.


With NYSG's Hudson Estuary Specialist Nordica Holochuck at the helm, the educators at this Share-A-Thon mapped out the Hudson Watershed - from Troy to the Battery – using a 20-foot floor puzzle. This year's Share-a Thon location, Mercy College, rests along the shore of the Hudson River Estuary. Photo courtesy of NYSMEA.




In the pictures directly above and below, the educators analyzed dissected albatross boluses to get a better sense of the diets of these large sea birds. Why? This exercise can help students make the connection to plastic pollution on land and far at sea. One key point learned by the teachers is the ubiquitous nature of plastics throughout the world’s ocean—from the tropics to the polar seas, the surface to the depths. Photos courtesy of NYSMEA.




In the two pictures below, participants are shown building hydrometers to determine if water samples contain fresh, salt, or brackish water. This lab exercise can help students understand estuaries, which contain a mixture of fresh and salt water. Photos courtesy of NYSMEA.





More Info:

NYSMEA promotes marine awareness and encourages the growth and exchange of instructional resources within the scientific, commercial, and educational communities. Members include educators from all levels: museum, aquarium, and environmental center staff, research scientists, laboratory technicians and those with interests in SCUBA, fishing, boating, maritime history, folklore, archeology and the arts. More at www.nysmea.org.

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.