Programs Blog

Thursday and Friday, May 23 – 24, 2019
SEA, 171 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA

This one-day symposium is the capstone experience for students from SEA Semester class C-285 Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. The event includes oral presentations of the students’ science, policy and conservation research to a panel of invited experts, and contributes directly to international effort to protect the Sargasso Sea.  Student presentations will be interspersed with related talks given by some of the invited participants. The public is invited to attend. Space is limited.

About the MBC Program

MBC takes a multidisciplinary problem and place-based approach to ocean education. During the twelve weeks leading up to the Symposium, MBC students engaged in a daunting adventure to document the biodiversity and characterize the principal human uses of, benefits from, and impacts on the health and stability of the Sargasso Sea ecosystem. After four weeks of framework building, students gained hands-on experience with morphological and molecular methods for assessing marine biodiversity, and developed an understanding of the theoretical and practical applications of ecosystem services in marine conservation in a five-week research cruise from Key West to New York City. The final three weeks of the semester were spent completing analysis and interpretation of their original biodiversity data, and preparing symposium presentations that address the challenge of communicating a sense of place for this environmentally important area.

Sea Education Association is deeply grateful to the Cabot family for their support of the 2019 Ned Cabot Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Sargasso Sea Symposium in Ned’s honor.

Agenda

Thursday, May 23rd

Introductions

1400-1410: Porter Hoagland and Kerry Whittaker
1410-1420: Andrew Meashaw (student)
1420-1440: Speaker: Tundi Agardy

Ocean Literacy I
1440-1550: Bridging the Gaps of Ocean Literacy: Students
1500-1545: Panel: Aimee Bonnano, Kevin Chu, and Abigail Archer, Tonna-Marie Surgeon Rodgers

Break and Gallery
1545-1600: Remote Region Case Study I: Sargasso Sea
1600-1620: Speaker: David Freestone
1620-1640: Outreach and Education for High Seas Literacy: Students
1640-1715: Panel: Amy Siuda, Angela Somma, Kate Mansfield, and John Hocevar

Science on the High Seas
1730-1750: Student Science Introduction, Poster Session and Reception

Friday, May 24th

Introduction and Recap
0830-0850: Leah Martinez (student), Porter Hoagland and Kerry Whittaker

Remote Region Case Study II: Deep Ocean
0850-0910: Speaker: Harriet Harden-Davies
0910-0930: Speaker: Annette Govindarajan
0930-0945: Video Presentation: Students
0945-1030: Panel: Tundi Agardy, Harriet Harden-Davies, Annette Govindarajan, and Irina Rypina

1030-1040: Break and Gallery

Ocean Literacy II
1040-1100: Speaker: Anne-Marie Runfola
1100-1115: Encouraging Ocean Literacy Through Picture Books: Students
1115-1130: Visual Arts as a Tool for Ocean Education: Students
1130-1215: Panel: Barb Rosenstock, Kate Leavitt, and Anne-Marie Runfola

Synopsis
1215-1230: Student Closing Remarks and Discussion