March 2011 Archives

Heads up college seniors!  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, which oversees offshore oil drilling, is looking for students interested in working in the environmental science field to join the team. Starting April 4th and through the end of May, 2011, this government agency will be visiting colleges around the United States to recruit future employees it hopes can help increase scientific knowledge within the Bureau.

The idea is to hire more employees with environmental science backgrounds to help the Bureau make increasingly sound, scientific decisions.  Part of this initiative emanates from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster last year in the Gulf of Mexico.  New rules and regulations have since made the offshore oil drilling industry more secure, but the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, Michael Bromwich, wants this drive to continue through expansion of human capital.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

How many times have you heard that question? I began hearing that question in kindergarten and it has continued throughout my life.  My answers seem to change from year to year, and to this day I am not sure I could give you a definitive, one-word, easy-explanation answer.  So, in case you are like me--indecisive and always appreciative of helpful suggestions--here is some useful information. Below is a list of the top ten fastest growing occupations requiring a master's degree, at minimum, through 2018.

This article was originally posted on About.com's Career Guide using data from the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011. Visit the Career Guide to read the full article and occupation descriptions. Our favorite is number ten, of course!

1. Medical scientist (excluding epidemiologists)

Medical scientists improve human wellness by researching human diseases and other conditions.  Read more

2. Physician Assistants

Physician assistants are medical practitioners who provide support and work under doctors.  Read more

Water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface area and is essential to our survival. Each year in March we celebrate World Water Day (WWD) to draw attention to this vital resource and, in particular, freshwater--as opposed to salt water. Sustainable management of freshwater resources is a key theme highlighted each year on World Water Day.

The idea of designating a day to celebrate freshwater was originally put forth in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).  The United Nations General Assembly declared March 22, 1993, as the first World Water Day and the tradition has continued since then.  Each year there is a different theme highlighting some aspect of freshwater.  Themes have ranged from water scarcity to sanitation to this year's theme of "Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge."

We took the same vacation to Wyoming like at least three different times when I was young.  The first time, it was awesome!  The second was just as cool because I got to go whitewater rafting.  By the third time, I was beginning to feel like we were stuck in a rut and there was nothing else to see in the state of Wyoming.  The following summers, when it came time to discuss family vacations, I was always in favor of a trip involving a state other than Wyoming.  Upon reflection, maybe I should have reconsidered and looked favorably on the idea of replicating a vacation destination.  Not convinced?  Here are 5 good reasons to visit destinations more than once:

1. To show someone else

Sometimes a specific place or trip is so special that you must share that experience with someone else.  When you have a memorable experience, it is only natural that you want to spread the wealth and make similar memories with another person who will appreciate it.  To illustrate, I have a good friend from college who has never been to Yellowstone National Park.  Even though I have visited Yellowstone, I would love to go there again to show her all the spectacular characteristics that awestruck me when I visited for the first time--the bubbling mud pots that smell like rotten eggs, Old Faithful's timely spouting, and the fun of having a snowball fight atop a mountain in July.

Last Thursday during my morning commute from Southern Maryland into downtown D.C., my carpool had to take an alternate route due to what the radio station was calling a "mudslide." I found this news to be rather surprising; I was told that mud covered part of the main road I take to work, leaving only one lane open for traffic. Apparently part of the steep embankment that lines the road had slid down the hillside due to extreme saturation from the large quantities of rain the D.C. area has experienced recently. After this clarification, I was ever so glad that our driver had decided to take a route far away from the Potomac River and the aforementioned embankment. Unfortunately, the incident made me half-an-hour late to work.

This Nebraska girl had not had any close encounters with mudslides prior to that one minor event, which really did not affect me other than a 30-minute delay. The very next day, March 11, 2011, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake (the largest quake in Japan in recorded history according to U.S. Geologic Survey records, which date back to 1900)  occurred off the northern coast of Japan. The massive quake was followed by scores of aftershocks and tsunami waves. It was a major disaster that affected millions of people and made my mudslide experience seem like a walk in the park.

The earthquake struck not far from Honshu, Japan at 2:46PM local time (12:46AM EST). Collapsing buildings, fires, walls of water up to 30 feet in height, power outages, mass transit disruptions, and mass chaos in general ensued. By mid-afternoon Friday (EST), 151 people were dead, 539 injured, and 351 were missing according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency.  By Monday afternoon, 1,897 people were confirmed dead and over 3,000 were missing, according to CNN.  The U.S. National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings for a minimum of 50 countries and territories soon after the initial event. Hours later, waves began coming ashore across the Pacific in Hawaii and along the West Coast of the United States. Wave heights in Hawaii were up to almost 7 feet and in Alaska and California fluctuated from less than a foot tall to over 8 feet in Crescent City, CA.

Who: Donna Roman's fifth grade class at Mill Creek Elementary School
What:  Flat Earth Program
When: Fall 2010-February 2011
Where: Geneva, IL
Why: To learn about the world through interactions with peers

The Flat Earth Program is an off-shoot of the Flat Classroom Project for middle and high school students that began four years ago.  This original project adopts the framework and concepts that Tom Friedman laid out in his book, "The World is Flat."  As the name implies, the idea behind the project is to "flatten" classrooms by connecting students across distances and cultures to provide a "multi-modal learning environment."  Students and teachers from around the world can learn, share ideas, and achieve goals using multi-media technology and other tools. In case you aren't convinced yet, here are five reasons your school should join the Flat Earth Program. 

1. Interactive
Communication is a key component of the Flat Earth Program. Students talk to each other in real-time using Skype in addition to corresponding via blog messages.  Skype chatting is just like instant messaging, except there is an added visual component--students can see and hear each other speak.  It is the next best thing to being with one another in person.

Help select a winner from the final six nominees in the P&G and National Geographic Future Friendly Contest!

The time to vote is NOW--before March 16. The top six entries are accessible online at www.nationalgeographic.com/findyourfootprint. The public (that's you!) is encouraged to watch the project videos and vote for the class they consider to have the most creative conservation idea.
 
The classroom entry that receives the highest number of public votes will be the grand-prize winner and will be awarded prizes valued at $36,000, including five state-of-the-art Promethean ActivBoards (interactive whiteboards),  a National Geographic Library valued at $1,000, and 30 subscriptions to National Geographic Kids magazine.

Keep reading to learn more about the six finalists!

Fat Tuesday, krewes, Carnival, and shrimp jambalaya?!  You might be wondering: How did Tuesday get picked as the chubby day of the week?  Are they serving shrimp jambalaya at a carnival somewhere?  Does she know how to spell--the only "crew" I know of starts with a "c" and the plural form does not require an "es."

I promise you that these phrases are all interrelated and pertinent to today's topic---Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras has its roots in celebrations that originated thousands of years ago at the time of pagan spring and fertility rites, such as the Roman festival of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When Christianity came onto the scene, Roman religious leaders decided to incorporate the new faith into the local rituals and the tradition of Mardi Gras, or Carnival, before Lent each year began.  

Endless days. Polar bears perched atop islands of ice. Not a speck of land in sight.  Blindingly bright sun. Sounds like an explorer's dream come true, wouldn't you agree?  Where might this highly exotic (and one could add the adjectives barren and frigid) place be located?  The 2011 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows will experience it firsthand this summer: This is Arctic Svalbard as only Lindblad Expeditions, in partnership with National Geographic's Education Programs, can deliver.

The Grosvenor Teacher Fellow program is an opportunity for current K-12 classroom teachers and informal educators from across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico to engage in professional development activities and learning experiences.  Applicants must exhibit dedication to geographic education (geography and related science and social studies disciplines) and show a promise of active engagement in the future. Awardees will depart on an 11-days/9-nights voyage aboard the Lindblad Expeditions' flagship, the National Geographic Explorer, to Arctic Svalbard.  During the seven days at sea, Fellows will brainstorm ideas for how to incorporate their field experience into educational instruction, and they will organize impromptu activities for young explorers traveling on board the ship.  For more information about the Grosvenor Teacher Fellows Program or to learn how you can apply, please follow this link.

Without further ado I would like to introduce you to this year's Grosvenor Teacher Fellows!

Amy Blonn

Amy works at the Houston Independent School District's Outdoor Education Center in Trinity, Texas.  Each week she helps teach approximately 250 fifth-grade students about the connections between nature, human relationships, and responsible stewardship by conducting science lessons on the shores of Lake Livingston.  Read more about Amy.

Are you an educator with the passion to inspire students to take environmental action? Prove it,  and get rewarded for all your hard work--with a $5,000 prize!

Applications are now being accepted for the Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award. The National Environmental Education Foundation seeks to honor an outstanding middle school teacher who successfully integrates environmental education into their curriculum and engages students in interdisciplinary solutions to environmental challenges. The award recognizes an educator who can serve as an inspiration and model for others.

Applications are due March 14, 2011. Visit neefusa.org/bartlettaward to nominate yourself or a teacher you know today.

Join teachers and students in exploring our Ocean Connections as part of National Environmental Education Week, April 10-16, 2011

We might have divided it up and given the different areas different names, but there really is only one ocean. And it is the dominant feature of our planet. No matter how far we live from the coast, we are all connected to the ocean, sometimes in nearly invisible ways.

From the vast network of streams and rivers that make up the major watersheds on Earth (all of which drain into the ocean) to the ingredients in products we use every day, there is no escaping our dependence on the ocean. The ocean supplies us with food and medicine, cycles our water, generates most of the oxygen we breathe and balances our climate. Recognizing the vital importance of the ocean to all life on Earth, National Environmental Education Week's 2011 theme is Ocean Connections.

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the nation's largest environmental education event held each year the week before Earth Day - this year, April 10-16. EE Week inspires environmental learning and stewardship among young people by connecting educators with environmental resources to promote K-12 students' understanding of the environment. The goal of EE Week is to assist educators in incorporating more high-quality environmental education across the curriculum. In 2010, over 2,000 schools and organizations across the country organized EE Week events. Collectively these organizations reached millions of students with environmentally themed lessons and activities.

Let's face it: Certain words and sounds connect us to specific places and memories.  What would you think if I told you that it is now possible to save a sound and forever link it to an exact place on earth?

World meet Woices.  Woices say hello to approximately 7 billion people just waiting to use you.
 
Woices is a free internet service that lets individuals create, share, and listen to echoes.  Echoes are audio recordings linked to a specific real-world object or geographical location.  Echoes can be listened to by anyone, as if the person who made the echo was standing there right next to you.