HIMB leads Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-Island Earth

Researchers at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), an organized research unit in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, have begun a new program to make scientists and their research more accessible to educators and the community.

 

Since 2002, the National Science Foundation Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Network has grown to 14 thematic and regional centers located around the United States, and the newest addition to the COSEE family has arrived in Hawaiʿi, COSEE Island Earth (COSEE-IE).

 

The overall goal of COSEE-IE is to foster collaborations among Hawaiʻi’s research scientists, educators, and community groups related to ocean science and conservation. The program emphasizes the importance of oceans and hopes to better the relationship between ocean science and education for an ocean-literate workforce and community. Ocean literacy is not only a critical need for Hawaiʿi, but has been identified as a top priority by national and international commissions and panels on the federal level including the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

 

Lead by the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʿi at Mānoa, COSEE-IE is a partnership among several UH institutions, including the Hawaiʿi Institute of Marine Biology, Maui College, UH Sea Grant, and the UH Mānoa College of Education, with a broader collaboration among local universities, community colleges, research institutes, professional societies, aquaria, museums, community organizations, governmental agencies, and private companies, each of which represents a unique and important facet of ocean literacy.  They have joined COSEE-IE to work toward the common goal of improving ocean science communication between researchers, community members, and visitors.

 

COSEE-IE plans to work closely with science and community partners to develop and distribute programs that support ocean science literacy and stewardship across the Hawaiian Islands. Some of the programs that are planned include a Journalist-at-Sea program to provide opportunities for journalists and journalism students to participate in oceanographic cruises and research, interactive ocean science displays in visitor areas, programs that integrate scientific research with place-based traditional knowledge, and interdisciplinary fellowships and symposia that bridge science research, cultural practices, and ocean-related policies.

 

COSEE-IE hopes to function as a collaborative organization by connecting ongoing efforts, and encouraging stewardship of ocean environments from varied perspectives drawing from emerging research in Western science and generational Hawaiian science and cultural knowledge. As such, COSEE-IE emphasizes important land-sea connections that define the socio-ecological context in Hawaiʿi.

 

COSEE-IE has big plans in the next year, including the establishment of an online state-wide hub for the purpose of matching the interests and needs of research scientists with those of the education and outreach community.

 

Dr. Judith Lemus, HIMB Academic Program Specialist and principal investigator for the COSEE-IE program states, “Our goal is to help build productive, synergistic, long-lasting collaborations between scientists, educators, and the community that respect and honor the cultural landscape of Hawaiʿi”.