Exemplars
This page is dedicated to the inspiring individuals, programs, curricula, schools, and organizations that provide varied and comprehensive demonstrations of exemplary contributions to ocean knowledge. Each link connects to a site that offers an in-depth look at what could be considered "best practices" in ocean education from the classroom to the reef.
People
Eugenie "the shark lady" Clark, is a world-renowned ichthyologist and 
authority on sharks. Although she is now retired from teaching in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, she continues her research in the Center for Shark Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory where she is Senior Research Scientist and Founding Director. She has conducted 71 deep submersible dives. Her latest research projects concern the behavior of tropical sand fishes and deep sea sharks.
__________________________________________________________________________
Jon Bowermaster, Writer, Filmmaker
A noted oceans expert, award-winning journalist, author, filmmaker, 
adventurer and six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council. From 1998-2008, his OCEANS 8 project, a series of expeditions to explore the world's ocean from the seat of a sea kayak, allowed Jon and his teams to reach corners of the world rarely seen. Over the years, Jon has traveled to more than 80 countries giving him a unique perspective on how the world is impacted by many of today’s hotly debated environmental issues, including climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing and more. Through his Web site and daily blog, Notes From Sea Level, Jon continues his reporting on the health of the world’s ocean and the lives of people who are directly impacted by and depend upon it. (source)
__________________________________________________________________________
Rob Moir, Ocean River Institute
Dr. Moir is the Executive Eirector of the Ocean River Institute, an international grassroots environmental organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI's mission is to foster greater personal involvement in conservation, monitoring, and protecting ecosystems by facilitating the efforts of groups working at local and regional levels. Dr. Moir is an educator, scientist, and activist with a proven history of institutional management and marine policy successes. He is a Switzer Environmental Fellow, Founding Chairman of Ocean Champions, Treasurer of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, and is recognized by Elite American Executives for his expertise and leadership in ecosystem-based resource management.
__________________________________________________________________________
James Balog is a photographer whose work has transcended the 
conventional traditions of photographing nature. His most recent project is a monumental and stunning look at the impact that climate change is having on the world's glaciers. Balog initiated the EXTREME ICE SURVEY (EIS), the most wide-ranging glacier study every conducted using innovative time-lapse, video, and conventional photography. EIS documents the rapid changes now occurring on the earth’s glacial ice. Worldwide, the Extreme Ice Survey has installed 27 time-lapse cameras in the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography. For more information, visit the EIS website.
__________________________________________________________________________
Kristofor Lofgren, Creator and Owner of Bamboo Sushi
Kristofor Lofgren, 26, is the creator and owner of Bamboo Sushi, the first 
certified sustainable sushi restaurant in the world. In creating Bamboo Sushi (Portland, Oregon), Kristofor hopes to educate consumers on the importance of making conscientious decisions about their food choices and the direct impact those choices have on the health of our planet. Kristofor’s ultimate goal is to develop a new model for sustainability in the restaurant industry–creating a system of checks and balances to ensure transparency and accountability–which he hopes will be adopted by other business owners, thereby achieving even greater change. We here at the w2o herald his efforts.
__________________________________________________________________________
David de Rothschild, Environmental Storyteller
David is Captain of the Plastiki Expedition - sailing 12,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney in a boat made out of plastic bottles and recycled waste products. Plastiki hopes to draw worldwide attention to human impact on the natural world, to tell a story of the world's oceans and the challenges it and its inhabitants face. Through the Plastiki Expedition, the crew hopes to captivate, inspire, and motivate tomorrow's environmental thinkers and doers to take positive action for the planet and be smart with waste.
__________________________________________________________________________
Affectionately called "Her Deepness," or "The Sturgeon General," Sylvia Earle is a pioneer in marine research and a seasoned aquanaut who holds the depth record for a solo dive: 1,000 meters. She founded the Sustainable Seas Project, which is currently conducting a series of explorations of the United States' marine sanctuaries, and she serves as a scholar and "Explorer-in-Residence" for the National Geographic Society. Most importantly, Earle is a tireless advocate for marine conservation and for fostering public awareness of the perils to ocean ecosystems caused by over fishing and pollution. Watch the speech she gave in 2009 at the TED conference.
__________________________________________________________________________
In 1985, Dr. Robert Ballard and his colleagues designed a submarine that would allow them to descend to the depths of 3800 meters to find the most famous wreck of the twentieth century -- the R.M.S. Titanic. Discovering this sunken ship brought Ballard a lot of attention, especially from kids who asked to accompany him on his expeditions. Out of this experience, Dr. Robert Ballard created the JASON Project, a Web-based science course used by teachers around the country for students in grades four through nine; a curriculum for home-schoolers; and the Argonauts program, where kids participate in real ocean explorations. A Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and President of the Institute for Exploration at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, Ballard is an explorer, a scientist, and a devoted educator.
__________________________________________________________________________
Marie Tharp, a pioneer in oceanography, best known for creating the first detailed maps of the ocean floor around the globe based on sonar. A daughter of a surveyor, her maps have since become modern scientific icons, critical to the concept of continental drift. "For most of her scientific career, Tharp remained in the background, but she said she harbored no resentment. 'Establishing the rift valley and the mid-ocean ridge that went all the way around the world for 40,000 miles ' that was something important," Tharp said. "You could only do that once. You can't find anything bigger than that, at least on this planet.' " (Los Angeles Times, 9/4/06).
__________________________________________________________________________
Carl Safina
Carl Safina is the author of more than 100 articles and three books; his writing explores the scientific, moral, and social dimensions of our relationship with nature and the ocean. Safina's keen sense of adventure, deep interest and curiosity in the natural world, and understanding of the importance of the sea and its creatures make him one of the leading voices in convervation today. He is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University, and founding president of Blue Ocean Institute. Carl Safina spoke at the TED Conference in June of 2010 on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill's unseen culprits and victims. Watch it here.
__________________________________________________________________________
Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002)
Professor Mann Borgese believed that, just as life had emerged from the oceans onto land, a new form of human and environmentally friendly world order could emerge from the oceans to the land. She saw that the borderless oceans required a new form of cooperative governance to protect and preserve the ocean's precious resources for future generations. She believed fervently that finding a new non-territorial way to govern the oceans was necessary and would teach humankind important lessons for governing our shared planet. She held annual Pacem in Maribus (Peace in the Oceans) conferences, bringing together the best minds she could find from throughout the world to work on the multifaceted problems of creating a new law of the seas. Elisabeth also created the International Ocean Institute with branches throughout the world that trains individuals from developing countries to better use their ocean resources. She was a tireless campaigner for using the resources of the oceans to benefit those who needed it most rather than only those most technologically advanced. (David Krieger, President of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation).
__________________________________________________________________________
Even now, it helps to be reminded that there are many women involved in scientific research, data collection and analysis. This site features the careers of remarkable women in oceanography, "a field so broad that it encompasses chemistry, geology, biology, and cartography." Each woman has followed a different path to her career and has gathered unique insights about her profession. The range of these women's activities is fascinating and their stories are inspiring. Geared towards kids, the site is an eye-opener for people of all ages, telling personal stories to help effect change.
__________________________________________________________________________
Peter Espeut is a Jamaican chemist/zoologist and sociologist/natural resource manager working with local communities toward the sustainable development of Jamaica's south coast. As a rural development sociologist, Espeut spent many years studying small-scale farmers before turning to artisanal fishers. Now Espeut is executive director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM) Foundation, an environment and development NGO which will manage the newly declared Portland Bight Sustainable Development Area. CCAM's philosophy of natural resource management is an example for local and sustainable development of coastline.http://www.thew2o.net/node/28/edit
ORGANIZATIONS
Founded in 1973 by Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, The Costeau Society
continues the unique explorations and observations of ecosystems throughout the world that have helped millions of people understand and appreciate the fragility of life on our Water Planet. Half a century of protecting water systems has expanded to embrace a wide variety of programs to encourage communities to achieve sustainable harmony with Nature as the Cousteau Label program. A membership-supported, not-for-profit environmental education organization headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, the Costeau Society is dedicated to the protection and improvement of the quality of life for present and future generations.
Listen to W2O's own Peter Neill discuss the Legacy of Jacques Cousteau on an edition of World Ocean Radio.
__________________________________________________________________________
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Any topic relevant to the study of the ocean or related to the ocean can be found at the NOAA site. While the data is collected by this U.S. governmental organization, the information is global in its range, and includes satellite images of the earth, altimeter maps, world climate predictions, and electronic navigational charts. From this main site, you can move to other NOAA ' three of them are listed below. This is probably the most extensive group of sites related to ocean issues compiled in the U.S.__________________________________________________________________________
Since 1985, WWF (formerly known as World Wildlife Fund) has invested over US$1,165 million in more than 11,000 projects in 130 countries. All of these play a part in the campaign to stop the accelerating degradation of Earth's natural environment, and to help its human inhabitants live in greater harmony with nature. WWF is an example of an organization with a vision that has provided the international community with information about environmental issues through a range of resources, partnerships with local environmental groups, stand-alone educational programs, and online news articles.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Marine Education Society of Australia
MESA is an Australian organization that brings together people interested in coastal and marine environments in the region by providing a forum for shared ideas that facilitate the development of leading environmental education and interpretation programs. MESA is a great example of how to promote the sustainable use of marine and coastal environments through educational and online resources, and to create a community of learners by addressing teachers and non-educators needs.
__________________________________________________________________________
Greg Kaufman, the founder of PWF, became involved in the fight to save during the 1970s. Recognizing the need for more scientific data about whales, Kaufman founded the nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation in 1980, and immediately launched a noninvasive research study documenting the abundance, distribution and social dynamics of the humpback whales of Hawai'i. Since then, nearly two million people have learned about whales, dolphins and marine conservation through PWF's environmental education programs. The scope of these include eco-tours, curriculum for grades K-12 in Hawaii's schools, books, a website, and a new Ocean Science Discovery Center on Maui. PWF is a successful model of scientific research supported with educational and tourism dollars.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Coral Cay Conservation Trust
This 20-year old British organization supports coral reef conservation through a combination of individual memberships, eco-tours, government support, and private companies. CCC has three coral reef regions that it maintains through its innovative involvement of public and private funding: the Mamanuca Archipelago in Fiji, the Bay Islands of Honduras, and Southern Leyte reef in the Philippines. Through its funded research activities, CCC provides conservation scholarships for local people, supports alternative livelihoods, and produces educational resources to raise awareness of coral conservation issues.
CURRICULA
Ocean Explorer
NOAA's Ocean Explorer site offers over 140 lesson plans, numerous professional development opportunities for educators, and an explanation of ocean careers. It contains video clips and images from 5 years of NOAA oceanic research expeditions. It is not only breathtaking to investigate, but this site has a wealth of information and incredible resources to teach from, enjoy and share.
__________________________________________________________________________
NOAA's National Ocean Service is an innovative resource designed to introduce high school students to the breadth of scientific research, technology, and activities conducted by NOAA in the areas of oceans, coasts, charting and navigation. Within the NOS Discovery Center, students and teachers will find Discovery Kits, Discovery Stories, and the Discovery Classroom, theme-based units of study with downloadable lesson plans that connect to real-time data being collected in the field. NOS is a great example of how to incorporate data into lessons and use real science in a technology-adapted classroom.
PROGRAMS
Sea Grant is NOAA's program to distribute federal grant awards to the states in support of support of research and program development, extension/education, coastal community development, outreach and communications, and management.
__________________________________________________________________________
All of the Waterkeeper programs in the U.S. reflect the needs of a water body and local community it represents. For each water body and community there is a full-time person who serves as the "keeper" " the public advocate for that body of water " part investigator, scientist, lawyer, lobbyist and public relations agent. It is an environmental advocacy model that can be adapted to protect local ecosystems, marine and terrestrial, around the world.
PLACES
The American Museum of Natural History
As anyone who has ever visited this museum knows, AMNH is an exciting and rich educational experience. The museum's virtual existence might even be more impressive than the actual site. Online there are educational resources on ocean issues ranging from fully interactive pages designed for kids, to information on the exhibitions, from lesson units and searchable lesson archives, to college level for-credit seminars on topics like "Ocean Systems." The museum makes everything they do "research, teaching, and exhibitions " accessible online. The three links below are a sampling of the scope and depth of AMNH: in the galleries, in the scientific community, and in the education.
< The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life
< The Bahamas Biocomplexity Project
< Resources for Learning about Deep Sea Vents
__________________________________________________________________________
Congal Biomarine Reserve - Ecuador
Congal Coastal Marine, Mangrove & Tropical Forest Biological Station is located in the southern part of Esmeraldas province with a focus on organic shrimp and fish production to preserve the important mangrove habitat. The Reserve's purpose is to develop projects in the fields of coastal ecosystems and marine conservation, organic and environmentally friendly aquaculture, farming and forestry. These projects, once tested, may be applied in local communities to provide sources of income and to reduce the pressure on already overexploited and threatened natural resources. Community development and participation projects are also a very important component in Congal Biomarine Reserve.
