CSTA Member Selected to Explore the Ocean with Titanic Discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard’s Nautilus Exploration Program
[San Francisco, CA] – Twelve educators from across the United States have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants by the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) to participate in the 2012 Nautilus Exploration Program. The selected Educators at Sea hail from schools and museums in seven states and represent ten school districts, including San Francisco Unified School District. CSTA member and region 2 director Eric Lewis, the Secondary Science Content Specialist for the SFUSD, has been selected as a 2012 Nautilus Exploration Program Educator at Sea.
For the past five years, Eric Lewis has been supporting high school science in SFUSD as a teacher on special assignment. Prior to this, Mr. Lewis was a teacher and department chair at Mission High School where he taught Biology, Earth Science, Physiology and Health Careers since 1999. Mr. Lewis will be aboard the Nautilus from June 28th through July 16th where he will be contributing to the research on the Southern Black Sea.
“I’m incredibly honored to be able to participate in this kind of research. Not only will I be able to experience the excitement of discovery first-hand, but I will also be able to share this excitement – and the various kinds of science that I’ll be doing – with students throughout SFUSD.”
The 2012 Educators at Sea will embark in July and August on Dr. Robert Ballard’s ship of exploration, E/V Nautilus, as his team explores the geology, biology, archaeology and chemistry of the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. As part of the Corps of Exploration aboard Nautilus, educators will participate in daily science operations and live interactions with shore-based audiences on www.nautiluslive.org and at the Nautilus Live Theater at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. The Educator at Sea Program is sponsored in part by Bechtel.
“We’re very excited to provide educators with a direct experience of pure exploration,” said Expedition Leader and OET Vice President, Dr. Katherine Croff Bell, “While our Nautilus Live website provides real-time video of our expedition to teachers and students all over the world, we also have the unique opportunity to invite our Educators at Sea on board Nautilus as fully integrated members of our Corps of Exploration.”
Prior to going to sea, educators will also participate in an intensive training workshop attend sessions hosted by scientists, engineers and science communicators from June 25-28 at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, where Dr. Ballard is professor of oceanography. Ballard is best known for his discovery of RMS Titanic.
About the Nautilus Exploration Program
The Nautilus Exploration Program was founded in 2008 by Dr. Robert Ballard and is a joint ocean exploration initiative of the Ocean Exploration Trust, the Institute for Exploration and the URI Center for Ocean Exploration. This international program centers on scientific exploration of the seafloor launched from aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus, a 64-meter research vessel currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition to conducting pure scientific research, the Nautilus Exploration Program offers ocean telepresence to explorers on shore via live video, audio and data feeds from the ship. The Program also includes an education component that brings educators and students on E/V Nautilus expeditions. The 2012 Nautilus Exploration Program is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Ocean Exploration Trust, the Sea Research Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, National Geographic Society and private donors.
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July 3rd, 2012 at 11:13 am
What an amazing opportunity, Eric. Congratulations! I look forward to hearing more about your deep sea adventure.