SCB Marine News
Dear SCB Marine members,
Happy 2024!
SCB Marine has quite a few things brewing in the new year and there is lots to share with you all.
IMMC7 dates announced
Exciting news from SCB Marine! The next IMCC is taking place October 13-18, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. Details about the conference and the location can be found on the newly launched IMCC7 website.
IMCC7 is now accepting submissions for Symposia, Workshops, Focus Groups, and nominations for Plenary Speakers. The deadline for Plenary nominations is February 9th and the deadline for Workshop/Symposia proposals is February 22nd, so get your submissions in ASAP.
Welcome SCB Marine’s new board members!
SCB Marine has recently elected new board members to advance our goals and move SCB Marine to the next level.
- Shaili Johri, President
- Sarah Ater, DEI Officer
- Andrew Kornblatt, Communications Officer
- David Costalago, Policy Officer
To learn more about our board and their backgrounds, visit the SCB Marine website.
SBC Marine Education Small Grants Announced
SCB Marine launched the Education for Marine Conservation- Grants program in 2023. The program provides small grants up to $1000 USD to educators around the globe in support of the advancement of education in marine science and conservation. We are pleased to announce the first batch of winners for the education grants. Learn more about the program and the grantees here: https://scbmarineprogram.org/education/
Awardee Names: Dr. Caroline Ferguson and Anne Singeo
Project Description: Palau is world renown for its extraordinary marine biodiversity and endemism. Sedimentation from recent military development threatens coastal ecosystems on two islands, Angaur and Peleliu, which creates an opportunity to mobilize environmental education of youth and local community members toward a positive end. With 11-15 Palauan high school students we have already recruited into year-round environmental education programs with local non-profit Ebiil Society, we will teach and learn about sedimentation and its impacts on the coral reefs and seagrass beds adjacent to military sites. Students will summarize learnings and findings for community members, and will be further evaluated with pre and post-tests.
Awardee Names: Mr Harris Wei Khang
Project Description: Environmental education transcends the mere acquisition of knowledge; it forges a profound connection between humans and nature. In Malaysia, where biodiversity is rich and cultural diversity is vibrant, Rhapsody of Nature aims to revolutionize environmental education through the innovative initiative “Connecting Natural Science Through Storytelling”. This project envisions a participatory and immersive experience for young learners, using visually illustrated stories and storytelling modules rooted in folklore and local knowledge to effectively communicate environmental concepts. By engaging with stories, children are encouraged to explore the world beyond mere knowledge, fostering intrinsic motivation to love and care for nature.
Awardee Name: Dr Abraham Ogheneruemu Ekperusi
Project Description:This project seeks to create awareness on the end-of-life disposal methods for fishing gears among fishers in Okerenkoko community. Demonstrate proper fishing gear disposal methods and improve the knowledge of local fishers towards the proper disposal of fishing gears in coastal communities.
This project will contribute to the blue economy agenda of Nigeria and the Africa Union Agenda 96 for the blue economy. It would also contribute towards the United Nations sustainable development goal 14.1 ‘life below water’ and the United Nations Decade of Action for Ocean Science.
- Awardee Name: Dr Jessica Pratt
Project Description: Seeks to disseminate educational materials and activities on ocean conservation and sustainability developed for elementary-aged youth in spring of 2023 by a team of undergraduate science and education students at the University of California, Irvine working under the direction of Dr. Jessica Pratt.
In addition to covering a comprehensive introduction to ocean conservation and sustainability, this workbook also satisfies several educational requirements for Grade 4 in the State of California, both in the Sciences and ELA/Literacy, as well as relating to the California Environmental Principles and Concepts. The specific activities and content that address each educational standard are outlined in the Teacher’s Guide we developed to accompany the workbook. While it was designed with the fourth-grade level in mind, the content likely spans the interests and abilities of multiple elementary grades.
