Beverly Owens (TAS 2013), Britta Culbertson (TAS 2013), and Anne Byford (TAS 2010) represented the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program (TAS) at the regional National Science Teachers Association Conference in Charlotte, NC on November 7-9, 2013. The NOAA Teacher at Sea Alumni (TASA) shared their TAS experiences with the public, informed them about the TAS program, and distributed NOAA education materials. TASA’s work at this conference, helped to teach science teachers and others NOAA’s mission and service to the public, as well as show NOAA’s impact on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. 

Ms. Byford presented “Mining” for Sea Scallops; a data analysis unit designed to introduce students to some of the complexities of asking environmental questions. She also shared iGem: Synthetic Biology in High School. Synthetic Biology is the intersection of molecular biology and engineering. In Ms. Byford’s third presentation, Technology – assisted Mastery Learning in Biology, she explained how students learn at variable speeds and benefit from mastering one topic before moving to a new topic.

Ms. Culbertson, an Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellow currently working in NOAA’s Office of Education, gave two presentations titled “Engage Your Students with NOAA’s Coral Reef and Ocean Acidification Resources” and “NOAA in Your Backyard: Professional Development Opportunities and Local Educator Resources”. 

Ms. Owens presented a short course called “NC Geology Rocks”, in which participants learned about the rich mineral resources in North Carolina and completed a series of hands-on activities.