Description
This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Services intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition to Seward Association of the Advancement of Marine Science dba the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) for the amount of $58,334 to cooperatively complete the project described below. STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 16 USC 1g, Agreements for the Transfer of Appropriated Funds to Carry Out NPS Programs. STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN: Climate Change and Ocean Acidification are two of the most pressing issues facing the marine environments of Alaska. Creating better awareness of marine resources, their value and connection with our lives, and the challenges they face from these global issues, is a critical piece in protecting them for future generations. By working with teachers, we can reach youth by having our messages worked into the curriculum in repeated and meaningful ways. The ultimate goal is to create local connections to Alaska's marine resources, with an understanding of their connection to the global marine world, and to foster stewardship of these resources. Alaskan teachers of all grade levels are constantly seeking enriching opportunities to expand their own understanding of science while exploring ways to bring that knowledge into their classrooms. The Alaska SeaLife Center has a unique ability to bring science to life for both teachers and students by sharing our laboratories, researchers, data, and Informal Scientific Education (ISE) expertise. The Alaska SeaLife Center frequently conducts teacher workshops on marine science topics, including three on climate change in the past year. The workshops are a conduit for relaying cutting-edge science from their facilities to classrooms around the state. The mission of the Alaska SeaLife Center is to generate and share scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska's marine ecosystems. This project fits under their mission by sharing how science is conducted, along with current results with teachers in order to promote both their and their student's understanding of marine ecosystems. Greater understanding of natural ecosystems contributes to greater stewardship in the long run, because students are considered future stewards of the resources. STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN The public purpose of this project is to provide 20 4-6 grade teachers with a work shop to facilitate the sharing of research results on ocean acidification and climate change conducted around the state of Alaska and specific to their local areas. The workshop is to take place in March 2015. Participating teachers will be from schools in small communities in southeast Alaska. The format of this teacher workshop has been developed jointly by the ASLC and NPS based on joint workshops conducted over the past ten years. NPS staff will be co-leading the workshop with ASLC staff, and thus involved with almost every aspect of planning and conducting the workshop. Staff from both the ASLC and NPS alternate delivering lectures and facilitating different methods of learning according to respective expertise. RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT The Alaska SeaLife Center will be coordinating the logistics of the workshop on location. This will include issuing travel stipends, arranging lodging and meals for teachers and non-government researchers, and locating and arranging facilities for the workshop itself. The ASLC will be leading the post-workshop assessment, including any associated travel to schools, and some of the virtual classroom visits through the use of their distance learning technology. In most other aspects of the workshop, the ASLC will be working side by side with the NPS, including: 1. Collaboratively work with NPS staff to plan times, dates and other logistical details of the workshop. 2. Collaboratively work with NPS staff to gather teacher input on knowledge of climate change and ocean acidification, and on best methods for teaching such topics in the classroom. 3. Collaboratively work with NPS staff to identify and contact scientific researchers and resource managers working on local climate change and ocean acidification impacts to participate in the workshop. 4. Collaboratively work with NPS staff to develop specific ongoing local climate change research projects and topics to be developed into general content and lesson plans for teachers to use during the workshop. 5. Deliver lectures and other lessons on several topics chosen for the workshop. 6. Network with teachers attending the workshop and facilitate an online learning community of learners through the use of basecamp.com. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT Substantial involvement on the part of the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following: 1. Collaboratively work with ASLC staff to plan times, dates and other logistical details of the workshop. 2. Collaboratively work with ASLC staff to gather teacher input on knowledge of climate change and ocean acidification, and on best methods for teaching such topics in the classroom. 3. Collaboratively work with ASLC staff to identify and contact scientific researchers and resource managers working on local climate change and ocean acidification impacts to participate in the workshop. 4. Collaboratively work with ASLC staff to develop specific ongoing local climate change research projects and topics to be developed into general content and lesson plans for teachers to use during the workshop. 5. Deliver lectures and other lessons on several topics chosen for the workshop. 6. Network with teachers attending the workshop and participate with the online learning community of learners facilitated by the ASLC through the use of basecamp.com. 7. Participate in virtual classroom visits with the teachers who participated in the workshop via distance learning technology. 8. Meet with ASLC staff to review post-workshop assessments in order to assess workshop success and improve future workshops. SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award . The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: (4) Unique Qualifications ¿ The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications; The Alaska SeaLife Center is a leader in both conducting marine science in the state of Alaska and scientific education. Since its inception in 1998 the Alaska SeaLife Center has been sharing scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska's marine ecosystems through educational programs to all ages. Throughout that time the ASLC has engaged in continuing education for elementary and high school teachers. The ASLC has demonstrated knowledge and skills that put them in a position of leadership in informal education. Each of the ASLC educational staff are certified informal science educators. In addition, the ASLC provides training to staff at other institutions, for example the Anchorage Museum and the Sitka Sound Science Center, on informal education. The ASLC also conducts teacher workshops and training for individuals wishing to become Certified Interpretive Guides through the National Association of Interpreters (NAI). The ASLC has also received three Pinnacle Awards in 2008, 2011 and 2013, along with two honorable mentions in 2009 and 2010. Pinnacle Awards are presented by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) to institutions providing content for distance learning and informal education programs. Awardees are selected based on teacher evaluations. Several organizations combine education and science in their mission and outreach activities. But when the focus is on marine science the list narrows considerably. There are only four entities in the state of Alaska focused on marine science education to elementary school students and their teachers: The Sitka Sound Science Center, The Prince William Sound Science Center, the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, and the Alaska SeaLife Center. None of the first three have the staff or expertise in scientific outreach to match the ASLC, and in fact have relied on the ASLC for training of educational staff. And in general, all three are focused on their local towns and surrounding areas whereas the ASLC is focused statewide. The workshops in this agreement will be conducted throughout the state.