George I. Matsumoto

Solution to the phylogenetic enigma of Tetraplatia, a worm-shaped cnidarian

Tetraplatia is a genus containing two species of pelagic cnidarians of curious morphology. Their vermiform shape and four swimming flaps are difficult to relate to the features of other cnidarians, thus obscuring their phylogenetic affinities. Since their discovery in the mid-1800s, a number of prominent cnidarian workers have weighed in on this conundrum, some arguing that they are aberrant hydrozoans and others concluding that they are unusual scyphozoans. Current taxonomic practice conforms to the latter view. However, data presented here from the large and small subunits of the nuclear ribosome leave little doubt that Tetraplatia is in fact a hydrozoan genus. Indeed, its precise phylogenetic position is within Narcomedusae, as some authors had previously deduced based on structural characters. The distinctive body plan of Tetraplatia is remarkable because it appears to have a recent origin, in contrast to the prevailing pattern of metazoan history.

Using real world data in education

The integration of real world data into classrooms is a powerful mechanism to increase student interest and understanding of concepts. An increasing number of sources of real world data are becoming available for use in education. It is important for the sources of reliable data to be accessible by nonexpert audiences. Teacher training opportunities will expand the use of these educational materials and data in classrooms. However more research and development is needed to improve methods of data display and visualizations to better facilitate the understanding of real world data by non-expert audiences, including teachers and students

Using Large Marine Ecosystems and Cultural Responsiveness as the Context for Professional Development of Teachers and Scientists in Ocean Sciences

ABSTRACT During 2010–2012, three professional development workshops brought together K–12 educators and scientists conducting research in the geographic and ecological context of Alaskas three large marine ecosystems (Bering Sea/Aleutians, Gulf of Alaska, and Arctic Ocean). Educators successfully applied new scientific knowledge gained from their interactions with scientists through the collaborative development of lesson plans that were place-based and culturally responsive to Alaska Native cultures. Over the course of the three workshops, we refined a model for incorporating cultural responsiveness into workshop design, employed an innovative systemic traditional knowledge framework, and developed a rubric to evaluate the lesson plans in terms of cultural responsiveness. Key factors that increased the impact of a single professional development workshop on the ability of the K–12 educators to produce culturally responsive lesson plans included (1) participation of experienced teachers as mentors, (2) opportunities for workshop participants to interact with community members and culture bearers, and (3) embedding the training within a longer-term program of curriculum development and professional development in a school district for which cultural responsiveness was a high priority.

Tools for Tomorrow's Science and Technology Workforce: MATE's 2006 ROV Competition Sets Students' Sights on Ocean Observing Systems

Teams participating in the 2006 ROV competition organized by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Societys (MTS) ROV Committee experienced first-hand the scientific and technical challenges that many ocean scientists, technicians, and engineers face every day. The competition tasked more than 1,000 middle and high school, college, and university students from Newfoundland to Hong Kong with designing and building ROVs to support the next generation of ocean observing systems. Teaming up with the National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations, Ocean.US, and the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks (ORION) Program, the competition highlighted ocean observing systems and the careers, organizations, and technologies associated with ocean observatories. The student teams were challenged to develop vehicles that can deploy, install, and maintain networks of instruments as well as to explore the practical applications and the research questions made possible by observing systems

Educational outreach efforts of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

An important challenge to the ocean sciences community is to engage ocean scientists in conveying the excitement of their research to ocean sciences educators, K-12 and post-secondary students, and the general public. This paper will review and preview the educational outreach efforts of MBARI; these efforts include, but are not limited to, Cruising to the Classroom expedition webpages, an active internship program, a strong link to a nonformal educational institution (the Monterey Bay Aquarium) and working with educators to facilitate access to near-real-time data. Results from the Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH) workshop will be presented during the talk.

An educational partnership in the ocean sciences: Benefits and lessons learned

For the past 15 years, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) have been involved in a collaborative relationship that could serve as a prototype for other institutions interested in maximizing their potential for science education based on current research programs. This article describes this relationship collaboration and its operational functioning. Despite their similar names, the two institutions have separate missions, staffs, budgets, boards of directors, and facilities. MBA is a non-profit aquarium with ∼400 paid staff members and another 800 volunteers, whose mission is to inspire conservation of the worlds oceans. MBARI is a non-profit research organization with ∼200 staff members and a mission “to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology, and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean.”