The Rising Tide Project- Midlands

Changing How Researchers, Educators, and Students Work Together

"A rising tide floats all boats.“

The Rising Tide Project is designed to raise the level of scientific awareness and confidence on a local level by making collaboration between researchers, teachers, and undergraduates the norm, rather than the exception.

Main project page at Coastal Carolina University

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In cooperation with:

 Project Summary and Details of the 2005 Program 

• Project Summary
• Teacher Application (Deadline is April 22, 2005)
  • Who may apply?
  • How do you apply?
  • What's in it for you?
• Student application (Deadline is April 22, 2005)
  • Who may apply?
  • How do you apply?
  • What's in it for you?
• What are your responsibilities as a participant?
• List of research projects
• More details than you want to know
  • text of the full pilot proposal to the National Science Foundation  
  • text of the Phase II proposal to South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium   

Project Summary

The Rising Tide is designed to raise the level of scientific awareness and confidence on a local level by making collaboration between researchers and educators the norm, rather than the exception. Teacher/Student Teams, each consisting of one local high school teacher and one University of South Carolina (USC) undergraduate, will work with USC marine science faculty members (Faculty Mentors) and graduate students on research projects during the summer. Each team will participate in a different local marine-related research project. Using the methodology and data from their research experience, teams will design locally relevant discovery- and inquiry-based classroom activities for high school students. Activities will be designed in a web-based format, tested and assessed in the classroom, and incorporated into the Southeast Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (SECOSEE) web site.

The Rising Tide Project was funded by the National Science Foundation and piloted at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) during the summer of 2002.  The current Phase II part of the project is funded by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium.  Phase II introduced the Rising Tide model to marine faculty, students, and local teachers at the University of South Carolina and the College of Charleston, and it will continue to develop the program at CCU, with the goal of self-sustainability by the summer of 2006.

The goals of this program are

• To further develop the Rising Tide Project at CCU and introduce/implement the model at USC and CofC, with the goal of achieving financial and logistic independence and sustainability at each institution by the end of the two year grant period.
• To develop and improve the scientific skills and confidence of local (primarily high school) science teachers and undergraduate science majors.
• To develop web-based classroom activities based on locally relevant marine and coastal research that are pedagogically sound and consistent with national and state educational standards.
• To increase the awareness, by educators and the general public, of marine science research conducted within South Carolina and associated educational materials.
• To enhance and support the research activities of marine researchers in South Carolina.
• To promote interaction between marine researchers, teachers, and undergraduates, thereby fostering a mutual appreciation for the abilities, concerns, and responsibilities of each group.

Teacher Application

Who may apply?

The Rising Tide Project will target high school science teachers, but we anticipate openings for middle school teachers as well. Therefore, any Richland or Lexington County high school or middle school science teacher is eligible to apply. The selection criteria for participating teachers will emphasize equity in gender and school, and will specifically encourage participation by underrepresented groups. Teachers who apply to participate must rank the available research projects by preference. In cases where more than one suitable teacher has listed a preference for the same project, selection will be determined based on their applications. Note that we are specifically targeting teachers who have not had previous research opportunites.  Only two Midlands teams will likely be funded this year.  

Participants are selected by University of South Carolina faculty.

How do you apply?

The deadline for teacher applications is April 22. Simply download a registration form by clicking on the appropriate link below, print it out, fill it in, and mail it to:

Steve Stancyk
Marine Sciences Program
University of South Carolina
Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia, SC 29208

• Application form (Adobe Acrobat pdf format)
• Application form (MS Word format)

If you have difficulty downloading the forms, or if you have additional questions, contact Dr. Stancyk at stancyk@biol.sc.edu or (803) 777-3944.

What's in it for you?

By involving science teachers in local research, we hope to help them rediscover the excitement of the scientific process, as well as learn about new theories, concepts, and techniques. Since the teachers make a substantial connection with a researcher in their community, they are likely to continue that relationship over time, to the benefit of themselves and their students. In addition, there are a few more tangible incentives:

• Teachers will receive 4 credits of a new "Scientific Research for Teachers" graduate course. Tuition will be covered by the program.
• Teachers will receive a $1500 stipend for the summer.
• Travel funding will be provided for participants to present their classroom activities at state and national conferences following the completion of their projects.

Student Application

Who may apply?

The Rising Tide Project will target University of South Carolina-Columbia biology and marine science undergraduates, but we anticipate openings for education majors as well. Therefore, any USC undergraduate interested in science education and is living in Columbia this summer is eligible to apply. The selection criteria for students will emphasize equity in gender and major and will specifically encourage participation by underrepresented groups. Students who apply to participate must rank the available research projects by preference. In cases where more than one suitable student has listed a preference for the same project, selection will be determined based on their applications. Note that we are ideally looking for students with a strong coursework background and a demonstrated interest in marine science and education, but preferably with little prior experience in independent research. Only two Midlands teams will likely be funded this year. 

Undergraduate participants will be chosen by University of South Carolina faculty.

How do you apply?

The deadline for student applications is April 22. Simply download a registration form by clicking on the appropriate link below, print it out, fill it in, and mail it to:

Steve Stancyk
Marine Sciences Program
University of South Carolina
Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia, SC 29208

·        Application form (Adobe Acrobat pdf format)

·        Application form (MS Word format)

If you have difficulty downloading the forms, or if you have additional questions, contact Dr. Stancyk at stancyk@biol.sc.edu or (803) 777-3944 or Dr. Helmuth at helmuth@biol.sc.edu or (803) 777-7649.

What’s in it for you?

By involving science teachers and undergraduates in local research, we hope to help discover the excitement of the scientific process, as well as learn about new theories, concepts, and techniques. Since the teachers and students make a substantial connection with a researcher in their community, they are likely to continue that relationship over time. In addition, there are a few more tangible incentives:

·        Students will receive 4 credits of independent research. The program will cover tuition.

·        Students will receive a $1000 stipend for the summer.

What are your responsibilities?

Each teacher will be paired with an undergraduate marine science major, forming a Teacher/Student Team. Each team will work with a single USC marine science Faculty Mentor and graduate student on a marine or coastal zone research project. Both team members will be required to:

• Work with the Faculty Mentor and graduate student for 120 hours on the research project during the summer. Specific days and scheduling will vary depending on the project. It is our goal to work with teacher’s lifestyles rather than against them, so we will work with teacher schedules as much as possible. Research activities will include data collection (field and/or lab), data analysis, and interpretation.
• Teachers will attend all components of a 10 hour Teacher Training Institute (including instruction in educational pedagogy, web page design, and project assessment). These hours count as part of their 120 required hours.
• Produce web-based classroom activities to be piloted in the teacher's classroom during the fall semester and then revised and uploaded to the Southeast Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (SECOSEE) web site.  These activities will extend your time commitment in the fall semester beyond the 120 research hours from the summer.  Participation in a Rising Tide Project is more than a typical course, which is why you receive 4 hours of graduate credit as well as a summer stipend.
• Though not required, teachers and students are invited to participate in dissemination activities at the spring South Carolina Marine Educators Association Conference and at other potential conferences.

List of 2005 Research Projects

Please rank in order of preference the research projects that you would like to participate in.

What Do Thimble Jellies Eat? Investigating the Role of Hydromedusae in the Plankton Dynamics of North Inlet, SC. – Dr. Tammi Richardson, Faculty Mentor and Daniel (Dino) Marshalonis, Graduate Student (USC)
 

Hydromedusae (thimble jellyfish) are gelatinous zooplankton that are major predators of other zooplankton species.  Gelatinous zooplankton blooms have become more prevalent in coastal waters in recent years and have caused widespread concern among marine ecologists, fishermen, beachgoers, and the general public.  Large blooms have been associated with deteriorating water quality and may be harbingers of ecosystem change. Seasonal abundances of hydromedusae recorded for North Inlet, South Carolina show that these jellies are the dominant gelatinous predator in this system, but their role in planktonic food webs of this region is not known. Though they don’t consume phytoplankton directly, they do consume the smaller zooplankton that rely on phytoplankton for their food source. Thus, shifts in hydromedusae abundance may cause a cascade of trophic changes in an ecosystem. Team members will participate in a study of the environmental impacts of gelatinous zooplankton on the North Inlet ecosystem.  This study will include a 4-day field experiment at the Belle Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences in Georgetown, SC in mid to late July 2005. The remaining time for participation is flexible, but could include 1-2 days per week in the laboratory at USC (Columbia) or at Belle Baruch in June and July. Accommodation at Belle Baruch will be provided. Team members will learn to analyze water samples for phytoplankton composition (types by microscopy, total pigments by HPLC), primary production, and zooplankton composition and grazing rates.

                                                                        Photo of Leuckartiara spp. (image by David Wrobel)

Why are the Starfish Dying? – Dr. Steve Stancyk, Faculty Mentor and Ms. Christine Ansell, Graduate Student(USC)
 

Since 2000, large mortalities of the sand-dwelling starfish, Luidia clathrata, have been recorded in summer months on many beaches in South Carolina. In some years, all dead starfish are of similar size (age); in others, the size range is broad. Numbers of starfish stranded has also varied among years. Hypotheses attempting to explain these mortalities include shrimping activity, disease, starvation, weather patterns and pollution, but the true causes are unknown. Experiments on physiological tolerances can also be performed. Because Luidia clathrata is an important predator of clams and echinoderms, projects that test hypotheses about chemosensory abilities of the starfish are also possible. In addition, experiments on prey response to the presence of Luidia can be conducted. Team members would conduct shoreline surveys of starfish mortalities during the summer and would perform laboratory experiments to test some of the hypotheses mentioned above. Times and Schedules are flexible, but will involve several full days in the field.

Climate change and invasive species biology of the Pacific intertidal zone  – Dr. Brian Helmuth, Faculty Mentor and Ms. Kim Schneider, Graduate Student (USC)

Our research group explores how climate affects the physiology and ecology of intertidal invertebrates.  This particular research project will focus on how temperature affects the persistence and expansion of an invasive mussel on the US west coast.  Participants will have the opportunity to do field work in California, set up and monitor lab experiments at USC, and use genetic techniques to identify mussel species (e.g. PCR). Additionally, participants will develop K-12 lesson plans to expand students’ understanding of temperature and how it affects organisms using an infrared camera.  Kim Schneider, a senior graduate student at USC, will serve as team leader and will lead the field trip to California, and Brian Helmuth, professor, will oversee the project.   Timing of participation is flexible, but team members should expect to spend two days per week in the lab (Columbia) May through July, and a week in the field in late May/early (expenses to paid for by other funding provided by the Helmuth lab). Field work will be intense but fun! (For more project information check out Kim Schneider’s web page at http://www.biol.sc.edu/~helmuthlab/crew/people.html and see http://www.biol.sc.edu/coral and http://www.biol.sc.edu/~helmuthlab for photos and more details on what we do).		Last years' Rising Tide team explores the intertidal in California
		Field experiments the team will set up in the intertidal