Free educators day at OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona

KAILUA-KONA, Hawai’i – The international OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona conference sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Oceanic Engineering Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE/OES) will host a FREE Education Symposium called “Oceans of Opportunity” on Saturday, September 17, 2011, from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm. The event, held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kona, will offer full- and half-day professional development programs designed for elementary to high school educators. Lunch is included with the program. Advance registration is required.

Oceans of Opportunity will offer programs on Pacific Coral Reefs & Climate Change, Discovery of Sound in the Sea, and Exploration in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. All programs are free of charge to elementary and high school teachers in the State of Hawai`i. Seating is limited. Interested teachers may register for the Education Symposium at http://www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org. Co-chairing this event are Paula Keener, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research; Gail Scowcroft, URI Graduate School of Oceanography; and Dr. Laura Murray, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

“Instructors who attend the Education Symposium will learn how to better present lessons and other activities about the oceans in their classrooms,” said Symposium Co-chair, Paula Keener, Director, Education Programs, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, “The program is one of our ongoing formal education efforts to expand ocean science education to the Pacific Region and around the world.”

The Education Symposium is one of the events associated with and sponsored by the international conference OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona being held in Hawai`i from September 19-22, 2011. The theme for this year’s conference is Oceans of Opportunity: International Cooperation and Partnerships Across the Pacific. OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants, many of whom are leading experts in the field of ocean engineering, technology, and conservation.

This conference is the major international forum for scientists, engineers, and responsible ocean users to present the latest research results, ideas, developments, and applications in oceanic engineering and marine technology. In addition to the Education Symposium, the conference will feature tutorials on special interest topics, a comprehensive technical program of lectures and presentations, a student program, and an oceans technology trade exhibition with products from over 100 companies.

The last time Hawai`i hosted this conference was in 2001, in Honolulu, Hawai`i. According to Conference General Chairman and Director of the Hawai`i Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai`i, Dr. John Wiltshire, the abstract committee has already received a record-breaking 750 abstracts from around the world. The conference is expected to pump about US$5 million into the Big Island economy. Big Island Mayor, The Honorable Billy Kenoi, and Dr. Brian Taylor, Dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawai`i, are serving as Honorary Co-chairs.

Registration to attend OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is now being accepted. Registration is available in a variety of categories, from Life/Emeritus member to Student non-members with participant fees varying accordingly. Registration is also available for single-day participation or the full conference from September 19-22, 2011. Interested educators may also register for the Oceans of Opportunity Education Symposium on the web site. For complete conference registration information, visit the web site at http://www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org/main.cfm/CID/16/Registration/.