COSEE - New England

The Coastal Science Conference gave

students, teachers and scientists an

opportunity to present their research findings.

Dioramas, posters and PowerPoint

presentations showcased student learning.

A Coastal Science Conference hosted by the Nock Middle School of Newburyport was the culminating activity for participants in the Gulf of Maine Institute’s Ocean Science Education Institute(GOMI-OSEI). During the conference, teams of teachers and students from Newburyport and Salem came together to share their work on invasive species with other participating schools.

Presenting to about 250 students, 6 teachers and several community members, GOMI teams shared their work on the invasive species Perennial Pepperweed and Phragmites australis. The GOMI participating high school students presented their project to current seventh grade students and teachers, seeking to engage their interest in continuing the research on Perennial Pepperweed. A search for additional funding for this project is currently underway. The teams also made PowerPoint presentations, which served to raise awareness about local coastal concerns.

In addition to providing a forum for sharing their work, the Coastal Science Conference was an opportunity for students and teachers to connect with research scientists. Dr. Robert Buchsbaum, Mass Audubon Coastal Ecologist, and Dr. David Burdick, an estuarine ecologist at the University of New Hampshire, presented their own analyses of the collective student data including recent findings about native and non-native Phragmites.

Dr. James Morris, who is researching how salt marsh plants and sediments respond to rising sea levels, also presented at the GOMI-OSEI conference. In addition he worked with participants to build a "marsh organ," a device for studying how plants respond to different amounts of tidal inundation. The marsh organ is pictured on his website, www.biol.sc.edu/~morris.

Since 1996, students in grades 5 - 12 on the North Shore have been working with Massachusetts Audubon Society scientists to learn exciting and important information about salt marshes and Phragmites australis, an invasive plant that grows in salt marshes. The information collected in this project helps scientists advise local, state, and federal agencies about how to protect and restore salt marshes and Phragmites. For more information, visit www.massaudubon.org.

Click here to download the schedule of events (pdf)