Collaboration is the keystone to everything Dr. Scott Glenn does. Ocean observing requires it – not only in the collaboration of multiple scientific disciplines, but in the need for large, distributed teams to get the work done. The demands of acquiring ocean observing data on a global scale relies on a large, engaged workforce – and Rutgers students are the ideal candidates. The Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observing Lab (RU COOL) provides a collaborative space for Scott and his colleagues to work in, while also training students, giving them skills, knowledge and hands-on experience. Out of this collaborative space grew the Atlantic Crossing project, on which students, scientists, writers, filmmakers, fishermen, engineers, and many others worked together to achieve their goal.

The use of real-time ocean data in the classroom has also changed the face of ocean science education. Scott's collaboration with science educators at Rutgers led to the establishment of COSEE NOW, providing him with a way to collaborate with teachers throughout the country. The COSEE Network also provided Scott with the opportunity to teach Communicating Ocean Science to Informal Audiences (COSIA), giving students in their senior year valuable Education and Outreach experience.

"We’ve gone all the way full-circle - education is now having a broader impact on science."

Over the course of his 20 years on the Rutgers faculty, Scott has built a Campus at Sea, complete with Oceanography House, Lipman Learning Center, a test pond, the COOL room, and access to the open ocean via the Raritan River. The development and use of all of these facilities requires multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental collaborations.

Scott's collaborations give teachers access to ocean data; invite the public to travel alongside underwater gliders; and give students the tools they need as they gain first-hand experience in how to use new technologies, how to collaborate scientifically, and how to be better members of the global society.

Scott's Education and Outreach Collaborations

• COSEE NOW, using real-time ocean data to enhance ocean science education
• COSIA, teaching students how to share their skills with informal audiences
• RU COOL Room, a collaborative ocean observing lab
• Atlantic Crossing, in which a diverse group fulfills a robot's daring mission
• Campus at Sea, growing a multi-disciplinary, multi-departmental facility