This bibliography was compiled by the NSF-funded COSEE Diversity Working Group and provides an overview of resources (organizations, policy documents, research studies, intervention studies, etc.) that relate to broadening participation in the sciences.
This guide provides basic information for scientists who wish to engage in education and public outreach (EPO). Engaging in EPO can be an excellent way to address funding agencies’ requirements that proponents articulate the broader societal value of their research.
In this guide, EPO refers broadly to efforts to increase awareness and understanding of science. Audiences targeted by EPO can include students, teachers, children, adults, and just about any conceivable subset of these (e.g., economically disadvantaged youth, adult education instructors, museum visitors, parents, newspaper readers, high school students). Whether you are preparing a proposal or looking for tips to implement EPO effectively, this guide can help you recognize and contribute to high-quality EPO.
COSEE Ocean Systems, with a team of researchers and other experts from the University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, was established to implement several integrated activities, each designed to improve COSEE's impact on rural and inland communities. Since fall 2005, COSEE Ocean Systems has investigated issues in educational research that pertain to pedagogy, practice, and the learning process. User feedback has reinforced the desire for interactive products and processes that highlight fundamental concepts as well as their "big picture" connections. As a result, COSEE Ocean Systems is creating and evaluating tools that both highlight basic concepts and can be readily applied to other disciplines.
In December 2004, President Bush submitted the "U.S. Ocean Action Plan" to Congress in response to the recommendation made by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The activities outlined in the Administration’s response will help assure that the benefits we currently derive from our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, will be available to future generations.
In the first thorough review of ocean policy in 34 years, the Pew Oceans Commission released a host of recommendations in 2003 to guide the way in which the federal government will successfully manage America’s marine environment. The report found that more than 60 percent of America’s coastal rivers and bays are degraded by nutrient runoff. Crucial species like groundfish and salmon are under assault from overfishing. Invasive species are establishing themselves in the nation’s coastal waters. The Final Report of the Pew Oceans Commission finds that proven, workable solutions to the crisis in our oceans exist, but such successes will remain the exception rather than the rule until we chart a new course for ocean management.
