Teachers get creative & inspired by nature at MSI's 9th Annual Teacher Event: SHIP to SHORE!

March 6th, 2019, marked the 9th annual teacher event, SHIP TO SHORE: All you Need to Know and More! Marine Science Institute (MSI) invited teachers from all over the Bay area to our site in Redwood City, CA, to learn all about MSI programs and environmental science opportunities for their students. Teachers explored MSI programs, hands-on activities, and resources for their science classrooms. The event featured small bites with refreshments, impressive raffle prizes, two NGSS connected workshops, and special guest speaker, Dr. Amy Frame from Ten Strands who shared updates and information about Environmental Education in California.

"I enjoyed the experience of the mini-workshops. I liked how one was creative and one was academic." -Teacher Participant

Workshop 1: CLASSROOM DESIGN CHALLENGE

This year, we had an absolute blast sharing the unique, "Create a Creature" Design Challenge, co-created by MSI and Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT). It was great to see the creative ideas bouncing around the groups and to hear the thoughtful construction of the very specialized adaptations of all the cool, rocky shore creatures created. The MSI-RAFT Design Challenge Kit will soon be available online and at RAFT stores--just in time for the 2019-2020 school year!

"The workshops were super fun-could definitely use these lessons in my classroom. Thank you for providing fantastic science and experiential/hands-on activities." -Teacher Participant

Workshop 2: INSPIRATION FROM NATURE -- MSI BIOMIMICRY PROGRAM

Isn't it fascinating how nature has solved and continues to solve challenges presented by the ever-changing environment? Teachers had a chance to look at ways students could observe nature to find solutions for the design challenges humans face today. What specialized technology do rocky shore organisms have? How can we learn from nature to design more sustainable and efficient systems? The MSI Biomimicry program excites students to dive deeper into these questions!

"I especially enjoyed the Biomimicry Workshop. Looking at the animals and seeing how aspects of their bodies could be adapted into various aspects of human life was interesting and challenging to do.” -Teacher Participant

Cheers to another wonderful year of learning together with our dedicated teacher community at the Marine Science Institute! We look forward to providing professional development and resources for teachers for years to come!