The Paul A. Funk Recognition Award provides a personal award to the winner as well as funds for their department to use in support of their work benefiting natural resources and human environmental systems. 

This year, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Robin Goettel won the award for her extensive educational outreach work, including the creation of numerous curricula for science teachers and others. In particular, the Fresh and Salt curriculum, the Greatest of the Great Lakes collection of model lessons, and The Medicine Chest have helped to inform, engage, and education over 100,000 students about environmental science related to the Great Lakes. 

Robin isn’t afraid to get totally immersed in her environmental education work either, as this excerpt from her nomination proves: 

“No description of Robin would be complete without a mention of Zelda the zebra mussel, a ‘spokesmussel,’ as Robin describes her. Zelda is a costume that Robin is not afraid to pull out at public events. While maybe not quite ready for Disneyworld, Zelda draws a crowd. People start with a laugh, are compelled to ask questions, and end up with a better understanding of invasive species for the unconventional approach.”

Those examples don’t begin to touch on the work that Robin has engaged in throughout her many years with the program–from direct engagement with students of all grade levels, to educational displays at some of the Midwest’s biggest events, to forging partnerships with other environmental organizations to better educate, inform, and engage people in protecting and preserving natural resources.

Robin’s many years of work on environmental issues, and her dedication to fostering ever higher levels of science education for students of all ages, make her a terrific and very deserving choice for this award.

 

Fourteen teachers from throughout the Great Lakes basin embarked on the learning opportunity of a lifetime this month, taking part in a week-long workshop aboard the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s research vessel Lake Guardian. They explored first-hand Lake Huron’s geology, limnology (freshwater science), and ecology, with a special focus on the food web as it relates to Huron’s fisheries. 

 

The teachers worked side-by-side with scientists learning a great deal about what comprises research on the Great Lakes. They assisted with the collection of planktonic and benthic organisms, as well as gathering water quality data. They also explored Great Lakes curriculum and discussed how to integrate this information in their classrooms. You can see visit their blog and learn more at cossegreatlakes.net. This program is offered annually by EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network. If you are an educator, consider applying next year for the cruise on Lake Ontario!

The APEX awards are given each year to recognize outstanding publication work in a variety of fields by Communication Concepts, and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant was chosen as one of this year’s winners!

From their website:

“…(Communication) Concepts sponsors the APEX Awards, the annual Awards for Publication Excellence, an awards competition providing recognition for outstanding publishing efforts from newsletters and magazines to annual reports, campaigns, social media and websites.”

IISG’s Terri Hallesy and Robin Goettel were chosen for the “Education & Training Publications” category. Their “Fresh and Salt” project, a collaboration with Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Great Lakes, collected activities, lessons, and other materials that joined Great Lakes and ocean topics in a cohesive way.

Designed for students in grades 5-10, the “Fresh and Salt” curriculum incorporated multiple facets of science education. Students learn about and even work on interactive mapping, investigation, experimentation, and additional concepts related to the science of both fresh and saltwater.

The curriculum’s 14 activities were structured  for effective science learning, and to prepare students as future decision-makers and leaders. Activities were carefully selected based on a distinct set of criteria that would help students apply science process skills needed for effective learning.

Aligned with Great Lakes and Ocean literacy principles, timely issues include:

•    Dominant physical features and their interconnections
•    Geological phenomena
•    Influence on weather and climate
•    Human-environment connections and impacts
•    Sustaining life on earth
•    Biodiversity, food webs, and energy flows
•    Exploration and technology innovation

“The COSEE Great Lakes Team accomplished our goal of providing educators with a science-based education resource that makes learning engaging,” said Hallesy. “It provides creative ideas to teach students about the Great Lakes and our oceans. Our intention is to educate students about ways to preserve and protect our aquatic ecosystems, while promoting environmental stewardship. ‘Fresh and Salt’ allows teachers to access relevant and timely science information leading to global awareness and environmental change.”

The entire Fresh and Salt curriculum can be downloaded from IISG’s education webpage.

Teachers are encouraged to incorporate relevant activities and lessons into their planning. In addition, educators can contact Terri Hallesy or Robin Goettel to learn about other opportunities and materials for their classrooms.

Communication Concepts is a firm that works with firms to improve communications, PR, marketing, and more. They also provide reports on current trends and give annual awards to projects and organizations for their outstanding publications.