{"id":174690,"date":"2021-10-13T16:02:45","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T20:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=174690"},"modified":"2021-10-15T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T17:02:23","slug":"teachers-get-ocean-research-experience-miniboat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/teachers-get-ocean-research-experience-miniboat\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers get ocean research experience, and launch a miniboat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the first weekend of October, eight Rhode Island educators boarded R\/V <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Endeavor<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the University of Rhode Island\u2019s 185-foot research ship, as part of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/outreach\/ocean-classroom\/rhode-island-teachers-at-sea-program\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rhode Island Teachers at Sea (RITAS) program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to get experience as oceanographers. With the help of Graduate School of Oceanography professor and associate dean David Smith and ship\u2019s crew and marine technicians, they deployed oceanographic instruments, collected sediment samples from a mile deep, studied plankton and analyzed data about the physical properties of the water column.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sponsored by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, the three-day expedition is designed to establish partnerships between ocean scientists, researchers and educators who live and teach in Rhode Island. It is funded by the Rhode Island Endeavor Program, a state-funded effort to provide URI researchers and local educators with access to the scientific and educational capabilities of an ocean-going research vessel. Educators selected for the RITAS Program become part of a scientific research team conducting ocean science research during a cruise aboard <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Endeavor<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe hands-on experience of ocean exploration was invaluable,\u201d said Charlene Tuttle, a teacher at Lawn Middle School in Jamestown. \u201cDeepening understanding of bacteria in the ocean, variables impacting mixing, and ocean ecosystems were all great takeaways! I felt like a welcome part of the team, working alongside scientists and crew on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Endeavor<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-174690 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/teachers-get-ocean-research-experience-miniboat\/attachment\/miniboat-ritas\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-174694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas-364x273.jpeg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/miniboat-ritas-500x375.jpeg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-174694'>\n\t\t\t\tThe miniboat Square Mile is currently sailing the Atlantic. Pictured above are Alison Murray (left) and Catherine Rickert, center, both from the Central Falls School District, with the miniboat before launch.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/teachers-get-ocean-research-experience-miniboat\/attachment\/ritas-group-2021\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"A group of educators on teh bow of a research vessel under clear skies.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-174695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021-364x273.jpeg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/ritas-group-2021-500x375.jpeg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-174695'>\n\t\t\t\tThe 2021 RITAS cruise educators and GSO scientists aboard the Endeavor. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the hands-on science, the teachers also learned about the ship\u2019s operations and the physical aspects of working at sea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur main objective is to try to get teachers to experience how science is performed at sea,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWorking at sea can present some unique challenges not encountered while working in a lab on land. As the teachers learn it takes a lot of cooperation among scientists, marine technicians and crew for it to be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe also want to let people around Rhode Island know about this incredible vessel that has served as an ambassador for the state for so many years,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James Kaczynski, also a teacher at Lawn Middle School in Jamestown, said, \u201cWhen I got back several people asked me how it was and what I learned. My reply was that I learned what and how: I learned what scientists are doing, what life at sea is like, how the work is done, how much we know along with how we know it, and how much we don&#8217;t know, and the things scientists are doing to try to figure it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants on this year\u2019s RITAS cruise were:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christopher Munzert: Mt. Hope High School, Bristol<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James Kaczynski: Lawn Middle School, Jamestown<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catherine Rickert: Central Falls School District, Central Falls<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michele Percival: Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts, Providence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Castine (Cassie) Audette-Ezzell: Girl Scouts Southeastern New England, Warwick<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alison Murray: Central Falls High School, Central Falls<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlene Tuttle: Lawn Middle School, Jamestown<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Art van Meeteren: New England Institute of Technology, East Greenwich<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three-day expedition also included the launch of a \u201cminiboat,\u201d a six-foot long solar powered drifter that is propelled by winds and ocean currents. During the past summer, GSO staff and graduate students partnered with the Central Falls School District Expanded Learning Community and Educational Passages to offer a hands-on opportunity for 3rd and 4th graders to build a miniboat which they named <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Square Mile<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched on October 2nd by Central Falls High School teacher and RITAS participant Alison Murray, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Square Mile<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is now sailing the Atlantic collecting data using a sensor pack\u2014providing location, orientation, and air &#038; water temperature data\u2014installed by Central Falls High School students. All are invited to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/educationalpassages.org\/boats\/squaremile\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">follow the S<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quare Mile<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s journey online<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information on the RITAS and GSO Miniboat programs, please contact <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/administration\/public-engagement\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GSO Public Engagement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eight Rhode Island educators boarded R\/V Endeavor, the University of Rhode Island\u2019s 185-foot research ship, as part of the Rhode Island Teachers at Sea (RITAS) program, to get experience as oceanographers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2165,"featured_media":174693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[984,2762,822,2017],"class_list":["post-174690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-david-smith","tag-rhode-island","tag-rhode-island-endeavor-program","tag-ritas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174690"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174717,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174690\/revisions\/174717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}