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NOAA Education Council
NOAA
The NOAA Education Council coordinates education activities across NOAA and is a resource for the NOAA education community.
The council is chaired by the Director of NOAA Education and supported by the Office of Education. Members represent NOAA’s line offices, educator networks, and major education programs.
The council formed in 2003 as a forum to discuss education and outreach priorities and to make recommendations for NOAA leadership. The council develops and updates the NOAA Education Strategic Plan and works with the Office of Education to evaluate progress.
Today, 16 voting members represent the National Weather Service, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Research, National Ocean Service, and NOAA Satellites.
Council member seats
Climate Communications and Education Program, Climate Program Office
The NOAA Climate Communications and Education Program in the Climate Program Office aims to foster a climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions. In response to public demand, the office provides climate data and information to help build a climate-smart, resilient nation [through our portals Climate.gov [www.climate.gov] and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit [add link]. The program integrates climate data and information from NOAA and its partners into programs, tools, and resources designed to increase students’, educators’, and life-long learners’ climate literacy.
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service Education
Education activities support scientists, students, and educators of remote sensing and atmospheric sciences through cooperative partnerships, partnerships with museums and science centers by providing data and visualizations, and community and location specific public education activities.
National Ocean Service Education
The National Ocean Service education team engages formal and informal education audiences to build environmental literacy using both online and face to face products and programs that incorporate applied ocean, coastal, and Earth science. The team manages NOAA Planet Stewards, providing professional development, grant opportunities and an online learning community for educators. The team also develops online resources and learning activities and games that will enhance science education for a wide range of audiences.
National Sea Grant College Program
The Sea Grant model of integrating research, outreach, and education uniquely positions Sea Grant Educators to bring ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes science literacy to the U.S. population, beginning with preschool students and continuing through lifelong learners. Educators’ backgrounds and expertise in both technical science and education, as well as Sea Grant’s strong affiliation with research universities, results in an education network unequaled in its ability to obtain and deliver current ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes science to students of all ages.
National Weather Service Education
In support of NOAA’s strategic initiative of building a Weather-Ready Nation — community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events — the National Weather Service conducts an extensive education and outreach program. Education and outreach also supports the expansion of NOAA’s recruitment to include the social science competencies needed for building a Weather-Ready Nation. The National Weather Service education team works with internal and external partners to create resources and tools for students, educators, and the general public to enhance both formal and informal science technology education. Education is the key to developing to developing a future workforce able to lead in building a Weather-Ready Nation.
NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training Program
The B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes place-based experiential learning for K–12 students and related professional development for teachers. The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive grants that promote Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). The MWEE is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action.
NOAA Fisheries Education, National Marine Fisheries Service
The NOAA Fisheries education program increases environmental literacy to support 1) productivity and sustainability of fisheries and fishing communities and 2) recovery and conservation of protected marine species. Educators and scientists develop learning tools and promote learning experiences for students, teachers, and families through a variety of internal and external partnerships.
NOAA Marine Debris Program Education
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is the U.S. federal lead to address marine debris, mandated under the Marine Debris Act. The Program places strong emphasis on preventing marine debris through education and outreach, recognizing that preventing debris is the ultimate solution to the problem. The Program works to do so by educating the public, students, and teachers about the issue and involving them in measurable behavior change through its Marine Debris Prevention grant competition, the development and distribution of educational materials and resources, and other associated educational initiatives.
NOAA Ocean Exploration
NOAA Ocean Exploration is committed to enhancing America’s environmental literacy by bringing ocean exploration science and discovery to a wide variety of audiences. Educators, students, and the public are essential to our mission. Through student internship opportunities, educator professional development, online resources and public events, NOAA Ocean Exploration offers unique opportunities to engage in the excitement of ocean exploration. Live expedition video streams and online expedition coverage allows scientists, resource managers, students, members of the general public, and others to actively experience ocean exploration, allowing broader scientific participation, cultivating the next generation of ocean explorers, and engaging the public in exploration activities.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Program
NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program provides authentic research experiences to pre-kindergarten through college level teachers from around the U.S. aboard NOAA and NOAA-partnered research
Ocean Acidification Program
NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program works to prepare the nation for the impacts of our changing ocean. Bringing awareness for action and working to understand and fill the needs of the communities at risk is part of meeting this mission. Program activities and education mini-grant funding are guided by NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Implementation Plan. OAP serves ocean acidification education and communication communities through the SOARCE webinar series, bringing community science, education, and communication resources to people who want it most. OAP provides a searchable database of communication, education and outreach resources, including best practices guides, curricula and activities, multimedia and infographics, and more for anyone wanting to know more about ocean and coastal acidification.
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Education
The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research — or "NOAA Research" — provides the research foundation for understanding the complex systems that support our planet. NOAA Research enables better forecasts, earlier warnings for natural disasters, and a greater understanding of the Earth. NOAA Research laboratories and field stations are are located across the country and around the world. NOAA Research also coordinates the NOAA Cooperative Institutes, academic and non-profit research institutions, often co-located with laboratories, that foster strong, long-term collaborations between scientists in the Federal laboratories and in the universities.
Office for Coastal Management
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management works to be a unifying force in promoting community resilience. The office provides unbiased data, planning tools, and opportunities for communities to come together and work smarter by working together. In particular, the National Estuarine Research Reserves System provides science-based information and training to help communities becomes actively involved in coastal conservation and help them become more resilient. Through Teachers On The Estuary programs, educators become involved in field research that brings science to life and shows them how to access reserve-based research and monitoring data for their classrooms.
Office of Education: Higher Education
The Office of Education provides scholarships and collaborates with universities to prepare the brightest minds from diverse backgrounds in NOAA mission fields. The José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions works to increase the number of students from underrepresented communities who are trained and graduate with undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM, policy and natural resource management fields that are aligned with NOAA’s mission. The Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with tuition assistance, a paid summer internship at a NOAA facility, and a NOAA mentor.
Office of Education: K-12 and Informal Education
The Office of Education offers competitive grants and establishes partnerships to integrate NOAA science into learning that takes place inside and outside of the classroom. NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program includes the Environmental Literacy Grants competition — the longest standing and most comprehensive national funding opportunity focused on environmental literacy. Additionally, the office promotes environmental literacy and increased awareness of NOAA through the education web portal, and through the Outreach Center which provides assistance with event guidance, planning, and material support. The office also helps coordinate educational activities across NOAA and with external partners to ensure that these efforts are effective and are being continually improved.
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Since 1972, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has been federally mandated to promote environmental education for a network of underwater parks, including 15 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. Through hands-on activities, virtual programs, classroom curricula, exhibits and innovative technology the National Marine Sanctuary System reaches people with messages about national marine sanctuaries, ocean conservation and stewardship. Additionally, the office manages NOAA’s Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program which recognizes outstanding scholarship and encourages independent graduate level research – particularly by female and minority students — in NOAA mission-related sciences of oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology.
National Weather Service Field Education Representative
Warning Coordination Meteorologists, Service Coordination Hydrologists and many field meteorologists and hydrologists serve as the National Weather Service’s primary liaisons for interacting with the public across the network of 122 Forecast Offices, 21 Center Weather Service Units, 13 River Forecast Centers, and nine National Centers. Utilizing a mix of formal and informal education and outreach, Weather Service staff engage local communities so that individuals can learn about and prepare for extreme water and weather events. The meteorologists and hydrologists also interface with emergency management organizations and Weather Ready Ambassadors – external organizations that are committed to creating societal response – in order to achieve an integrated response to environmental hazards.