June 11-13, 2012
Campus by the Sea, Catalina Island

This three-day two-night teacher workshop hosted by the Long Beach Marine Institute’s Catalina Island Camp is a study in island and marine ecology with an emphasis on the scientific method. Beginning with the program orientation, teachers will be introduced to the process of scientific inquiry, postulation and reporting. They are briefed on the subject of journal keeping and required to maintain a scientific journal for the duration of the camp.
Teachers will learn about Marine Biodiversity and that it is the variation of life at all levels of biological organization, both terrestrial and marine, and that the ocean contains an astonishing totality of genetic species and ecosystem diversity still mostly unknown but with significant implication for food production, energy, public health, business and industry, ecosystem services, and leisure, cultural and aesthetic value.

Workshop participants will also learn about Environmental Marine Biology which includes the study of ocean health. Teachers will understand the importance of scientists determining the quality of the marine environment to ensure that water quality is sufficient to sustain a healthy environment. Pollutants, sediment, and runoff are all potential threats to marine health in coastal areas.

The program is divided into sessions of instruction and field activity. Teachers will participate in sessions that include such programs as Marine Mammals, Intertidal Habitats and Tide Pools, Plankton Lab, Squid and Shark Lab (dissection), Snorkeling with the Marine Naturalist (both day and nighttime), Island Ecology and guided hike, Astronomy and Properties of Sea Water, and venture on a Wetland Kayak Tour field study program that will introduce participants to the observation methods of biological oceanographers and to instill in them an appreciation for the wetland habitats of Southern California. Teachers will be working together to study the interrelationships of living things and their environment, marine ecosystems, and search for the knowledge necessary if we are to deal with the environment and conservation issues we are faced with today.

Campus by the Sea is a RUSTIC camp, located three miles west of Avalon with access by boat or hiking only. Some of the cabins are open and some enclosed, but all provide no electricity. Accommodations consist of bunk-style with from eight-twelve bunks each. Although there will be students at the camp, adults will be lodged with adults only. There is a central restroom pavilion with flush toilets, hot showers, and power outlets. Meals are served family style in the dining hall. Attendees will need to bring their own sleeping bag, pillow, beach/bath towels, etc. A $45 REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT will be required for all scholarship recipients to confirm your attendance at this workshop. Your check will be returned to you at the check-in departure from Long Beach.

(16) Teacher Scholarships will be awarded to attend the three-day, two-night marine workshop on Catalina. Scholarships include transportation to/from Catalina Island, all meals, lodging, curriculum materials, and a $50.00 transportation stipend. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS MUST TEACH WITHIN THE MEEC BOUNDARIES OF THE SAN BERNARDINO HIGH DESERT REGION, ANTELOPE VALLEY AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY’S BLYTHE REGION.

To download a pdf application, click here Application for Marine Ecology Teacher Workshop Scholarship

Workshop provided by a grant from the Boeing Company

MEEC is hosting a FREE TEACHER WORKSHOP, sponsored by the High Desert Power Project on Thursday, January 26, 2012, 3:45-6:30PM. The “Let’s Get Physic-al: The Basics of Energy” is a two-hour workshop focusing on how energy is generated and stored. Share in the fun of learning about the physics and basics of energy! To download a flyer, click HDPP Workshop 2012“Workshop Flyer”.

Energy is defined as the ability to do Work, and Work is defined as the transfer of Energy. Energy exists in several forms such as heat, kinetic or mechanical energy, light, potential energy, electrical, or other forms. Two billiard balls colliding, for example, may come to rest with the resulting energy becoming sound and perhaps a bit of heat at the point of impact! Participants will receive resource tools and activities to help students in grades K-12 learn about their relationship with energy and investigating the environmental issues related to energy’s role in society.

High Desert Power Project (HDPP) is an 840-megawatt (enough electricity to serve more than 800,000 households in the region) power plant project that uses three gas combustion turbines and a 323-megawatt steam turbine. The zero-liquid discharge system allows the facility to use 58,000 gallons of water per minute from the California aqueduct for steam generation. The wastewater is then treated, and about 2,600- acre-feet of water is returned to the aquifer beneath the facility each year. The water goes through four processes: pretreatment, cooling tower blow-down, zero-liquid discharge and aquifer banking.

Participants of the workshop will receive FREE STANDARDS-BASED ENERGY CURRICULUM, DINNER and a private tour of the power project.
WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2012
TIME: 3:45PM—6:30PM
WHERE: High Desert Power Project 19000 Perimeter Rd, Victorville (located at the Southern Calif. Logistics Airport)
Reserve your spot today! Deadline to Register: January 19, 2012
Call Christie Robinson, MEEC Program Specialist at: (760) 245-1661 x 6101 or email at: christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov

YELC is an exciting, hands-on, STEM Service Learning focused conference designed to introduce students and teachers to environmental professionals and potential careers, while encouraging the development of Service Learning Projects that improve their local environment.

School teams of two to eight students from each school along with a teacher/advisor were encouraged attend to take part in this unique, but “FREE” Conference.

MEEC, the Mojave Desert AQMD, and the Mojave Desert Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association invite your school to participate in the 2012 “Outstanding Environmental Science Project Awards” Program. The program recognizes outstanding environmentally-themed science projects entered in local science fairs.

The program is open to students in grades K-12. Winners of school-level competitions will receive $50 Savings Bonds, while winners of District, Regional and higher level science fairs will be awarded $100 Savings Bonds. One winner per event will be selected by our judge, who will come to your school science fair. Only 20 schools will be selected for participation, on a first come, first served basis. Applications for participation must be received by February 28, 2012.

For more information about how your school can participate, please call Violette Roberts, MEEC Executive Chair at: (760) 245-1661 ext 6104.

The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for Grade K-12 teachers to receive a full scholarship to attend a two-day “place-based” outdoor workshop that will demonstrate to educators how to utilize arts and group facilitation to achieve more investment from students.

The Joshua Tree Desert Studies two-day workshop has been developed to infuse Environmental Education into standards based curriculum by demonstrating to teachers how to utilize concepts like exposition and sense of place to deepen and make richer the content of any lesson. Subjects such as history, literature, and science benefit from an understanding of the environment where they were formed and took place. Looking at man’s relationship with nature, and the conditions that shaped beliefs, ideas, and stories, serve to allow students to connect to material, and increase the opportunity for research and in-depth consideration of topics.

This workshop will demonstrate to teachers how to utilize arts and group facilitation to achieve more investment from students. Teachers will be instructed on, and discuss the benefits of, using digital photography, pen and ink drawing, and other media to help students comprehend concepts and retain information by making it more personal and relevant. The program will also discuss the advantages of using group presentation and facilitation to further engage students and to provide professional development in public speaking. This skill set builds capacity and self-confidence. The workshop will be conducted in both the Joshua Tree National Park and the Morongo Preserve, where teachers will experience “place-based” learning. A returning teacher from the previous year’s workshop will also provide a presentation on how they are utilizing what they learned from the workshop into their classroom.

We are pleased to have as the workshop presenter David Lamfrom, Wildlife Biologist/Photographer and California Desert Program Manager, with the National Parks Conservation Association. David is a renowned wildlife biologist and wildlife photographer who worked with students on the recently published “Tortoise through the Lens” program. Also invited are presenters to instruct the attendees on how to capture wildlife using pen, ink, or pencil mediums, and other guests presenting artistic disciplines that translate well into classrooms.

(15) Teacher Scholarships will be awarded to attend a two-day, overnight training session at both Joshua Tree National Park and the Big Morongo Preserve. Scholarships include all meals, lodging, curriculum materials, a $50.00 transportation stipend, and an autographed copy of David Lamfrom’s “Tortoise through the Lens” book. Attendees will need to bring their own camera to use during the workshop. This year, the workshop recipients will be staying in Yucca Valley at the new Best Western, where each participant will have their own deluxe king-size room. Dinner will be at the fun, unique, and historic “Harriet and Pappy’s “in historic Pioneer Town.
Click here to download the “Scholarship Application”

The Power Point focuses on five renewable energy sources: Wind, Solar, Geothermal, Hydropower, and Biomass and how they are utilized to harness energy. Slides provide educators with great visual tools to share with their students on the different types of solar panels, how hydropower works, biomass, and the basics of wind turbine performance and construction. Wind power formulas are included as well as the formula for converting solar power to energy watts.

This Power Point is part of the MEEC “Running on Renewables” teacher workshop presentation and is available as a downloadable PDF. Renewable Energy workshop PP Presentation 2011“Running on Renewables”.

The workshop provided educators with the most up-to-date curriculum provided by the National Energy Education Development Program (NEED) and is applicable for grades K-12. To download free energy curriculum, go to: “NEED Energy Guides”