Who we areThe Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) is a National Science Foundation-sponsored Science and Technology Center established to explore the largely unknown and fascinating world of sea microbes, to build partnerships between scientists and educators, to prepare the next generation of microbi-al oceanographers, and to facilitate outreach to the public at large.

C-MORE is comprised of six partner institutions:

• UniversityofHawai‘iatManoa (headquarters)

• MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology

• WoodsHoleOceanographicInstitution

• MontereyBayAquariumResearchInstitute

• UniversityofCaliforniaatSantaCruz

• OregonStateUniversity

For information regarding C-MORE and its research and educational programs, please contact:

C-MORE Education Office

Mailing Address:

1000PopeRoad,Honolulu,HI96822USA

Office Location on Manoa campus:

2525CorreaRoad,HIG214

cmore@soest.hawaii.eduFax:(808)956-5524

ContactsEducation Coordinator

Barbara Bruno (barb@hawaii.edu)

Marine Science Educators

Kate Achilles(kate.achilles@soest.hawaii.edu)808-956-7424

Kim Weersing(weersing@hawaii.edu)808-956-7739

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Explore ways in which you can learn (and teach others)

about microbes in the ocean…

What makes microbial oceanography so important?Microscopic organisms (or microbes) are the most abundant life forms on Earth. Microbial oceanography is the study of the abun-dance,distribution,growth,metabolism,anddiversityofmicrobesinthemarineenvironment,fromcoastalregionstotheopenoceanandfromtheequatortothepoles.Therearemanymorereasonswhy Microbial Oceanography is important:

• MicrobeswerethefirstlifeformsonEarthandhavebeenaround for billions of years!

• Microbesareeverywhere and are extremely abundant and di-verse.Theyareineverymarineenvironment,andrepresentabout98%oftheocean’sbiomass!

• LifeonEarthcouldnotexistwithoutmicrobes. Marine microbes helpedcreatetheozonelayer,andphytoplanktonproduceabouthalf the oxygen that we breathe!

• Microbeshelpregulateourglobalclimate:theyremovemuchof the CO2 that we place in the atmosphere. They also help clouds develop,whichbringrainandcoolourplanet.

• Manymicrobesarearesourcethatcouldyieldbenefitsinmedi-cineandtechnology such as cleaning up oil spills, or as a bio-fuel source.

• Therearenewdiscoverieseverydayinthefieldofmicrobialoceanography!

Learn More…The “Key Concepts in Microbial Oceanography” brochure isavailableforyourclassroom,anddoublesasaposter,sorequestonetoday!Visitourwebsitetolearnmoreabout microbes, upcoming workshops and research cruises for teachers, and to download lessons to support your curriculum.

StudentsareencouragedtovisitKids’ Korner to learn about the tiniestcreaturesimaginable.TherearefunactivitieslikeamicrobeIQquiz,apersonalityquiz,andawordsearchpuzzletosolve.Entera contest to win a plush microbe toy!

cmore.soest.hawaii.edu /education.htm

center for microbial oceanography:research and education

c•more

linking genomes to biomes

cmore.soest.hawaii.edu /education.htm

Grants for Education in Microbial Science (GEMS)C-MOREawardsGEMSmini-grants(upto$1000)toK–12publicschoolteacherstofosterawarenessinmicrobialscience.Wewanttosupportlessonsinyourclassroombysupplyingfundsforequipment,consumable supplies, substitute teacher compensation to partici-pateinshipboardorotherprofessionaldevelopmentexperiences,bus transportation for field trips, boat rides, and other projects related to microbial science.

Pastawardshavesupportedplanktoncollectingactivities,teacher-at-seaexperiences,microscopes,anddigitalcameras.Gotoourwebsitetoreadaboutmoreteachers’projectsanddownloadaGEMSapplication.

Integratemoremicrobialoceanographyinto your curriculum! Talk to us today to learn about great project ideas and to connect with a C-MORE scientist thatcanhelpyoudevelopsome-thingforyourclass.Applicationsareprocessed year-round, but funds are limited.ApplyNow!

C-MORE Science KitsC-MOREScienceKitsprovidepre-packagedsuppliesandactivitiesforyourclass.Ifyou’reinterestedinincorporating one of the following concepts into yourcurriculum,comebyourofficeorrequestoneonline. Detailed information about each kit and its availabilitycanbefoundonourwebsite.

• Plankton Lab. One plankton, two plankton, three plankton, four; phytoplankton,zooplankton,tinyorganismsgalore!Let’scastournet and see what we can identify.

• Ocean Color Remote Sensing. Phytoplankton are responsible for producingabouthalftheoxygenintheatmosphereandcanevenbe seen from space! Chlorophyll, the photosynthetic pigment in plants, can be used to estimate the biomass of phytoplankton in seawater. Students will explore what factors enhance the growth of phytoplankton by comparing the amount of chlorophyll in sea-water samples collected from different locations, and by interpret-ing color differences in satellite images of the ocean to measure the distribution and abundance of these tiny organisms.

• Marine Mystery: A Watery Who-dunnit!Idealforstudentsingrades3–8tolearnaboutthecausesofcoralreefdestructionthroughamurder-mysteryexperience.Whoabductedthemicro-scopiczooxanthellaeandkilledSeymourCoral?Joinforceswiththe local sheriff on the reef to piece together all the clues.

• …andmoretocome.LookforRandom Sampling, Ocean Acidifi-cation, The Sun and Ultraviolet (UV) Light, Nautical Knots & Maritime Careers, and Exploring the Ocean with Real-time Data kits!

Teacher Workshops LessonsandconceptscoveredinC-MOREworkshopsaredesignedto introduce you to the key concepts of microbial oceanography, help you incorporate current research technology into your class-room,andprovidestandards-based,classroom-testedactivities.

Teachersaretrainedinconductingvariouslabactivitiesin oceanography and learn about the importance of microbes in global ocean cycles. Data simulations and curriculum ideas are discussed using real-time oceanographic data. Different workshops are held throughout the year, so check our website fre-quentlytoseewhatwillbeofferednext.

Science Teachers Aboard Research Ships (STARS) Everwonderedwhatanoceanographerdoes?Wanttolearnmoresothatyoucantrulycommu-nicatetoyourstudentsthewondersoftheocean?Come experience a research cruise by applying to ourSTARSprogram.TheR/VKilo Moana,aUniversityofHawai’ire-searchship,goes60milesnorthofO’ahutoadeepwatersitecalled“StationALOHA”,wherescientistshavebeenstudyingtheoceanfor20years.Weinviteeducatorstoparticipateinresearchaboardthisshipwithactivitiesrangingfromhands-onsampling,process-ing and analysis of samples in the lab, to classroom exercises and lectures. No background in research or marine science is necessary, just a desire to explore oceanography and share this experience with your students.

Ifyou’rewillingtoliveintight conditions on a large, noisy ship for four days, a STARSexperiencemaybeforyou!Thebestwaytoquicklyand thoroughly understand many aspects of oceanogra-phy and integrate new con-cepts into your classroom is to come on board.

Upcomingcruisedates,applications,andpastteachercomments’areavailableonourwebsite.

Come experience life at sea!

linking genomes to biomes