SEA 2016 National Science Board Public Service Award

Established by Congress in 1950, the National Science Board (NSB) is the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation. NSB also advises the President and Congress on science and engineering policy issues. The Board’s 24 members are drawn primarily from universities and industry and represent a variety of science and engineering disciplines. Board members are selected for their eminence in research, education or public service and records of distinguished service.

Sea Education Association Receives National Science Board Award Honoring 45 Years of SEA Semester®

Award Nominator: Robert B. Gagosian, Ph.D. President Emeritus, Consortium for Ocean Leadership Award References: George M. Woodwell, Ph.D. Founder and President Emeritus, The Woods Hole Research Center

Carl Safina Endowed Chair of Nature and Humanity, Stony Brook University, Founding President, The Safina Center Cynthia R. Robinson, Director, AAAAS Science & Technology Fellowships Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science

The National Science Board has announced that its 2016 Group Public Service Award honors Sea Education Association for substantial contributions to increasing public understanding of science in the United States.

In his letter of nomination Robert B. Gagosian wrote: Since its inception in 1971, SEA has fulfilled a need to create ocean scholars, stewards, and leaders through interdisciplinary, hands-on experience at sea. It is fair to say that SEA, more than any other organization, has been responsible for inspiring undergraduates to go on to pursue careers in marine science. No other hands-on field research oceanographic program impacts so many young minds in such a profound way. No other undergraduate program alumni have such a profound influence in the world of marine science. Thus, it seems fitting that in its 45th year, SEA’s sustained excellence and dedication to exposing and educating students to ocean sciences and to contributing to an ocean-literate citizenry, is recognized by the National Science Board Public Service Award. I strongly recommend that you recognize SEA’s outstanding leadership and extraordinary history of shaping and encouraging the next generation of scientists and ocean scholars, stewards and leaders. The organization has had a substantial impact.

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Sea Education Association Receives National Science Board Award Sea Education Association (SEA) is an internationally recogresearch. Today, Sea Education Association is a valued member of nized leader in undergraduate ocean education. Since 1971, it has the Woods Hole community and a recognized leader in education equipped students with tools to become environmentally literate under sail. leaders prepared to address the defining issue of the twenty-first SEA has evolved dramatically over the years. Much of that century: the human impact on the environment. For 45 years, expansion can be credited to Rafe Parker, who succeeded Cory SEA Semester students have been conducting research, collecting Cramer as director in 1982. In addition to making substantial data, and contributing to what we know about the world’s oceans. improvements to SEA’s campus, Rafe oversaw the building of a SEA Semester provides an experiential opportunity to gather second ship; in 1987, the Corwith Cramer was launched, and with firsthand knowledge that will influence students’ lifelong relationit an entirely new classification of sailing school vessel. It was also ships with the ocean. As society becomes more aware of how during his tenure that the SSV Robert C. Seamans, a brigantine integral the oceans are to the planet, it must also understand how with a sophisticated laboratory funded by the National Science to conserve these important resources. Moving Foundation, replaced Westward. This beyond the textbook toward practical state-of-the-art vessel, launched in 2001, has “I believe that there is no application, hands-on research, and personal made it possible for SEA to offer SEA substitute for hands-on experience, SEA Semester prepares students to Semesters in both the Atlantic and Pacific experience, especially at this take a more active role in solving today’s Oceans. This tradition of innovation and environmental problems. constant improvement continued under the time when young people are SEA was founded in 1971 by a small group leadership of John Bullard, who took over as more disconnected from the led by Corwith “Cory” Cramer, Jr. and President in 2002 and retired in June 2012. world than ever. Wherever I Edward “Sandy” MacArthur. Cory was a During his term, SEA developed the Stango I meet people in varied leader and passionate advocate of learning by ford@SEA program and formed additional doing. His idea was to create a program to partnerships with domestic and foreign professions, from marine give undergraduates the opportunity to study universities. SEA's academic offerings biologists to romance the ocean from a multitude of academic expanded from one program to six and the novelists, whose touchstone perspectives, and to do it from the platform of science done by SEA students and faculty experience of youth was being a traditional sailing vessel. Such a program became internationally recognized, especially at sea with Sea Education would also bring attention to a vast and largely in the area of marine debris. In 2013 Peg unexplored discipline—the young field of Brandon became the first alumna president of Association (SEA).” marine science—while offering each student SEA. During her tenure, new programs and —Carl Safina, founder, The Safina Center the chance to live and work in the ocean new cruise tracks greatly expanded the global environment. reach of SEA Semester and increased enrollment.

SEA Semester is the result of Cory Authentic research experience is a hallmark Cramer’s efforts and those of his many of SEA Semester. Whether conducting friends and supporters. The earliest SEA advanced research in natural science, social Semester programs were directed from science, public policy, or humanities, headquarters in Chicago and Boston. In students gain skills that allow them to 1975, Cory brought the organization meet the professional standard for and its original sailing vessel, the R/V disciplinary data collection, analysis Westward, to Woods Hole, and communication of results. SEA Massachusetts, a world-renowned Semester students have co-authored center of oceanographic teaching and publications in peer-reviewed

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A student plots the ship’s position in the doghouse of the Robert C. Seamans.

A student collects Sargassum with the dip net.

Students play instruments during a voyage from New Zealand to Tahiti.

Facing page: Students looking out from Duke’s Nose over Whangaroa Bay in New Zealand; Plastic collected from the North Sargasso Sea.

literature and have presented at nationally and internationally recognized conferences.

SEA Semester students pursue research projects with local, national and international relevance, many of which make use of professionally accepted frameworks and metrics. The Ocean Health Index (OHI) metrics, developed in 2012, provide a valuable template for SEA Semester student contributions to this global-scale research effort.

SEA-collected data on plastic marine debris has already been incorporated into OHI publications.

In 2010, SEA conducted the first federally funded research expedition dedicated solely to examining the accumulation of plastic debris in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 2010 expedition documented high plastic concentrations from Bermuda to the center of the North Atlantic Ocean, including the highest plastic concentration ever recorded (26 million pieces per square kilometer). SEA has catalogued and archived more than 100,000 individual plastic pieces since 1986, and SEA authors have published analyses of these data in a number of scientific articles.

In 2012, the second expedition dedicated to plastic debris was conducted in the North Pacific Ocean. Both of these expeditions were staffed by SEA alumni and had web-based and educational outreach programs.

During 2016, SEA will convene the fifth Annual Sargasso Sea Symposium where students from SEA Semester: Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (MBC) will interact with current leaders in conservation science and policy. In addition to providing critical professional development experience for the undergraduates the Symposium serves as an opportunity for SEA to showcase the excellent quality of research being mentored by its faculty.

In the last five academic years, students who have enrolled in SEA programs come from 229 colleges and universities in the US and 15

“SEA has built a new realm of scholarship in public affairs focused on students of great talent who come together before the mast to study ships and the sea and to learn fundamentals of oceanography and life and to put it all to work in a realm that is completely new for many of them: the public interest.”

—George Woodwell, founder, The Woods Hole Research Center

“I have followed SEA’s evolution and am impressed by its growth since the initial class on R/V Westward in 1971 set sail to explore the Caribbean. Two new ships have been built, the program now operates across the Pacific Ocean as well as the Atlantic, academic programs on ocean policy have been introduced, and more than 10,000 individuals have had the experience to “know the ropes,” see science come alive in the ocean environment, and understand the importance of that science for society.”

—Cynthia R. Robinson, W-64, AAAS

international colleges and universities. SEA has affiliation agreements for direct credit transfer from 45 colleges and universities and the others transfer credit through an agreement with Boston University. There are now over 8,000 SEA Semester alumni and another 2,000 teacher and high school program alumni.

• Over 120 of our alumni are faculty members who teach environment related courses at who teach environment related courses at 112 112 colleges or universities including colleges or universities including Stanford, Stanford, Colby, Smith, BostonMIT, University, Colby, Smith, Boston University, Johns MIT, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and Columbia.

Hopkins, Cornell, and Columbia.

• Over 52% of SEA Semester alumni have gone post-graduate degrees. gone onon to to post-graduate degrees.

• SEA alumni have gone on to careers in science, conservation marine related science, conservation andand marine related positions influence. positions of of influence.

SEA’s fully accredited study abroad program, SEA Semester, is the leading off campus environmental studies program focused on the ocean. Evolving from a single program in 1971, SEA Semester programs are multi-disciplinary learning communities that address the critical environmental issues of our time: • Climate change (i.e. in our program Oceans and Climate) Oceans and Climate) • Sustainability (i.e. in our program Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures Sustainability in Polynesian Island and Ecosystems) Cultures and Ecosystems) • Biodiversity (i.e. in our program Marine Biodiversity and Conservation) Biodiversity and Conservation) • Environmental Justice (i.e. in our program Colonization to Conservation in the Caribprogram Colonization to Conservation bean) in the Caribbean) This spring, at a Washington DC awards ceremony, leaders in higher education and science, as well as congressional, federal, and private industry communities will celebrate the accomplishments of SEA as an award recipient. n FOLLOWING SEA Winter/Spring 2016

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