Winter 2014-2015
B AY LINES
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Translating the Tides 2015
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A Season of Giving Give a Gift of Science Summer Camp Scouting Series featured in our Camp Navigator on page 10
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Science and Art Murals, Murals and Murals
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Volunteering Takes the Helm Brocade
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Thank You! Sponsors and Donors Find Upcoming Events, and New Event Opportunities on pages 6 and 7 !
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Heading home to Redwood City
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BAYLINES Translating the Tides 2015 Calendar It is with great pride that we share with you our 15 th annual Translating the Tides collection. This collection of poetry and artwork was designed by students who, through the Marine Science Institute’s hands on programs, directly encountered the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay, Pacific Coast, and Delta. Their beautiful work expresses not only what they have learned during our programs, but their new found appreciation of these aquatic habitats. The 2015 Translating the Tides artwork has been transformed into a desktop calendar and is available online for download.
Create your own upcycled calendar today!
Translating the Tides is a creative contest run by Marine Science Institute for students who participate in MSI’s hands-on marine science education programs. Translating the Tides is a wonderful opportunity for students to express, in their own voices, what they have learned and what they want others to know about our aquatic environments.
At the Bottom of the San Francisco Bay A Haiku by Faith Shiny dark brown mud Oozing, hiding, encasing A blanket for fish www.sfbaymsi.org
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BAYLINES Give a Gift of Science this Holiday Season GET THOSE DOUBLES, GIANTS!
A Season of Giving By Denise Brennan
That's what MSI was cheering all September long, as one of the lucky nonprofits featured in the SIMS Metal Management San Francisco Giants Community Outreach radio program. For the month of September, every time the Giants pulled off a double play SIMS
•MSI has provided 968 programs for
committed to donate $50 to be disbursed among six local nonprofit organizations, including the Marine Science Institute. SIMS also generously sponsored MSI to be featured in segments on KNBR radio. We were thrilled to receive a check from SIMS for $1550, and to cheer the Giants on to a World Series victory was icing on the cake.
Student holding a bat star.
The Brownlee passing our neighbors at SIMS Metal Management.
Thank you to SIMS Metal Management, KNBR and, of course, the San Francisco Giants. This gift will go towards helping us bring our unique, hands-on environmental science programs to students all around the Bay Area.
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The close of 2014 is on the horizon and those of us on staff at the Marine Science Institute are reflecting on all the organization has accomplished this year. Thanks to our donors we can report on some very encouraging statistics for January-October 2014:
Bay Area schools in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties. •We have served 33,571 students through our programs. •There have been over 8000 volunteer hours logged by devoted MSI supporters. •More than 8.650 students have participated in a bay exploration Discovery Voyage aboard MSI’s 90-foot research vessel, the R/V Robert G. Brownlee.
As we look forward to the rest of the school year, we hope that you will join us in helping to reach more Bay Area students with our hands-on programs. Of the 563 Bay Area schools we have served so far this year, 30% to 91% of students in more than half of those schools are enrolled in Federal Reduced Priced Meal programs, an indicator of student poverty. Donor contributions are what enable MSI to provide sponsorships to underserved schools so that students can access hands-on, interdisciplinary science programs taught by our highly qualified instructors. Through feedback from teachers and MSI instructors we learned that while many underprivileged K-12 students reside 50 miles or less from the California coast, an alarming number have never seen the Pacific Ocean and are unaware of the abundant marine life beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay. An MSI program may well be their first direct encounter with the natural world. Children in our programs have been surprised to learn what a storm drain is and where the water that funnels into it actually goes. MSI often provides students their first insights into the consequences of littering, and the
BAYLINES Give a Gift of Science this Holiday Season Levels of Giving $25 Sponsors one student’s attendance in the Ocean Lab Program at the MSI facility
connection between their actions and the impact on marine life and water quality in the Bay.
$50 Gives a low income family a 1 year MSI membership
Science offers a laboratory of common experience for development of language, logic, and problem-solving skills in the classroom and beyond. This is frequently not the case in financially struggling schools where many teachers feel unprepared to teach science. Schools lack resources for professional development, Students looking at plankton. materials and equipment required to offer the high-quality science programs so important to the future of students. That’s where the Marine Science Institute and your donations come in. Our mission is to provide marine science activities to promote science learning among students in a way that gives them and their teachers access to programs, supplies and state-of-the-art equipment that schools cannot afford. MSI programs engage students in hands-on exploratory activities that build foundational scientific skills and knowledge. MSI programs and online resources enable teachers to meet Next Generation Science Standards for life, earth and physical sciences. We even take programs to schools that cannot afford the cost or time to transport students to our facility, or local wetlands and beaches.
$75 Sends four students on an MSI Marsh & Beach or Tidepool Excursion to the coast $100 Provides four months of food for marine animals living in the Marine Science Institute’s ocean lab aquarium $475 Funds a scholarship for an underprivileged student to attend MSI’s week-long summer Marine Science Camp $500 Provides a bus credit for one classroom’s field trip to Pescadero Beach $1,000 Brings live marine animals to two Bay Area classrooms in underserved schools for an Inland Voyage $2,500 Sponsors 60 students’ attendance on a four-hour Discovery Voyage on MSI’s 90-foot research vessel, the R/V Robert G. Brownlee
We invite you to keep in mind this holiday season the significant and tangible impact your donation will make for students.
Your donation will help MSI educate and inspire more students in the Bay Area. For more information visit us at www.sfbaymsi.org or call (650) 364-2760.
DONATE HERE www.sfbaymsi.org
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BAYLINES MSI Event Line-Up Summer Scouting Series! Join us for our new members-only Summer Camp Scouting series. These field trips are exclusive and FREE to our members. During these excursions we will be visiting potential sites for camp field trips. Members can help us to find the new favorite spot that campers will enjoy all summer long! Sign up for one event or join us every month to see all of the potential field trip sites.
EVENT
L O CA T I O N
DATE
Shark Day
MSI
Saturday, December 6 10am-12pm
Low Tide Walk
Pillar Point, HMB
Saturday, December 20 2:30pm-4:30pm
Francis Beach, HMB
Saturday, January 10 10:00am-12:00pm
Low Tide Walk
Pillar Point, HMB
Saturday, January 17 1:30pm-3:30pm
Snowy Plover Walk
Francis Beach, HMB
Saturday, January 31 10:00am-12:00pm
TBD
Saturday, February 7 10:00am-12:00pm
Low Tide Walk
Pillar Point, HMB
Saturday, February 14 12:30pm-2:30pm
Elephant Seal Walk
Año Nuevo, SMC
Saturday, February 21 10:00am-1:00pm
Redwood City EcoVoyages**
MSI
Saturday, March 7 1-3pm and 3-5pm
Shark Day
MSI
Saturday, March 21 10:00am-12:00pm
Elephant Seal Walk
Año Nuevo, SMC
Saturday, March 28 10:00am-1:00pm
Summer Scouting Series #3
Snowy Plover Walk
Free for members: spaces limited
Summer Scouting Series #4
To Be Determined
Free for members: spaces limited
SIG N UP AT W W W. SF BAYM SI.O RG
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advanced registra-on required, **par-cipants must be 5 yo+, must wear close toed shoes w w w . s f b a y m s i . o r g!
BAYLINES New Programs for the Classroom Habitat Combination Program The Habitat Combination Program is a multiple-exposure program that combines an in-class visit featuring live animals with a field trip to deepen students’ experiences and create opportunities for cross-cutting between concepts. There are four options that introduce students to different animals and their habitats. • The “Beach Combo” features animals adapted to survive above and below the sand, which students will look for during their field trip to Pescadero Beach and its adjoining marsh. • The “Marsh Combo” focuses on the birds, fish, and invertebrates commonly found in marshes and mudflats which students visit in Pescadero. • During “Rocky Shore Combo” students will study creatures both in their class and as they discover them in the tide pools of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay. • For the “Coastal Water Combo” students will compare ocean animals brought to the classroom to the wildlife they will discover during a visit to MSI’s bayside facility. Wonders of Watersheds Explore local watersheds and discover how humans depend on, and influence their health with the Wonders of Watersheds. This inquiry-driven program includes a series of three experiences combining inclass learning with hands-on experimentation and discovery to build a deeper understanding of watersheds. The first in-class “Inland Voyage” program will introduce concepts using experimentation with a watershed model. The second experience brings students into the field with a Creek Study. During this field trip students will take data about the water (including physical and chemical properties) that they will use to discuss the health of the watershed. This program culminates with a “Canoes in Sloughs” program that takes students out on the water where they explore another part of the watershed. Through this series students gain an in-depth appreciation for what a watershed is and for their connection to the environment. Biomimicry Biomimicry is the practice of taking inspiration from nature to create solutions to meet human needs in a sustainable way. MSI offers 2 programs that introduce this concept and encourage students to apply it in critical thinking, problem solving, and design. Through hands-on observation of live animals, students learn how to identify and analyze adaptations that can be mimicked to solve human challenges. The Discovery Voyage Biomimicry Program includes an in-class introductory visit with live animals, followed by a 4 hour voyage during which students find inspiration by studying the plankton, invertebrates and fish in the San Francisco Bay. The Inland Voyage Biomimicry Program takes place entirely in the classroom, where students will examine live animals and learn about their adaptations. The culmination of both of these programs is a final design challenge that requires students to apply their knowledge of adaptation to creating sustainable solutions for an imaginary research station that requires elements such as mobility, data collection and habitat for the scientists.
To learn more about these and other programs please contact the scheduling coordinator at 650-364-2760 x 10 www.sfbaymsi.org
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BAYLINES Science and Art Summer Internship - Murals, Murals and Murals! By Austin Cai Over the summer, I (Austin Cai), lead a team of four high school artists completed two murals for the mural project at MSI. I painted the Kelp Forest mural, while Nancy Hu and Sabrina Zhai painted the Mangroves mural. The murals will be used during MSI’s summer camps. Although there was no definitive deadline, the project had to be completed in the length of summer to avoid conflicts with schools. I first received the project before the summer of
summer. I was planning to attend COSMOS, a science summer program for a month, so I knew I had to finish most of my drafting work early on. (I actually attended a course on marine mammals in COSMOS, so by the time I came back I had enough expertise to add ear flaps and increase the pectoral flipper size on the kelp forest sea lion.) As our schedules started clearing up, the team members, and many of their parents, held a meeting at a
2014. At the time, I was naively hoping to finish two or
bakery to discuss how to move onward with the project
three murals in time for them to be used in the summer.
and decide who had what responsibilities in terms of
However, this plan quickly fell apart. The revised, final,
finalizing drafts. Nancy designed two more drafts,
plan was to finish two murals, one by me, one by my
combining and finalizing the mangrove mural designs
team, before the end of summer. I recruited first
submitted by Sabrina and Andrew. Later, with the kelp
through my school’s art class, and then I recruited at my
forest draft complete and the mangrove mural draft
extracurricular art class. Many students were interested,
nearly approved, the team held another meeting at the
but most had scheduling conflicts or lived too far away
local library to discuss the logistics of beginning to paint.
to make it. In the end, Nancy Hu, Sabrina Zhai, Andrew
The main area of concern was how to carpool, and how
Shen, and Kevin Chow, all of which were in my
to get the paint.
extracurricular art class, joined. I designed four drafts for kelp forest, and was close to getting approved within the first month of
I knew from previous painting experience that Kelly Moore would donate paint to non-profit projects. The team was ready to start painting. We decided to first sketch the designs out on the cubicles as a point of reference. Nancy and Sabrina were responsible for the mangroves mural, while I was responsible for the kelp forest mural. On weekdays, we worked 3 hours a day, and about four days a week, depending on what time my and Sabrina’s mom had time to drive. Sabrina’s mom would take Sabrina, me, and sometimes Nancy to MSI, while my mom brought dinner and drove us home. In total, it took about five weeks or 265 hours to finish the murals, including time needed for planning, drafting, meeting, commuting etc.
“We learnt a lot on how to set up a team, look for
This project was the first time I have so formally
team players, coordinate the activities, and how to provide a strong leadership. I am so glad to see his growth and I am confident Austin will be a stronger leader for his next community service project. Thank you for this great community service opportunity and your support!” -Jian Li (Austin’s Mom)
led a group, and it was an amazing experience. Tiff, and
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the MSI facility were extremely supportive and patient, even when we made mistakes. The entire process was an amazing experience.
BAYLINES Science and Art Mangrove Forest Sketch
Kelp Forest Sketch
Camp Navigator Podcast -‐ Marine Science Camp Cont.
Mangrove Forest Outline
Kelp Forest Outline
Mangrove Forest In Progress
Kelp Forest Final
Murals were created to stylize the nooks that groups use during Marine Science Camp. www.sfbaymsi.org
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BAYLINES Camp Navigator FIRST GLIMPSE
Marine Science Camp Line Up
Summer Camp Scouting Series By Felicia Van Stolk campers and their families.
All camps run Mon – Fri starting on the dates below. Plankton Pioneer grade: K – 1 June 15, June 29, July 13, August 3, August 10 Ocean Explorer grade: 2 – 5 June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10 Bay Explorer grade: 2 – 5 June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27
Ocean Naturalist exploring Pebble Beach.
I am already looking forward to summer Marine Science Camp 2015. Every year one of the most fun challenges is finding field trip opportunities. Finding just the right place takes a lot of careful consideration…What can we learn? What will we see? How about the logistics and safety?
Each site that we visit with the Summer Marine Science Camp Scouts will be chosen for its potential to fulfill some sort of learning objective or topic that fits with the camps’ themes. We need our scouts to help us test how engaging and fun the site can be. When our staff visits a site they look for “opportunities and obstacles” and we want our scouts to do so too (while learning and enjoying, of course!).
This year I am excited to involve our members and especially our camp families in this process. What better way to plan for a summer of fun science for kids than to have Naturalist our expert summer campers (returning campers only) join us? Every time I visit a grade: 4 – 5 new beach, marsh, or park, I July 20, August 3, am looking for the next August 10 adventure. Even when I return to a place I have Underwater Investigator enjoyed before I discover grade: 6 – 8 new ways to appreciate and June 22, July 6, July 27 learn from the surroundings. I look forward to uncovering Project Discovery new gems and finding new grade: 9 – 12 ways to enjoy some of our July 20 Pebble Beach offers unique tide pools for campers favorite spots alongside our adventurous nature.
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BAYLINES Camp Navigator Ocean Literacy Principles Inspiring Themes
Hiking to a protected harbor seal rookery.
Opportunities that we will look for include what kind of wildlife can be found at the site. We’ll ask questions such as “What kind of habitats and ecosystems can be explained and connected to the site?” and “What other themes can be addressed on the trip?” As we take a look at the site through a camper’s eyes, I look forward to hearing the questions that come up—each question is an opportunity to explore and seek an answer. Obstacles that we will identify (and hopefully find a way around) may include the distance to a restroom or accessibility for all levels of mobility. We will also identify what might be distracting or difficult to accomplish with a larger group of people. Of course, we wouldn’t go on a field trip without having some fun. Our scouts will enjoy activities run by MSI staff, including searching the tide pools and revisiting some of our favorite spots (lunch in a tree!). I look forward to seeing you out there!
image ©NASA Photo Library
Our summer Marine Camp is always meant to be both fun and educational. We love seeing familiar faces year after year, and strive to make sure that there are always new activities and new things to learn . The Ocean Literacy Principles are an excellent guide as we strive to create meaningful camp curriculum. Ocean literacy is “an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean”—an understanding that we hope to impart to our campers. The seven principles are: 1. The Earth has one big ocean with many features. 2. The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of the Earth. 3. The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate. 4. The ocean makes Earth habitable. 5. The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems. 6. The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected. 7. The ocean is largely unexplored. Read more about ocean literacy at http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/ www.sfbaymsi.org
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BAYLINES Volunteering Takes the Helm By Rakesh Hansalia Brocade and pulled out name tags from the sheets. As the inflow of guests trickled down, Dan and I were assigned to another MSI staff member who gave us a tour of the MSI campus. We were astonished by the campus view of the Bay and excited to see various marine species collected from the Bay for careful study in well-maintained aquariums of various sizes and shapes. The temperature of the water and the ecosystem in the tank were maintained to mimic species’ original homes in the Bay. The collections of fishes, crustaceans, eels and sharks were easy to view, touch and feel, when safe to do so.
Every volunteering event takes a different effort and, in return, provides different learning and fun. Volunteering at the recent Teacher Event at the Marine Science Institute was no exception, but deserves a special mention because it provided a lot of fun! I left early from the San Jose campus of Brocade Communications Systems with a colleague, Dan Retter. We beat the general mid-afternoon traffic to reach MSI’s San Francisco Bay shoreline in Redwood City, where the familiar cool breeze of the bay and the warm smiles of the MSI staff quickly greeted us. Upon meeting with KC, Dan and I donned MSI t-shirts and were quickly converted into volunteers. We first embarked on a mission to convert slabs of mozzarella cheese, a bag of basil and a bowl of fresh homegrown cherry tomatoes into an appealing appetizer dish. Soon it was time for the teachers to show up, so Dan and I hurried to the registration desk to help KC check in all the important guests of honor who travelled from various K-12 schools in the Bay Area. Dan prepared MSI bags for handouts and I searched for 12
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After the tour of the campus, Dan and I moved into an airy outdoor room where we helped several other volunteers serve food and wine to the teachers. Between guests, there was plenty of time for us to enjoy ourselves with the food and wine. We had a good opportunity to socialize with other volunteers including a couple from Oracle, a student from UC Davis and a retiree from the local area. To end the day of volunteering at MSI, Dan and I could not resist the temptation of relaxing and devouring the beauty of the Bay from the picnic benches at MSI with a glass of fine wine!
BAYLINES Thank You to Our Donors MSI is a non-profit education organization that relies on the generous donations of individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies to ensure that program costs remain within reach for schools. We thank the donors listed in part below who have made it possible for us to serve 55,000 students of all ages for the past 12 months. We salute these generous supporters’ commitment to high-quality science education and cultivation of environmental stewardship. If you would like to learn how you or your company can support MSI programs, please contact Denise Brennan, Advancement Director, at 650-364-2760 x14 or Denise@sfbaymsi.org. $50,000 and Above Moore Family Foundation National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation $25,000 - $49,999 Sandhill Foundation Oracle Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Contra Costa Water District $10,000 - $24,999 The Furnessville Foundation Heising-Simons Foundation Homestead Foundation Silicon Valley Clean Water Delta Diablo Sanitation District Dean and Magaret Lesher Foundation Rossi Family Foundation Science by Nature Collaborative
$5,000 - $9,999 Atkinson Foundation Cargill Danford Foundation Facebook Local Community Fund Mr. and Mrs. James Crawford Mt. View Sanitary District Peninsula Aquatic Center The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation Matson Navigation Company Kohl's Turner Designs Scandling Family Foundation ** $2,500 - $4,999 Wells Fargo Foundation Matt and Nicole Patterson Mr. and Mrs. Peter Chung Dow Chemical Company
✴Multi-year support ✴An Advised Fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation
$500 - $2,499 Borel Private Bank and Trust Company ChildCare Careers Expansion Capital Group James and Susan Roberts Jennifer Martin Lakas Parrenas Shimizu Philanthrophy Fund Mr. and Mrs. Chris Espinosa Mr. Paul Turner and Laurie Schoeffler(H) Provident Credit Union San Mateo County Harbor District The Repass-Rodgers Family Foundation Mr. Jason Jones The East Creek Fund Ms.Velvet Voelz Port of Redwood City Mr. Julian Osinski Google Doering Family Foundation, LTD. George and Ruth Bradford Foundation Lyngso Garden Materials, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Hulsey Ms. Patricia Cooley-Wetzel Sequoias- Portolla Valley Resident Association Devil's Canyon Brewery Company Ronald C. Wornik Jewish Day School Mr. and Mrs. David Tuitupou The Robert Brownlee Foundation Whole Foods SIMS Metal Management Solano County Water Agency Mark Cottonaro Mr. and Mrs. John Gilbert Mr. Chris Throm Suzanne and Mahmoud Jillo
We strive to make this list as accurate as possible. If we have omitted anyone by mistake, we sincerely apologize and ask you to contact Denise@sfbaymsi.org so that we can correct this oversight immediately. www.sfbaymsi.org
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B AY L I NE S 2014-‐15 Winter Edi0on
MSI’s Mission Statement The Ins-tute's mission is to cul-vate a responsibility for the natural environment and our human communi-es through interdisciplinary science educa-on. We achieve this goal through innova-ve marine science educa-on programs that: • Place students of all ages in direct contact with the natural environment • Emphasize the interdependence of all living things, their connec-on to the physical environment, and the special responsibili-es of humans to the environment • Facilitate ac-ve learning through the use of observa-on, cri-cal thinking, and problem solving skills in a coopera-ve seHng • Ins-ll confidence, encourage involvement, and inspire accomplishment by providing posi-ve role models.
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500 Discovery Parkway •Redwood City •CA 94063 •650-364-2760 •sfbaymsi.org