Clatsop Community College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 5, 2006
Contact: Nadine Faith, 503.338.2306 or nfaith@clatsopcc.edu
CCC Adult Education Instructor Chosen for Antarctic Research Mission
United States Antarctic Program Research Mission, “The Case of
the Elusive Element,” sailed from Punta Arenas, Chile on July 3,
2006 to the Southern Ocean. Joining the scientists and crew aboard the
R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer is Marian Tyson, an instructor at Clatsop Community
College. Tyson teaches adult basic skills, English to Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL), Spanish, College Preparation, Workforce Skills, and
classes to teenagers and adults who are working to obtain their General
Educational Development (GED) certificates.
During the research mission, Tyson and fellow expedition members will
spend forty-three days of the Antarctic winter in the waters of the Drake
Passage and the Scotia Sea. The expedition will explore the source of
dissolved iron in these waters and over the Shackleton Fracture Zone.
Iron is an essential nutrient for the growth of oceanic plants (phytoplankton),
yet the source of the iron is not clearly understood.
Students, instructors, and the general public can follow this expedition
and learn about the scientific research at the Polar Science Station
website http://literacynet.org/polar
The website includes background
information, photos, learning activities, links to other resources about
Antarctica, and journal logs sent from the ship during the expedition.
You can write to Tyson or other scientists while they are at sea by using
the "Contact Marian” button on the Polar Science Station website,
or directly to mtyson@literacyworks.org. Tyson will explore unique opportunities
at sea to connect polar ocean exploration with adult learners and the
general public. This project builds a special connection between a trained
ABE instructor and all adult education professionals and their students.
Tyson is a participant in the Oregon Ocean Sciences and Math Collaborative
Project. This project delivers professional development through a series
of institutes for instructors who teach in federally-funded Adult Basic
Education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), and Adult Secondary
Education (ASE) programs administered through the Oregon Department of
Community Colleges and Workforce Development. The website for educational
support of the program and participating teachers at sea is "Ocean
Science Station" http://literacyworks.org/ocean. Partners in this
project are the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State
University; Oregon Sea Grant; the Hatfield Marine Science Center; and
the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development.
In this year-long program, instructors learn about ocean sciences and
integrate these themes into their classroom instruction. Themes include
ocean and earth processes, human impacts on the marine environment, and
the application of technology in research. This project provides the
instructors and their adult learners with a compelling and relevant focus
for strengthening general literacy and numeracy skills and gaining the
knowledge necessary for work, further education, family self-sufficiency,
and community involvement.