Ecology of the Gulf of Maine:

Marine Mammals, Sea Birds

& the Marine Environment

(General Interest or Academic Credits)

Ecology of the Gulf of Maine: Marine Mammals, Sea Birds & the Marine Environment Activities, content, and materials are consistent with elements of the National and Massachusetts Standards for and Science. Participation in the course is open to the general public, undergraduate or graduate credit is available. (High School Juniors and Seniors, ages 17 and older may take the course. For credit, a letter from your guidance councilor is required.) When: Mon-Fri weeks of June 30, July 7, July 14, and July 21. Course Costs: $315.00 course fee, and if academic credit is desired $293 per Master level and @$229 credit hour (2 credits) for undergraduate credit (2 credits). Endicott College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

www.whalenet.net

Course Description:

Learn, hands-on, about marine mammals, sea birds and marine ecology using the coastal marine ecosystem, marine mammal biology, the organisms that inhabit the coastal environment. Techniques related to marine field research will be presented. Food chains, basic oceanographic concepts, animal behavior, general research methods, data assimilation and analysis will be presented.

Participants will also have the opportunity to learn elements of navigation, bathymetry, and wildlife photography while participating in a long-term study in marine mammal research with an established research organization. No prior knowledge in marine sciences is needed -- just the desire to learn.

Students will spend Monday through Friday participating in a research program about a 100-foot vessel departing from Newburyport, Massachusetts. The daily schedule:

Monday: 10:00 AM

Tuesday: 1:30 PM

Wednesday: 1:30 PM

Thursday: 8:30 AM

Friday: 8:30 AM

Participants taking the course for academic credit will:

· complete pre-project readings with an annotated bibliography,

· participate in a 5-day project, and

· complete a Final Product which relates directly to the focus of the program (Due one month after the boat period). The Final Product may be one of the following: a teaching unit based on the readings and research experience, a research paper (only choice for undergraduates), an article based upon the experience submitted to a professional publication in its specified format.

Room and board, if needed, is the responsibility of the student and will be a cost in addition to the tuition.

For Information and registration materials contact:

Instructors:

J. Michael Williamson, Associate Professor, Director WhaleNet Email: mwilliamson@wheelock.edu Phone: Office-978-468-4699 Fax: 978.468.0073 Mail: 20 Moynihan Rd., So. Hamilton, MA 01982

Scott Mercer Naturalist, Author and Instructor UNH Email: whalesealstudy@aol.com Phone: 207-361-1605 Mail: Box 562, Cape Neddick, ME 03902

Overview Ecology of the Gulf of Maine: Marine Mammals, Sea Birds

Education Applications Overview Methods in Teaching Natural Sciences

General Information & Undergraduate credit Marine Mammal Identification Sea Bird identification Research methods Photographic identification and techniques Plankton Analysis and Food Chains Geology of the Marine Environment See web page for more detail: http://whale.wheelock.edu/EcologyoftheGulfofMaine-08.pdf

Academic Credit: Graduate credit General Information Classroom and Field Methods of teaching the following concepts to grade K-9 children will be integrated into and emphasized in this session. Hands-on and inquiry related activities will be stressed. Activities, content, and materials are consistent with elements of the National and Massachusetts Standards for Math and Science. See web page for more detail: http://whale.wheelock.edu/EcologyoftheGulfofMaine-08.pdf