Monterey County Students to Present their Findings to Polar Scientists at CSUMB Feb. 24
Date: Feb.21, 2017 SEASIDE Calif., Feb. 21, 2017 – Nearly 200 Monterey County elementary, middle and high school students will participate in the Student Polar Research Symposium Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 at the CSUMB University Center Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The symposium is a culmination of the National Science Foundation-funded (NSF) Polar Interdisciplinary CoordinateEducation (Polar-ICE) Science Investigations Project designed to connect scientists, educators and students using data from the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Local Monterey County schools in attendance will includePacific Grove Middle School, Seaside Middle School, Walter Colton MiddleSchool, San Antonio Elementary School, Chalone Peaks Middle School and SeasideHigh School. Teachers from aforementioned schools began preparing for this project last summer with a week-long workshop at Rutgers University. Their students then prepared scientific-style project proposals before conducting their own investigations using authentic polar data this past January. The top groups will present their findings to a panel of 15scientific personnel from eight scientific institutions including the MontereyBay National Marine Sanctuary, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and HopkinsMarine Station of Stanford University. This project was designed to helpstudents experience and practice the skills of scientists: asking sciencequestions, analyzing and interpreting data, and planning and implementingscience investigations, which are all important objectives of the Next GenerationScience Standards. Media interested in attending the event, or to schedule and interview please contact Bridgette Clarkston at bclarkston@csumb.edu or 831-582-3159. -30- Cal State Monterey Bay provides more than 7,600 students an extraordinary opportunity to learn on a residential campus on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. Our diverse student body receives personal attention in small classes while pursing degrees in 23 undergraduate and eight graduate majors. Founded in 1994 on the former site of Fort Ord by educators and community leaders, Cal State Monterey Bay faculty and staff build on that legacy as we explore innovative ways to meet the needs of a new generation of students while simultaneously powering the Monterey County economy.