Skip navigation and go directly to content National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
About Sea Grant: Button Research, Outreach, education: Button Funding & felllowships: Button News & Events: Button   Home: Button  
Button: Search
News and Events
NOAA National Sea Grant

Bridging Education and Communications to Create Synergy, Enrich Knowledge
Sea Grant Media Center Sept. 20, 2004
Story archive

 

By Sami J. Grimes
Pearl S. Buck said, “Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.” If this statement is true, then Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Communication Coordinator, Robin Goettel’s creative energy is always satisfied. Not only is Ms. Goettel passionate and energized by her many creative and award-winning projects, but she passes her enthusiasm to her partners, creating an environment in which new products are initiated and existing products are enhanced to serve a wider audience.

Goettel and her communications team, in collaboration with the Program’s outreach specialists, keep the public informed about current aquatic research and technologies and promote an understanding of coastal issues among industry, educators and Great Lakes resource users. Popular publications, such as the ABCs of PCBs: Know Your Catch, have been translated into fourkids with Zelda the Zebra Mussel different languages. The awareness campaign, “BeachWatch” informs the public about the causes and effects of E.coli contamination and other water quality concerns detailing actions people can take for a sustainable environment. “One of my favorite and very popular communication tools,” says Goettel, “is Zelda the Zebra Mussel, whom I conceived as a “spokesmussel” for invasive species issues. This costumed character is a mascot that informs the public and inspires people to take steps to prevent spread of plant and animal pests.”

As communications coordinator for the past 21 years, Goettel serves on the program management team, which makes strategic decisions for the program. She is also the education specialist at Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), providing multi-disciplinary programming for K-12 and higher education to stimulate critical thinking and develop a basic understanding of and appreciation for Lake Michigan and its many resources.

“Our goal is to empower students, teachers, and other citizens by instilling stewardship so they will take an active role in improving the quality of their water environment,” said Goettel. “This is critical because not only will these actions affect their daily lives, but people can also improve the condition of the waterways for future generations.”

Goettel’s many education projects in partnership with Sea Grant Programs around the country, numerous agencies and non-profits, and her work with the education community have led to four prominent national and regional education projects, including Exotics Aquatics on the Move, the Exotic Species Day Camp, therelated ESCAPE from Exotics Program, and the Zebra Mussel Mania Education Project. With assistance from Sea Grant, much of the curriculum from these projects is developed by teachers for teachers so that each lesson meets national education standards.

Goettel pointing to ballast hitchhikers posterOut of these four projects, the one that is closest to my heart,” said Goettel, “is Exotic Aquatics on the Move, a project focusing on invasive species education for the geography classroom. Due to her personal interest in geography through her undergraduate education at the University of Illinois, Goettel explained, “I always felt Sea Grant was doing an excellent job developing programs for science teachers and students, but was missing the mark in serving the needs of geography educators—aquatic invasive species was the perfect subject matter to connect with geographic concepts like spatial distribution and human-environment interactions.” Goettel teamed up with four other Sea Grant programs and State Geographic Alliances (an organization of teachers, geographers, university educators and others interested in geographic education) to align aquatic invasive species curriculum with geography standards. As a result, 22 geography-based lessons were put onto a CD for educators. Nationally, the project created a path for 4,200 students to connect with their communities through stewardship projects that aimed to stop the spread of invasives—an effort endorsed by the National Geographic Society’s education office. An excellent website, Exotic Aquatics on the Move, was developed under the direction of Dr. Rosanne Fortner of Ohio Sea Grant and has provided a plethora of data on numerous aquatic invaders.girl spinning ais wheel

To effectively inform over eight million people living in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, IISG creates interactive educational exhibits for large public events and for regional educational programs such as the Calumet Stewardship Initiative. Over the past several years, Goettel and her communications staff taught thousands of school children about invasive plants through the "Arrest that Invader!" exhibit. Students and their families also learned about the Lake Michigan ecosystem by fishing for questions at "Sea Grant's Wheel to Reel in Information."

Goettel’s most recent undertaking is the web-based program “Nab the Aquatic Invader! Be a Sea Grant Super Sleuth.” The pilot website focuses on freshwater invaders in the Great Lakes region. The site will hopefully be expanded as a national tool identifying nuisance species that have taken hold in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf waters. “This website has amazing potential as a learning platform and could not have been developed without the exceptional teamwork of many Great Lakes Sea Grant personnel,” said Goettel. “Through the talent and experiences of so many, the result is far richer than if one individual did the work. I owe a debt of gratitude to my Co-PI Helen Domske, NY Sea Grant, who helped me develop the basic framework and content of the site.” Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Irene Miles joined with Goettel to develop the very creative narratives. Marisa Meador designed the appealing look of the site. Angela Archer, web technical specialist, and Jen Fackler, education project assistant, used their creative talents to give life to activities originally conceived in a hard copy format. Susan White, IISG designer, produced the bookmarks, used to promote the site. And, Dave Brenner from Michigan Sea Grant created the menacing plant and animal characters for the site. The pilot site will be tested this fall. For more information, please visit Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Communications and Education team is always looking ahead and has already scoped out their next project. They will team up with local museums, such as Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to create hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages. “Our collaboration will help the museums gain feedback essential to evaluating the effectiveness of these programs,” said Goettel. “Through these collaborations, we can connect their museums with our researchers to better inform the public with science-based information and to instill a sense of understanding and responsibility for the aquatic environment.” A better-informed public is exactly what Goettel and her colleagues are committed to.

 

 

Top | Story archive



 

 

Go to Colleges: Button
Button: Themes
Button: National Priority Areas
Button: Library and Publications
Button: Leadership
Button: partnerships
Button: Directory/contact us
Button: Administartive Info
Button: Site Map
Button: In the Spotlight
Button: Feature