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 four
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.
Out
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.
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.
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