SeaDoc Society Youth Education Internship: Salish Sea Curriculum Development Assistant

Supervisor: Mira Castle, MS, Education Coordinator, SeaDoc Society

SeaDoc Society is a marine conservation organization working to ensure the health of wildlife and their ecosystems through science and education in the Salish Sea. We are a flagship program of the world-renowned Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, based on Orcas Island, WA.

Project overview

SeaDoc’s Youth Education aspires to mobilize 4th-8th grade students toward ocean literacy, active stewardship, and sustainable Salish Sea citizenship. Our online club for kids and ocean curriculum for teachers is based on our book, Explore the Salish Sea A Nature Guide for Kids. Lessons, activities, games, and field experiences are gathered from marine educators, scientists, and classroom teachers at our SeaDoc Workshops and organized into NGSS and Core Competency-aligned units of study accessible for free at www.juniorseadoctors.org .

Intern duties

Interns will conduct the following activities, mainly through online and phone meetings, for between 5 and 20 hours/week, depending on his/her schedule and internship needs:

•Review, revise, and format curriculum

•Align lessons and activities with Next Generation Science Standards and British Columbia Core Competencies

•Locate and contact marine science organizations throughout the Salish Sea for consent to be on our Map of Marine Experts

•Mail Junior SeaDoctor membership materials

•Conduct literature searches for scientific studies relevant to each unit

•Translate peer-reviewed articles to 6th grade reading level

•Update Junior SeaDoctor website features

•Support August SeaDoc Educator Workshop on WWU campus

Skills

•Excellent written and verbal communication

•Curriculum design coursework or experience, including familiarity with Next Generation Science Standards and/or BC’s New Curriculum Core Competencies

•Print and digital graphic design for reader-attraction and readability

•Tech savvy in ArcMap, Squarespace website-design, Excel, or R Shiny App a plus!

Adviser approval

It is the responsibility of the potential intern to discuss the requirements of your internship with your adviser to determine if this project would qualify in terms of skills acquired and academic rigor.