Project Summary

The Prince William Sound Science Center’s Education Program requests renewal of the Science of the Sound grant for 2003. The grant will ensure the continuation of the Discovery Room, Outreach Discovery and Community Programs.

For Discovery Room the staff instructors and the U.S. Forest cooperatively organize the science and environmental education program located in a classroom at the PWS community college. During the school year every Cordova student, K-6 grades, visits the Discovery Room once each month to explore a new theme. Topics from past years included: the tundra, northern lights, energy, beavers, glaciers, estuaries and shorebirds.

The Outreach Discovery takes place in the small Prince William Sound villages of Chenega Bay and Tatitlek where Discovery Room topics are catered to fit the school’s interests and curricula. During the visits, PWSSC educators work with the entire student body for two full days.

Community Programs are geared for adults and families presented on a weekly to bi-weekly basis during the school year and include lectures, seminars and field trips. The goal of these programs is to get Cordovans out enjoying and understanding their surroundings. Education staff, PWSSC science staff and visiting scientists present talks or lead field trips. Programs are free of charge and have attracted an average of 16 participants.

“From the Forest to the Sea” Science Camp hosted 66 campers in seven multi day sessions during the summer of 2002. Campers come from Cordova and all over Alaska. Educators from the PWSSC and the Cordova Ranger District of the U.S. Forest service work together to plan and implement the camp. Science camps are a highlight of the year for both staff and students.