1988

Through the Years | Conferences | Presidents | Awards | Stegner Lecture | The Pike

13th NMEA Conference

July 19-22, Santa Cruz, California (University of California at Santa Cruz)
Theme: New Waves in Marine Education: Keeping up with Ocean Discoveries

Executive Committee:

President: Rick Tinnin (TX) (1987-88)
President-Elect: Rosanne Fortner (OH)
Executive Secretary: Jim Lanier (NC)
Treasurer: Quinton White (FL)
Secretary: Sharon Walker (MS)
Editor of Current: Nora Deans (CA)
Editors of NMEA news: Karen Aspinwall (MD) and Lindy Millman (VA)

Board of Directors:

(1985-88): Valerie Chase (MD), Sue Gammisch (VA), Neil Maine (OR &WA)
(1986-89:) Karen Aspinwall (MD), Gloria Snively (BC), Lundie Spence (NC),
(1987-90): Wendy Allen (SC), Margaret Philbrick (WA), Craig Strang (CA),
(1988-91): Dianne Baxter (CA), Pam Sears (OH), Bruce Stewart (TX), Eugene Williamson (OR)

(Historian's note: The listing of NMEA Board Members and other officers were listed in Current).

Chapter Representatives:

• CAMEO (Consortium of Aquatic and Marine Educators of Ohio): Vic Mayer (OH)

• FMEA (Florida Marine Education Association): Barbara Bammer (FL)

• GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators): Jean Adams (GA)

• GOMMEA (Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association): Mary Cerullo (ME)

• MAMEA (Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association): Lindy Millman (VA)

• MME (Massachusetts Marine Educators): Clive K. Tucceri (MA)

• NAME (Northwest Association of Marine Educators): Gene Williamson (OR)

• NJMEA (New Jersey Marine Education Association): Mary Masterson (NJ)

• NYSMEA (New York State Marine Education Association): Joel Teret (NY)

• OCEANIA: Liz Kumabe (HI)

• SAME (Southeastern Association of Marine Educators): Leslie Bruce (MS)

• SENEME (Southeastern New England Marine Educators): Sandra Ryack-Bell (RI)

• SWMEA (Southwest Marine Education Association: Bruce Stewart (CA)

• TMEA (Texas Marine Education Association): Jack Clason (TX)

Awards:

James Centorino Award: Rob Moir (MA)
Outstanding Teacher Award: Gene Williamson (OR)
President's Award: Karen Aspinwall (MD)

Conference Highlights:

The Southwest Marine Educators' Association, University of California at Santa Cruz, Oceanic Society, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Conference Chair, Bruce Stewart, welcomed 427 marine educators from 30 states and other countries to the beautiful redwood-forested campus at Santa Cruz. Also attending as guests of NMEA were nine of the ten winners of the Fifth Annual National Youth World of Water (W.O.W.) Awards and their chaperones. Artist Pieter Folkeins made a special 1988 NMEA poster, featuring deep sea creatures for the conference.

Conference Proceedings included abstracts and references for the conference symposia: "Marine Animal Communication," "Deep Sea Discoveries," and "Threats to the Marine Environment."

On the day preceding the conference, Steve Christiano facilitated discussions among the Board of Directors about organizational goals and objectives and the best direction for NMEA for the next three years. This was the first Long-Range Plan drafted by the Board.

Day one of the conference began with registration, followed by a nonformal marine education meeting, committee meetings, exhibit viewing, a Project FOR SEA Reception, and a seafood barbecue. Following the salmon dinner that overlooked Monterey Bay and the Pacific, participants were welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Fish. Featured speaker, Dr. Eugene Clark, showed a slide show and exciting film footage about "Sea Monsters and Deep Sea Sharks." Later, there was Contra dancing with the Beach Bubs.

The morning of day two featured keynote speaker, Dr. Steve Webster, Director of Education at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He spoke about the history and natural history of Monterey Bay. Following his presentation, participants attended one of the three outstanding marine science symposia: Marine Animal Communication, Deep Sea Discoveries, and Threat to the Marine Environment. In the afternoon, curriculum development teams brainstormed ideas for using the information they'd learned in the morning for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and informal education audiences.

Evening activities included a wine and cheese reception, dinner, listening to the Banana Slug Band, and Sea Swap.

Field trips on the third day included a choice of full or half day adventures. The full day trips explored the Big Sur coastline or toured marine research laboratories. Half day field trips allowed participants to explore redwood forests, the natural history of the California sea otter, Monterey Bay Aquarium, wetlands, coastal plate boundaries, an elephant seal rookery; eat food collected from near shore; or go on a marine mammal and seabird cruise, kayak, or cruise on the tallship Californian.

Following the field trips, Santa Cruz Brewing company sponsored a reception. After dinner, the NMEA Aquatic Auction and Raffle took place. A bronze whale sculpture, crafted and donated by artist Randy Puckett; a scholarship to the Bermuda Biological Station; the banana slug costume created by Mr. and Mrs. Fish for their Santa Cruz performance, and THE PIKE were a few of the items that were auctioned. The auction of THE PIKE was very competitive.

This shirt, designed by Sue Gammisch (VA), depicted Gene Williamson (OR), the 1987 winner of THE PIKE, proudly holding the now-famous fish. The shirt was used by MAMEA prior to the conference to raise funds. Then it was auctioned off at the conference to the highest bidder, Gene.

MAMEA members wore a different shirt to the auction. Top left is the front of the shirt. Top right: The back of the shirt was a map that showed THE PIKE's travels up to that time.

A third shirt, worn by Gene Williamson (OR) and designed by NAME, had "The Northwest Pike" on the front (bottom left) and (bottom right) "Keeper of the Pike" on the back. This shirt was designed by NAME in a half-hearted attempt to blunt the MAMEA madness.

Six thousand dollars was made at the auction; ten percent of the total ($600) came from the sale of THE PIKE to the Mid Atlantic Marine Educators' Association.

The fourth and last day of the conference included more than 80 concurrent sessions. Following the sessions, Mr. Sam Hinton, the Stegner Lecturer, shared his experience and love of the sea through music, and the NMEA Membership Meeting and the World of Water Award Recognition took place. The finale for the day was dinner and dancing at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Additional Highlights of 1988:

NMEA became an official affiliate of the National Science Teachers Association, largely through the efforts of Past-President Millie Graham (GA). As a result of this affiliation, NMEA was provided with time and space for a full morning of sessions at the annual NSTA conference in St. Louis, April 7-10, 1988. Eighteen papers were presented by NMEA members, and 12 poster sessions were featured in a Share-a-thon, co-sponsored by the National Earth Science Teachers Association. NMEA also hosted a mid-morning reception for all NSTA participants.

NMEA Board members decided to overhaul the organization of the World of Water competition because of expenses and management difficulties and the problem of transporting winners and teachers to the annual conference. Karen Aspinwall assumed the responsibility of pilot-testing a new mechanism for the competition in 1989.

In 1988, the Board of Directors voted to publish fewer, more professional, issues of Current: The Journal of Marine Education until the budget could support a return to the quarterly schedule. That year two general issues were published. The first issue contained an excellent summary by Jim Lanier (NC) of NMEA history from 1976-1988, and was titled "The National Marine Educators' Association...Historical Notes...".

This was the first year that NMEA Board Members and other officers' names were listed inside the journal.