Students from Wattsburg Middle School on board the sloop Momentum Photo courtesy of Environmental Rediscoveries, Pennsylvania Sea Grant

"It's important for students to be aware of their local environment, so that they can understand and appreciate it and protect it," said Anne Danielski, coastal education and maritime specialist with Pennsylvania Sea Grant, an outreach program at Penn State Erie that aims to increase public awareness of environmental and economic coastal issues.

That's why Pennsylvania Sea Grant—in partnership with the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies in Erie-created Environmental Rediscoveries, an initiative to teach environmental science, math and biology to K—12 students through sailing on Presque Isle Bay.

Students serve as crewmembers on the 42-foot Friendship Sloop Momentum. While one group is plotting the course to a sampling site on the bay, others are discussing the impact of zebra mussels in the bay. Students continue to analyze the samples they gathered upon their return to shore, learning about water quality and pollution and the roles they play as stewards to their environment.

Their teachers receive training in the Pennsylvania academic standards-based curriculum, as well as assessment tools and other resources for creating their own environmental education lessons.

Since the program's launch in 2000, more than 3,500 students and 140 teachers have participated. "It's a successful model," said Danielski. The Environmental Rediscoveries program, developed by Danielski, received a 2001 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.

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Science teacher C.J. Rodkey (left) with student award winner Dan Weber Photo courtesy of Dr. Niel Brandt—Eberly College of Science

Pittsburgh science teacher C.J. Rodkey attends Penn State's Workshops for Science Educators to keep his teaching fresh, he says. "They offer a close connection to the real world of research and the ability to sit down and question world-class astronomers."

The astronomy workshops Rodkey attended also gave him hands-on activities for his students and a renewed excitement about teaching his subjects. His enthusiasm has spread to his class, with some students inspired to participate in the annual Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition, hosted by the Eberly College of Science. The event brings together 4,000 seventh- through 12th-grade students from throughout the state to discuss their work.

Last spring, one of Rodkey's students, eighth-grader Dan Weber, won a $500 award for his paper on the rotation of the sun.

Dr. Christopher Palma, outreach fellow in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said, "C.J. Rodkey's story is a perfect example of how our Workshops for Science Educators benefit science teachers and their students."

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