Explore awards

Use the filter menu and interactive map to explore the past competitions offered and grants awarded through the Environmental Literacy Program.

To learn more about project findings and outcomes, view the summaries of our grantees’ summative evaluation reports.

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Installation of Science On a Sphere at Discovery Science Center of Orange County (Priority 1)

Funding: $199,943
Year: 2009
Discovery Science Center of Orange County (DSC) proposes a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to install Science On a Sphere (SOS) spherical display system showing Earth system science in DSC's informal educational science center under Priority 1 of this funding opportunity. With the closest SOS display system located in Northern California, installation of this technology at DSC will provide access to NOAA's data by over 400,000 students, their families and educators from Southern California annually.

Discovery Science Center of Orange County (DSC) proposes a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to install Science On a Sphere (SOS) spherical display system showing Earth system science in DSC's informal educational science center under Priority 1 of this funding opportunity. With the closest SOS display system located in Northern California, installation of this technology at DSC will provide access to NOAA's data by over 400,000 students, their families and educators from Southern California annually. As partners, DSC will ensure that NOAA data sets are incorporated into educational resources that align with California State Science Standards and will meet NOAA educational plan goals.

Award Number: NA09SEC4690004
Grant Dates: 09/01/2009 to 08/31/2010
PI: Kellee Preston
State: California   County:   Orange District: CA46
Partners: University of California at Irvine ·

Community resilience from the youth up: a place-based education strategy for southeast Michigan

Funding: $127,028
Year: 2023
Community Resilience from the Youth Up addresses the urgent need to increase resilience in Detroit and southeast Michigan by partnering high school students and teachers with place-based educators, climate scientists, adaptation professionals, municipalities, and community organizations.

Community Resilience from the Youth Up addresses the urgent need to increase resilience in Detroit and southeast Michigan by partnering high school students and teachers with place-based educators, climate scientists, adaptation professionals, municipalities, and community organizations. Using a Place-Based Education (PBE) process and the Climate Resilience from the Youth Up curriculum, students and teachers will explore local climate impacts and develop resilience strategies that protect vulnerable school campuses, households, and neighborhoods from the increased occurrence and intensity of heat waves, storm events, and flooding. Through their involvement in this project, students will increase their climate and civic literacy, actively contribute to broader sustainability initiatives, increase their awareness of and interest in climate adaptation careers, and engage in solution-focused work that inspires hope in their communities. Students will share their work locally and regionally, and teachers and project partners will contribute to regional and national conversations about community resilience education and creating communities of belonging for both educators and youth. Using an ecojustice approach to PBE, this project locates community and climate resilience within a broader vision of youth and adult health and well-being and is grounded in the belief that issues of social and ecological justice are inseparable. It builds on the relationships, partnerships, and educational strategies that were developed and refined in the previous project, Climate resilience from the youth up: A place-based strategy uniting high school students, educators, residents, community organizations, and municipalities in southeast Michigan, and will use them to solidify a community resilience education framework. Building teacher and student capacity to engage in resiliency-focused place-based learning while fostering their identities as change-agents in their communities reflects NOAA’s education mission and goals. This project is led by the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition (SEMIS), housed at Eastern Michigan University and part of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI), a statewide PBE network. Project partners include GLISA, the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), Izzie, LLC, Detroit City Council Green Task Force, Ypsilanti Sustainability Commission, NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Great Lakes B-WET, Michigan Sea Grant, and schools throughout southeast Michigan.

Award Number: NA23SEC0080001
Grant Dates: 12/31/2023 to 12/30/2026
PI: Ethan Lowenstein
State: Michigan   County:   Washtenaw District: MI06
Partners:

Sailing Elementary Teachers Towards Ocean Literacy Using Familiar Water Resources

Funding: $461,534
Year: 2007
This project plans to increase elementary and undergraduate ocean science and related Great Lakes science literacy that aligns with the Michigan Curriculum, the national science standards, and the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts.

This project plans to increase elementary and undergraduate ocean science and related Great Lakes science literacy that aligns with the Michigan Curriculum, the national science standards, and the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts. We will 1) develop an elementary storybook and other elementary classroom materials that support ocean and Great Lakes literacy, 2) train pre-service elementary teachers to use this Storybook, 3) develop undergraduate activities that support the NOAA Education Plan and Ocean Literacy in teacher education courses at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), and 4) train teachers in Detroit and Dexter (MI) and Golden (CO) to use an elementary storybook and related activities that support Ocean Literacy. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and oceanographic experts at EMU and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) will partner with us to develop the elementary storybook. This elementary resource will be freely available to all teachers, via the internet (see http://www.windows2universe.org/teacher_resources/ocean_education/curre…). Our second objective is that teachers will relate ocean and Great Lakes science to theirs and their students' lives. We will accomplish this by 1) producing teacher-friendly web resources that make Great Lakes data from GLERL accessible for use by elementary teachers and 2) teaching pre-service teachers to interpret these data during undergraduate, inquiry activities at EMU. Our third objective is to measure environmental, ocean and Great Lakes literacy among pre-service teachers and their students before and after implementation of targeted instruction. We will accomplish this via 1) assessing pre- and in-service teachers' content knowledge and ability to apply content knowledge in ocean and Great Lakes science, 2) assessing elementary children for content knowledge and ability to apply content knowledge in ocean and Great Lakes science, 3) performance assessments of pre- and in-service teachers' abilities to interpret environmental data, 4) standardized tests of Earth Science content knowledge, and 5) surveys of pre- and in-service teachers' attitudes towards ocean literacy and supporting materials.

Award Number: NA07SEC4690004
Grant Dates: 10/01/2007 to 09/30/2012
PI: Sandra Rutherford
State: Michigan   County:   Washtenaw District: MI06
Partners: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education · City University of New York (CUNY) / Hunter College ·

Climate Change Community Outreach Initiative

Florida Aquarium offsite link · Tampa, Florida
Funding: $630,271
Year: 2009
To promote ocean and climate change literacy that addresses the needs of our region, six aquariums based on the Gulf of Mexico will partner to educate our communities on both our risks and ways to contribute locally to sustainability. The aquariums will combine community outreach programs, stewardship promotion, social networking and workshops for non-formal educators to reach broad audiences throughout the Gulf in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico.

To promote ocean and climate change literacy that addresses the needs of our region, six aquariums based on the Gulf of Mexico will partner to educate our communities on both our risks and ways to contribute locally to sustainability. The aquariums will combine community outreach programs, stewardship promotion, social networking and workshops for non-formal educators to reach broad audiences throughout the Gulf in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico. Each partner will develop content that emphasizes local ecosystems and consequences of climate change, tailoring stewardship activities to address them. Over five years, the aquariums will reach out to diverse audiences in their communities, which have populations that total over five million people.

Award Number: NA09SEC4690037
Grant Dates: 12/31/2009 to 12/30/2015
PI: Debbi Stone
State: Florida   County:   Hillsborough District: FL14
Partners: Audubon Aquarium of the Americas · Texas State Aquarium · Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) · Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) · Spectrum Communications ·

Building Ocean Awareness Together (BOAT)

Florida Aquarium offsite link · Tampa, Florida
Funding: $232,790
Year: 2012
A consortium of Alaska SeaLife Center, Florida Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium with their partner National Association for Interpretation will increase the effectiveness of informal science educators (ISE) to promote public understanding of three complex topics that impact the ocean (oil spills, ocean acidification, and energy literacy) and encourage stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. This project will have a direct impact on 252 interpreters in and around Alaska, California, and Florida through 12 weeklong trainings.

A consortium of Alaska SeaLife Center, Florida Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium with their partner National Association for Interpretation will increase the effectiveness of informal science educators (ISE) to promote public understanding of three complex topics that impact the ocean (oil spills, ocean acidification, and energy literacy) and encourage stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. This project will have a direct impact on 252 interpreters in and around Alaska, California, and Florida through 12 weeklong trainings. Groups of interpreters will develop, assemble and produce online training toolkits, all of which will be widely disseminated to the ISE community. Each toolkit will utilize NOAA multimedia content, data visualization products, expertise and other relevant resources. Project participants – who interact with a diverse mix of local, regional, national and international visitors (including underserved local populations) – will provide enhanced training content for their colleagues through professional trainings, presentations, and online networks.

Award Number: NA12SEC0080024
Grant Dates: 10/01/2012 to 03/31/2015
PI: Debbi Stone
State: Florida   County:   Hillsborough District: FL14
Partners: California Academy of Sciences · Monterey Bay Aquarium · National Aquarium / National Aquarium In Baltimore (NAIB) · New England Aquarium Corporation / New England Aquarium (NEAq) · Seattle Aquarium · Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science / Alaska SeaLife Center · Association of Zoos and Aquariums · National Association for Interpretation (NAI) · University of Alaska (UA-Fairbanks) · NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) / Pacific Islands · NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO) ·

NOAA Earth System Science Courses: Building on the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA)

Funding: $645,815
Year: 2009
The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is a successful teacher professional development program enhancing K-12 teachers' environmental literacy and ability to teach Earth System Science. The ESSEA 40+ educational institution consortium is supporting universities and other educational institutions in teacher preparation and professional development for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers.

The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is a successful teacher professional development program enhancing K-12 teachers' environmental literacy and ability to teach Earth System Science. The ESSEA 40+ educational institution consortium is supporting universities and other educational institutions in teacher preparation and professional development for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers. This NOAA-funded project enhances and builds on this foundation by: 1) Using the ESSEA online courses as a model to introduce newly upgraded Earth system science undergraduate and graduate courses for teachers; 2) Introducing new Earth System Science data, analysis tools and educational resources to support the teacher courses; and 3) Disseminating model teaching practices and program success through annual conferences, continuing support, and presentations at geoscience and education conferences.

Award Number: NA09SEC4690011
Grant Dates: 09/01/2009 to 08/31/2012
PI: Robert Myers
State: Virginia   County:   Arlington District: VA08
Partners: Birch Aquarium at Scripps · Texas A&M University at College Station · University of Maine / Ocean Systems Central Office School of Marine Sciences (COSEE) ·