NSF RET Week 2 Update: Reflections from Educators

Written by Shale Shore and Julie Gardner, 2021 NSF RET Co-Teachers.

This is the second in a summer-long series from our NSF REU/RET crew reflecting on their experiences in our program.

Aloha from the Kauai Sailing Association! As we reflect on the first two weeks of our 2021 NSF REU/RET experience, connections between Kauai and Belize are already forming! We are excited to share best practices with another small ocean based community. Our REU/RET Marine Debris Team is in the process of team building and strategic planning. We are learning about some of the policies Belize has put in place, and are so impressed by the attention local stakeholders and policy makers of Belize have given to the issue of waste reduction (specifically plastic). 

In addition to working through our marine debris strategic plan, our team has also been attending the Science of Team Science Conference. We were excited to learn how science gateways contribute to citizen science. We hope to utilize some of the existing platforms we learned about during the conference to both educate and excite the people of Belize to engage in citizen science and protect the precious resources we have in our oceans. 

Shale & Julie

Co-Teachers, Kauai Sailing Association