PALMYRA — A Palmyra-Macedon earth science teacher is among 15 educators from five Great Lakes states selected to study on a research vessel this summer.
Joe Perry, named the 2023 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher for New York State recently by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, is taking part in the Lake Ontario Shipboard Science Workshop aboard the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office’s Research Vessel Lake Guardian. The Lake Guardian is the largest research vessel in the U.S. EPA fleet and the largest research vessel operating on the Great Lakes.
The floating professional development workshop, hosted by New York Sea Grant, will take place July 6-12. The ship will depart from Rochester and make shore stops in Youngstown, Ohio and Oswego, New York Sea Grant said.
Perry and others will learn alongside scientists from the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Cornell University, and the Great Lakes Research Consortium. The consortium includes GLRC Director Gregory Boyer, a preeminent researcher of harmful algal blooms.
New York Sea Grant said Great Lakes Literacy Specialist Nate Drag “will guide the teachers in developing lesson plans and curricula to take back to their classrooms to inspire students.”
Activities include water sampling and analyzing the samples in on-board laboratories.
“This unique hands-on learning experience increases teachers’ understanding of the Great Lakes’ unparalleled value and fosters creation of personalized teaching resources to spark student interest in the world’s largest surface freshwater system,” Drag said.
Perry said he’s excited for the opportunity.
“I look forward to learning more about the Great Lakes and its ecosystem with other enthusiastic educators alongside respected researchers,” he said. “After which I will be able to transfer that experience into real-world lessons that will bring earth science alive for my students and that I can share with my colleagues across the region.”
According to Palmyra-Macedon, Perry has worked in the district for 25 years.
“We would like to congratulate Mr. Perry on this prestigious honor,” the district said.
Sea Grant said the Shipboard Science Workshop is supported with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding through an interagency agreement between the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Sea Grant Office.
New York Sea Grant leads the Lake Ontario Shipboard Science Workshop in cooperation with the Center for Great Lakes Literacy. Sea Grant is a cooperative program of Cornell University and New York State and is one of 34 university-based programs in the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program.
