Scripps Institution of Oceanography partnership brings ocean to classroom

Ask any young student what a scientist might look like, and answers typically involve descriptions of older, frizzy-haired, bearded men wearing lab coats. A unique educational partnership between Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District directly challenges this notion by placing bright Scripps graduate students inside local K-12 classrooms.

In 2009, the National Science Foundation’s outreach program, Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12), awarded Scripps Oceanography a five-year, $2.5 million grant to fund the Scripps Classroom Connection fellowship. Each year, Scripps Classroom Connection partners nine Scripps graduate students with nine teachers in K-12 classrooms across San Diego County.

Over a four-week summertime workshop, Scripps graduate students collaborate with seasoned teachers to create yearlong lesson plans for earth science students. Read more from UC San Diego»