The Evolution of Earthworks: Using Evaluation to Improve Practice S.M. Buhr1, K. Emo2, H. Spetzler1,

1
OS451-01 The CORE OSER Dataset A Community
Resource for Assessing Patterns in Ocean
Sciences Graduate Education
S. B. Cook, Consortium for Oceanographic Research
and Education, scook_at_coreocean.org J.
Farrington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
jfarrington_at_whoi.edu R. E. McDuff, University of
Washington, mcduff_at_ocean.washington.edu
THE CORE-OSER COMMUNITY
2003-2004 STATUS REPORT
OVERVIEW



OSER Workshops and the CORE Dataset Past and
Present In 1980, the education Deans from the
JOI schools began to meet annually to assess
graduate education in ocean sciences (with ocean
engineering added later). Mr. A. L. Jake
Peirson (Associate Dean of WHOI - now retired)
originally suggested the idea to Dean Charles D.
Hollister of WHOI and Professor Arthur R. M.
Nowell, then Director of the School of
Oceanography at the University of Washington.
Initially, the schools funded participant travel
and in the mid 1980s JOI and ONR provided funding
(Nowell and Hollister, 1988). Sustained
leadership for the effort through the 1980s by
Nowell and Hollister led to the assessments we
have today. After CORE was established in 1994,
participation expanded to include deans,
associate deans, department chairs and program
managers from additional graduate programs.
Consortium membership now stands at 85 with 3?
members granting graduate degrees in some aspect
of ocean science. CORE sponsored workshops are
now held every other year in the fall at a CORE
member institution and are referred to as Ocean
Science Education Retreats (OSER). Nine to ten
months prior to each workshop, CORE staff
distribute Graduate Program Surveys, Faculty
Workforce Surveys and Funding and Facilities
Surveys to the CORE membership. Dr. Arthur Nowell
has continued to play a leadership role in data
analysis and community discussion of trends and
patterns (see www.coreocean.org/education/ for
OSER03 data). In 2005, Dr. Russell Mc Duff
reviewed survey data from academic years 2003 and
2004 and summarized patterns and trends for
OSER05 participants.
Graduate Programs in 2003-2004
Graduate Programs at CORE institutions are part
of a rich and complex tapestry. In 2003-2004,
programs ranged in size from very small (n8) to
large (n200). Between 1996 and 2004,
applications to 8 programs increased with the
number of interested students doubling while 9
programs were less sought-after with some showing
an almost two-fold drop in interest. In 2003, 87
of the student population was supported by
institutional or government sources.
http//www.coreocean.org
CORE Graduate Institutions College of
Charleston College of William and Mary/VIMS East
Carolina University Florida Atlantic
University Florida State University Louisiana
State University Massachusetts Institute of
Technology/WHOI Moss Landing Marine
Laboratories Naval Postgraduate School North
Carolina State University Nova Southeastern
University Old Dominion University Rutgers, The
State University of New Jersey Skidaway Institute
of Oceanography Stony Brook University The
University of Southern Mississippi University of
Alaska, Fairbanks University of California Santa
Barbara University of California Santa
Cruz University of Connecticut University of
Delaware University of Maine University of
Maryland University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth University of North Carolina Chapel
Hill University of North Carolina
Wilmington University of South Carolina University
of South Florida University of Southern
California
OSER 05, October 27-28 at Woods Hole, Ma. 45
participants from 21 CORE Institutions. Hosted by
CORE and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Steering Committee members Dr. John
Farrington (MIT/WHOI) Dr. Arthur Nowell (U.
Washington), Dr. Peter Betzer (University of
South Florida), Dr. Gary Griggs (U. California _at_
Santa Cruz, and Dr. Nancy Targett (University of
Delaware). CORE staff CORE Education Director
Dr. Sue Cook, CORE President Richard West and
staff members Susan Haynes and Henry Hope.
In 2003, males made up 50.5 of the ocean
science student body at CORE institutions (Table
2). Gender ratios were approximately equal in
chemical oceanography, marine geology and
geophysics and coastal and estuarine science.
Women were somewhat better represented in marine
biology/biological oceanography and marine
affairs. Men predominated in ocean engineering,
physical oceanography, the other category and
to a lesser extent Fisheries and Aquatic Science.
SUPPLY SIDE TRENDS
Keynote Address Ocean Sciences Graduate
Education Status and Trends, Dr. Russ McDuff,
U. Washington. Mentoring Physical Oceanography
Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR), Drs. Amy
Bower and Robert Beardsley, MIT/WHOI
Group Discussions Recruitment
Strategies, Dr. P. Betzer Financial support,
Dr. G. Griggs Retention and career services, Dr.
J. Farrington Funding Opportunities for Research
on Ocean Science Graduate Education, Dr. N.
Targett Panel 1 Insights and Recommendations
on Diversity Panel 2 Graduate Student
Opportunities to Contribute to K12
Education USCOP Recommendations 8-7 and 8-10,
What can the Community Do Now? Dr. G.
Griggs Discussion of Gaps in Knowledge, Funding
sources for gap analysis and Next Steps for the
Community, Drs. Griggs and Farrington
GK12 Panel Take Home Message Involving
graduate students in the K12 classroom benefits
students in multiple ways from self-organization
and priority setting to effective and clear
communication of the value of their science.

Ms. Teresa Greely (USF), Ms. Shay Saleem (USF),
Ms. Desiree Plata (MIT/WHOI), Ms.Liz Tyner (USF),
Dr. Robert Chen (U. Mass.Boston), Ms. Julie
Callahan (UMB) , Discussion Lead, Dr. P. Betzer
(USF)
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM OSER05? The Ocean
Sciences community is already responding to the
U.S Oceans Commissions and the Pew Ocean
Commission reports with respect to all levels of
education. As examples, the involvement of
graduate students in K-12 activities has been
launched and the sharing of best practices is in
progress for these activities and for increasing
diversity in ocean sciences. Attention to
evaluation of success of programs is important
and is being incorporated into more programs.
(The program) challenged my own way of
learning I enjoyed helping students
understand and discover the world around them
-(Quotes from GK12 Fellows)
Diversity Panel
At OSER05, a five member panel provided a candid,
personal look at the realities of recruiting and
retaining individuals from underrepresented
groups.
Applications (the supply side of the graduate
school equation) are cyclic. In the 1980s, data
collected by JOI show a decline in applications
to member institutions with numbers peaking in
the mid 1990s and dropping again in 1998-2000.
Since CORE has been surveying its members,
application numbers were highest in 1996 and 1997
with a drop in 1998-2000 and a rebound in
2001-2004. When data from a subset of 17
schools are compared, the same up-down-up
pattern occurs 2247 in 1996, a minimum of 1780
in 2000 and a rise to 2073 in 2003. In 2003 and
2004, cohort selectivity (from applications to
offers to acceptances) was similar between
biological, chemical, physical and geological
subdisciplines.
Dr. Ambrose Jearld, NOAA Dr. Brandon Jones, US
EPA Dr. Letise Houser, U. Delaware, Ms. Camille
Daniels (USF), Ms. Regina Campbell Malone
(MIT/WHOI Joint Program)

• WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?
• Sharing of OSER05 proceedings and energy with the
  community via CORE website
• Need an inventory of current graduate and
  undergraduate education curriculum and practices
  and evaluations to share best practices and to
  assess ocean sciences graduate and undergraduate
  education needs for the future.
• Focus on new challenges in education how to
  adapt to an interdisciplinary world where
  students will follow multiple career pathways
  draw on best in educational practice.
• Increase attendance at next OSER by talking up
  value and linking workshop to a Board Meeting.
• Continue the demographic data and graduate
  program and postdoc related data in two year
  increments to  provide a much needed basis for
  assessing trends that need attention.

Cultural competency is key. Different
approaches are needed. There must be personal
contact - websites and letters dont always work.
Career fairs and visits to HBCUs do work.
-(B. Jones, EPA)
Our scientist has opened up my eyes to more of
the real world and scientific studies It was
unfathomable how much fun it was learning like
this -(GK-12 Participant, 2005)
The most recent CORE survey data show that the
graduate student pool in the ocean sciences is
still dominated by Caucasians. In 2003, of the
79 US citizens in residence, 90 were white,
2.9 were Asian American, 1.5 were African
American, 3.2 were Hispanic, 0.4 were Native
American and 2.3 classified themselves as other.
References Farrington, J. W., 2001.
Oceanography, Volume 14 34-39. Nowell, A.R.M.
and C.D. Hollister, 1988. EOS 69 834-835
840-843. USCOP, 2004. Final Report. Chapter 8,
pages Appendix IV.
Third grade after school enrichment in science
class from Maynard Academy in Cambridge, MA
brought to WHOI for a tour and a visit to a
nearby beach by MIT/WHOI Joint Program Graduate
Students Desiree Plata and Ari Shapiro -
enrichment class volunteer instructors.