Grant: 24-029C
Project Title: Sea Turtle Biologist-in-Training: Program Expansion
Project Manager: Celeste McWilliams
Organization: Coastal Connections, Inc. (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $5,515.00
Completion Date:
Summary: Project Summary: Coastal Connections, Inc. (CCinc) will expand its "Sea Turtle Biologist-in-Training", its most requested educational program, to increase both program capacity and hands-on participation. This program is targeted towards second grade students aligning with 12+ Florida testing standards and complementing in-class instruction with experiential activities. The objectives of the program are to give students a basic sea turtle education, help students recognize and eliminate negative human impacts on sea turtles, and inspire a new generation of biologists. The first lesson will consist of students learning about basic sea turtle biology, local nesting species, life cycle, survival rates, and human impacts, utilizing replica skulls and biofacts. The second lesson will introduce CCinc's mock nest evaluation kits, each with varying nest contents to model various hatchling success scenarios typically found in real-life nest evaluations. Lesson two gives students an inside look into work that involves real-world research while teaching critical skills from math to writing to public speaking. Student learning gains will be assessed via pre- and post-tests. Requested funds will be used to purchase materials for and build additional mock evaluation kits and cover associated program costs for one year.
Results: