Abstract
On April 20, 2005, The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, claiming 11 human lives, and initiating an 87-day-long oil spill, a cross-habitat ecological event, and an unparalleled research effort that continues today. Alongside cross-disciplinary scientists addressing environmental questions raised by the spill, educators have engaged diverse groups of interested people in learning about the Gulf of Mexico and the impacts of the oil spill. The University of Southern Mississippi Marine Education Center undertook a variety of efforts to communicate oil spill science: collaborating with researchers to share their work and collaborating with other educators to facilitate teaching research results. Several of these activities addressed teachers. The 2019 dedicated issue of Current, The Journal of Marine Education featuring ‘GoMRI Research Resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’ was created collaboratively by GoMRI outreach coordinators. It offers research literature reviews that address several topics of interest to the public at a level accessible to teachers. The issue was featured in teacher professional development held virtually April 24-25. The teacher workshop, ‘Oil Spill Science: 10-year Review,’ was scheduled as a face-to-face experience including outdoor learning. The workshop took place completely online five weeks after the MEC began working remotely. Although some teachers cancelled participation because of their own remote working challenges, others requested MEC assistance in meeting their virtual instruction challenges. Through presentations by three speakers, participants gained insight into ecological impacts of the oil spill and explored the process of science using current oil spill research as an illustration. They worked in online teams to complete a project to explain how a specific topic illustrates process of science. Lessons learned through this program continue to inform MEC development of virtual education programs.
