The Reef Stewardship Foundation is proudly
supporting the University of Houston Doctoral
Dissertation study by Brian Plankis. This
educational research study is designed to measure
the environmental and ocean literacies of the high
school students that will be participating in the
study, while providing them with an engaging
research project.
The research study is designed primarily around two
curriculum models. The first model is Network
Science Project (NSP) (Feldman, Konold, & Coulter,
2000) where students collaborate with other
classrooms and scientists over the Internet on a
joint science project directly related to a real
world science issue or environmental problem. The
second model is the Investigating and Evaluating
Environmental Issues and Actions curriculum model
(IEEIA) (Hungerford, Volk, Ramsey, Litherland, &
Peyton, 2003). The IEEIA model is designed to guide
students through the analysis of environmental
problems and issues and build a personally relevant
understanding of the interaction of science, society
and technology.
The students will be conducting an aquarium-based
experiment in the classroom that looks at the
effects of temperature on coral growth, reproduction
and survival, as well as investigating the wide
range of environmental issues that are impacting
coral reefs.
Aquarium Experiment
Students in three states will be conducting
identical aquarium experiments where they manipulate
temperature and record data and observations on the
response of coral reef invertebrates to the
temperature changes. Students will share their
results with other schools and be assisted by
science experts via the Reef Stewardship Foundation
discussion forums.
Investigating and Evaluating
Environmental Issues and Actions
The students' teachers, was well as science
experts, will guide the students in understanding
the larger context of coral reef decline and why
2008 was named the International Year of the Reef.
Student investigations will research the
environmental issues impacting coral reefs and
examine ways the students can take actions in their
local community to help coral reefs. Student
investigations will result in investigation reports
and videos that we hope to share with the Reef
Stewardship Foundation community at a later date.
Help Support This Project
We are still accepting donations
to equip as many classrooms as possible for this
research study. There are two ways you can donate.
First you can donate funds via Paypal to help us
purchase equipment:
Or you can donate equipment or materials directly
to the Reef Stewardship Foundation. If you would
like to donate equipment, please contact us via
e-mail at:
donations (AT) reefstewardshipfoundation.org
(replace the (AT) with the @ symbol).
Someone will respond to your e-mail within 48 hours.
Thanks in advance for your support of this project
and its students.
Since the Reef Stewardship Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
organization, your donation is tax deductible in the
United States and any donation over $250 will
receive a thank you letter from us within two weeks
of the donation. Please be sure to include your
address where you want the donation letter sent.
If you are a Reef Stewardship Foundation or Project
DIBS discussion forum user, you should see a 2008
Supporter button next to your name within two weeks
in honor of your support.
If you are a business or funding organization,
please e-mail us your preferred logo to be placed on
this page, as well as our list of 2008 supporters.
If your donation is over $250 you will be entitled
to other benefits as well, please contact us via the
e-mail above for additional details.
Cheers,
Brian Plankis
President
Reef Stewardship Foundation
