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Urban Waters Conference July 19-22, 2009 Educators from British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and Alaska coming together to share ideas, network, and learn the latest in conservation and research. |
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Sunday David Zandvliet is on the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. An experienced teacher and researcher, he has published numerous articles in international journals and presented refereed conference papers on six continents and in over 15 countries. His career interests lie in the areas of science, and environmental education. (..more) |
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Monday (5MB PPT) Mike McDermid is the Program Manager of the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program. Ocean Wise is a conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise works directly with restaurants and markets, ensuring that they have the most current scientific information regarding seafood and helping them make ocean-friendly buying decisions. (..more) |
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Tuesday Bobs & Lolo are educators that are dedicated to connecting kids to the natural world with music, movement and make-believe. Sharing musical stories that engage, inspire and educate, they teach kids to care about themselves, their neighbours and the planet. (..more) |
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Wednesday Dr Andrew Trites is a Professor and Director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit in the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, and is the Research Director for the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium. He has served as a member of the US Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team, the Canadian Killer Whale Recovery Team, a voting member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), and co-chair of the Marine Mammal Specialist Group for COSEWIC (..more) |
David is a former director of Simon Fraser University's -- 'Centre for Educational Technology' and he has considerable experience in the design and evaluation of classrooms and in the provision of teacher professional development. He has directed environmental field schools throughout BC and Internationally and has conducted extensive studies of the learning environment in school-based locations in Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Taiwan. He currently lives on Bowen Island, near Vancouver, British Columbia.
David's presentation will draw on experiences in delivering environmental education field schools as part of a comprehensive strategy for professional development for teachers and informal educators. He will draw on several notions of environmental learning: inquiry into the ecological and cultural complexity of marine systems, aesthetic and emotional connections to these environments, and finally, how these may lead to a collective responsibility and the development of an environmental ethic. The presentation will include video footage and commentary from SFU research and development projects locally and in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Mike’s background includes 10 years of research, education and program development experience focused on the aquatic environments in British Columbia. He has conducted fisheries related research with the University of British Columbia, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, and the Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan and Interpretive Delivery teams. Mike’s knowledge of aquatic ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest coupled with his passion for protecting these systems will engage you and others to take a step in helping to conserve them.
Growing up on Vancouver Island, Bobs and Lolo have always shared a love of the natural world and a passion for working with children. Creating the dynamic duo Bobs & Lolo has allowed them to combine their diverse academic backgrounds with a mutual love of teaching and the creative arts.
Robyn Hardy - Bobs
With a background in teaching and linguistics, Robyn is an enthusiastic and caring individual with a passion for conservation education. On stage she loves to sing, dance, clap, snap and tap!
Lorraine Pond - Lolo
As an environmental educator and kinesiology major, Lorraine is an energetic performer with a flare for creating connections between young audiences and the natural world. On stage she loves to sing, dance, wiggle, slide and glide!
Furthering the conservation and understanding of marine mammals, and resolving conflicts between people and marine mammals are central to Dr. Trites’ research. His research involves captive studies, field studies and simulation models that range from single species to whole ecosystems.