Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE)

Visit the MA COSEE website here

Rutgers Marine and Coastal Sciences (RMCS), along with the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR), is proud to be the lead institution involved in the Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE). Established in the fall of 2002, the Mid-Atlantic COSEE is an exciting and innovative effort to educate a broad spectrum of the Mid-Atlantic population about varying aspects of the ocean sciences.

Formed under a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Along with RMCS and the JCNERR, partners in the Mid-Atlantic COSEE are the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE), the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William and Mary, Hampton University, the New York Aquarium, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The group was awarded support from the NSF following a national, year-long competitive process.

The Mid-Atlantic COSEE is one of eight such collaborative centers established on the East, West and Gulf coasts to produce educational materials and programs, including development of curricula, to promote lifelong learning about the ocean sciences. The centers will attempt to reach a broad audience including K-12 teachers, K-16 students, coastal managers, families, and diverse groups that normally receive little exposure to marine science.

“Recent surveys have shown that many Americans have misleading ideas about the oceans and coasts,” said Fred Grassle, director of RMCS. “For example, four out of five Americans do not identify pollution running off the land as a problem for the oceans. The Mid-Atlantic COSEE will allow us to spread information and promote new ways of thinking and teaching to help everyone understand just how intertwined we are with the ocean environment.”

During the five-year effort, each regional COSEE will produce its own set of materials and programs. Members of the Mid-Atlantic center will collaborate on Web sites, on-line learning, media supplements, face-to-face programs, teacher training, internships, and expanded public access to ocean observing systems and data.

Established in 1989 at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, RMCS provides national and international leadership in marine science and is New Jersey's focal point for education, research, and service efforts in estuarine, coastal, and ocean environments. IMCS is dedicated to developing, communicating, and understanding processes governing change and sustainability in marine and coastal ecosystems, and to shaping future directions for the use and protections of our vital marine and coastal resources.

For more information about the Mid-Atlantic COSEE, contact: