Marilyn Sigman

Focus

I serve as a Marine Education Specialist for the Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE). COSEEs are a national initiative funded by the National Science Foundation—the Alaska COSEE is one of twelve such centers nationwide.

I am working to link scientists, educators, and coastal communities in Alaska who are involved in outreach and education about ocean climate change. The Alaska COSEE is unique among the COSEE network in its emphasis on weaving together Western science and traditional knowledge about climate change and sharing this perspective nationally. A portion of my time is also spent working with the MAP agents throughout Alaska to provide them with tools and resources to aid communication between scientists, local educators, and community members.

Expertise

• Fish and wildlife habitat management
• Intertidal and marine ecology
• Environmental and marine conservation education
• Citizen science and community involvement in research

Education

• B.A. Human Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
• M.S. Wildlife Management, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks

Activities

• Develop the COSEE website as a portal for Alaska ocean climate change education
• Develop and host Alaska SEANET, an online network of Alaska ocean scientists, marine educators, students, and community members involved in communicating about research in Alaska’s seas
• Facilitate Communicating Ocean Science Workshops at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium and develop additional tools for scientists for effective outreach with focus on ocean climate change literacy.
• Enhance teacher capabilities for incorporating ocean climate change and place-based knowledge into the curricula. Examples: Materials that support their participation in Ocean Science Fairs and Virtual Field Trips and teacher workshops to disseminate the Alaska Seas and Rivers curriculum and other tools and strategies.
• Increase participation in the sciences by rural Alaskans. Example: Participation in Ocean Science Fairs

Hobbies

• Hiking, tidepooling, reading, creative nonfiction writing