Science@Work Lecture Series – On January 29 at 6:30 pm, Michael Retelle, Professor of Geology at Bates College (ME), will share information about Paleo-Climatology through his study of arctic glaciers. Retelle did his undergraduate studies at Salem State College (BS, 1976) prior to working as a field geologist on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 1976. He did his graduate work in Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. His primary research interests include glacial and marine environments and climate change in northern New England and in the Canadian and Norwegian arctic.
His talk will focus on the recent environmental history in Svalbard, Norway, with an emphasis on the alpine glacier history from the ice expansion during the Little Ice Age of the 14th to 19th Centuries to the retreat that began in the beginning of the 20th Century that has accelerated in recent decades. Svalbard is an extensively glaciated archipelago in the Norwegian high arctic that sits at the boundary of polar and North Atlantic waters, climatologically sensitive to shifts in ocean currents and related air masses, impacting regional sea ice and glacier extent.
This lecture is free and open to the public and will be held in Lyndon South Auditorium, Stroud Academic Center, 232 Front Street, Marion, on January 29 at 6:30 pm.
Tabor Academy Marine Science Expands Reach – Tabor’s Marine Science faculty is building new connections to enhance programs and increase research opportunities for students.
Building on the success of past partnerships with University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University in Aquaculture, and their long-standing project with the National Parks Service and U.S. Geological Survey in the Caribbean through the REEF program, Tabor Academy’s marine science faculty have been reaching out and making new connections in the community, bringing new opportunities to campus.
Jay Cassista, Director of Marine Science, has been hard at work visioning a program that gets students engaged in more local projects to expose them to national research projects. His efforts have put him in conversation with the world renowned Marine Biological Labs (MBL) in Woods Hole, associated with the University of Chicago. MBL was so impressed by Cassista and Tabor’s passion for getting high school students involved in ongoing scientific research projects, they have invited him to be a member of their Secondary Education Advisory Board. The board will provide guidance in developing curriculum and infrastructure for robust year-round secondary education programs at MBL.
According to MBL, “In its 125-year history, the MBL has played a unique and pivotal role in fundamental biological discovery. Our blend of research and education has been transformative for generations since 1888, when the first students and faculty arrived at the lab. Many of the world’s leading scientists have worked or studied here, and more than 50 scientists affiliated with the MBL have been recognized with Nobel Prizes.”
Beyond the MBL Advisory Board appointment, Cassista has also been working on developing an immediate partnership with MBL scientists that might provide a template for their desire to inspire more secondary school students to pursue marine science. At a recent meeting on campus, Cassista and senior leadership at Tabor discussed having MBL scientist come to Tabor to do demonstrations, as well as inviting Tabor students to their labs in Woods Hole to gain experience using world-class instrumentation and to assist with MBL research projects. Cassista is already working on a proposal to expand MBL’s reach in the Southcoast in their effort to map flora above the high tide marks in the area. Tabor is planning to map Sippican Harbor and identify plants that might be affected by a 10-cm rise in sea level. The Tabor faculty are discussing several other research projects students can engage with next fall to help MBL collect data and present findings as part of a student research team.
Further, Elizabeth Leary, faculty and manager of Tabor’s Schaefer Wet Lab, is working with her students on the Oceans Genome Legacy (OGL), which collects samples of tissue from local specimens to be put into a gene bank for marine organisms. This project was suggested to Tabor by MBL, which is also participating in this endeavor; the OGL is part of Northeastern University.
Partnering with such high-level organizations gives Tabor students further exposure to professional research methods, opportunities to analyze data that seeks to answer vital questions about our ocean home, and exposes them to a wide array of inspiring scientists involved in research worldwide. The possibilities are endless!
“Helping Our Kids Navigate Our Technology-Driven World.” Join the tri-town school communities of the ORR School District and Tabor Academy for a free evening lecture for parents by technology consultant and digital safety expert Katie Greer at Tabor Academy on February 2 at 6:30 pm in the Fireman Center for Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall at 235 Front Street, Marion.
Katie Greer, a nationally recognized digital safety expert and Advisory Board Member for The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) has been featured in USA Today, TIME Magazine, CNN, Inside Edition, Cosmopolitan and more. She speaks with students and families across the country about the appropriate use of technology. Applauding the amazing power of our devices to connect us and amplify powerful ideas, Katie’s focus is on healthy use, understanding consequences for inappropriate action, and how parents can support children as they learn how to live and work in our technological world.
This talk is applicable to parents with children in 6th-12th grade and will help them with strategies to help navigate the digital waters with their children. Katie Greer will clarify the trends and challenges for each age level, providing parents with proactive initiatives to keep their children safe and aware online, now and into the future.
Tabor Academy and the ORR School District are pleased to bring this important topic to the community through this free lecture, open to the public. Please join us on February 2 at 6:30 PM at Tabor’s Fireman Center for the Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall, 235 Front Street, Marion. Reservations are not required, open seating.