Oceanography Project Modules:
Oceanography is an inherently interdisciplinary area that integrates the disciplines of geology, chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. Before developing a project in oceanography, we first had to create an oceanography course. The course outlines for the lecture and laboratory course (OCE 1001 and OCE 1001L) were approved in 1999. A related new course that was simultaneously created and will participate in this project is Earth Science (GLY 1000).
The following project modules are now in their planning or early implementation stages.
1) Florida Keys Marine Environments
This project is in development. Several successful oceanography, geology, and biology class field trips have been taken to the Florida Key's Marine Laboratory to familiarize ourselves with the facility and our oceanographic sampling methods and devices. Students participating in this project will learn, through hands on collection of data, about one of the most unique environments on earth.
- Calcareous Nannofossils from the East Pacific off Costa Rica
This project is past the developmental stage and is ready to be implemented. In the development stage, several students participated in the research, and one publication was produced. This projects links oceanography, geology, meteorology and biology to determine the paleoclimate and paleoceanography of the study area. Further study will give insight into the effects of the closure of the Isthmus of Panama on the general circulation of the oceans and of the changes in biota in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
- Calcareous Nannofossils from the Indian Ocean
This project has just been initiated since receiving samples from our informal collaboration with Dr. Sherwood Wise at FSU.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No. 9653672. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in
this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the National Science Foundation.