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Summer Camp Scouting Series featured in our Camp Navigator on page 10

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Volunteering Takes the HelmBrocade

Science and ArtMurals, Murals and Murals

A Season of GivingGive a Gift of Science

Thank You! Sponsors and Donors

Translating the Tides2015

Find Upcoming Events, and New Event Opportunities on pages 6 and 7

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Heading home to Redwood City

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Translating the Tides 2015 Calendar

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It is with great pride that we share with you our 15th annual Translating the Tides collection. This collection of poetry and artwork was designed by students who, through the Marine Science Institute’s hands on programs, directly encountered the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay, Pacific Coast, and Delta. Their beautiful work expresses not only what they have learned during our programs, but their new found appreciation of these aquatic habitats. The 2015 Translating the Tides artwork has been transformed into a desktop calendar and is available online for download.  Create your own upcycled calendar today!

At the Bottom of the San Francisco Bay

A Haiku by FaithShiny dark brown mud

Oozing, hiding, encasingA blanket for fish

Translating the Tides is a creative contest run by Marine Science Institute for

students who participate in MSI’s hands-on marine science education

programs. Translating the Tides is a wonderful opportunity for students to

express, in their own voices, what they have learned and what they want

others to know about our aquatic environments.

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BAYLINESGive a Gift of Science this Holiday Season

The close of 2014 is on the horizon and those of us on staff at the Marine Science Institute are reflecting on all the organization has accomplished this year. Thanks to our donors we can report on some very encouraging statistics for January-October 2014:

•MSI has provided 968 programs for Bay Area schools in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties.•We have served 33,571 students through our programs.•There have been over 8000 volunteer hours logged by devoted MSI supporters.•More than 8.650 students have participated in a bay exploration Discovery Voyage aboard MSI’s 90-foot

research vessel, the R/V Robert G. Brownlee.

As we look forward to the rest of the school year, we hope that you will join us in helping to reach more Bay Area students with our hands-on programs. Of the 563 Bay Area schools we have served so far this year, 30% to 91% of students in more than half of those schools are enrolled in Federal Reduced Priced Meal programs, an indicator of student poverty. Donor contributions are what enable MSI to provide sponsorships to underserved schools so that students can access hands-on, interdisciplinary science programs taught by our highly qualified instructors.

Through feedback from teachers and MSI instructors we learned that while many underprivileged K-12 students reside 50 miles or less from the California coast, an alarming number have never seen the Pacific Ocean and are unaware of the abundant marine life beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay. An MSI program may well be their first direct encounter with the natural world. Children in our programs have been surprised to learn what a storm drain is and where the water that funnels into it actually goes. MSI often provides students their first insights into the consequences of littering, and the

Student holding a bat star.

A Season of GivingBy Denise BrennanGET THOSE DOUBLES,

GIANTS!That's what MSI was cheering all September long, as one of the lucky nonprofits featured in the SIMS Metal Management San Francisco Giants Community Outreach radio program. For the month of September, every time the Giants pulled off a double play SIMS committed to donate $50 to be disbursed among six local nonprofit organizations, including the Marine Science Institute. SIMS also generously sponsored MSI to be featured in segments on KNBR radio. We were thrilled to receive a check from SIMS for $1550, and to cheer the Giants on to a World Series victory was icing on the cake.

Thank you to SIMS Metal Management, KNBR and, of course, the San Francisco Giants. This gift will go towards helping us br ing our un ique , hands-on environmental science programs to students all around the Bay Area.

The Brownlee passing our neighbors at SIMS Metal Management.

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connection between their actions and the impact on marine life and water quality in the Bay.

Science offers a laboratory of common experience for development of language, logic, and problem-solving skills in the classroom and beyond. This is frequently not the case in financially struggling schools where many teachers feel unprepared to teach science. Schools lack resources for professional development, materials and equipment required to offer the high-quality science programs so important to the future of students. That’s where the Marine Science Institute and your donations come in.

Our mission is to provide marine science activities to promote science learning among students in a way that gives them and their teachers access to programs, supplies and state-of-the-art equipment that schools cannot afford. MSI programs engage students in hands-on exploratory activities that build foundational scientific skills and knowledge. MSI programs and online resources enable teachers to meet Next Generation Science Standards for life, earth and physical sciences. We even take programs to schools that cannot afford the cost or time to transport students to our facility, or local wetlands and beaches.

We invite you to keep in mind this holiday season the significant and tangible impact your donation will make for students.

BAYLINESGive a Gift of Science this Holiday Season

Levels of Giving

$25 Sponsors one student’s attendance in the Ocean Lab Program at the MSI facility

$50 Gives a low income family a 1 year MSI membership

$75 Sends four students on an MSI Marsh & Beach or Tidepool Excursion to the coast

$100 Provides four months of food for marine animals living in the Marine Science Institute’s ocean lab aquarium

$475 Funds a scholarship for an underprivileged student to attend MSI’s week-long summer Marine Science Camp

$500 Provides a bus credit for one classroom’s field trip to Pescadero Beach

$1,000 Brings live marine animals to two Bay Area classrooms in underserved schools for an Inland Voyage

$2,500 Sponsors 60 students’ attendance on a four-hour Discovery Voyage on MSI’s 90-foot research vessel, the R/V Robert G. Brownlee

Students looking at plankton.

Your donation will help MSI educate and inspire more students in the Bay Area. For more information visit us at www.sfbaymsi.org or call (650) 364-2760.

DONATE HERE

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MSI Event Line-Up

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SIGN  UP  AT  WWW.SFBAYMSI.ORG

EVENT LOCATION DATE

Shark Day MSI Saturday, December 6 10am-12pm

Low Tide Walk Pillar Point, HMB Saturday, December 202:30pm-4:30pm

Summer Scouting Series #3Snowy Plover Walk

Free for members: spaces limited

Francis Beach, HMB Saturday, January 10 10:00am-12:00pm

Low Tide Walk Pillar Point, HMB Saturday, January 17 1:30pm-3:30pm

Snowy Plover Walk Francis Beach, HMB Saturday, January 31 10:00am-12:00pm

Summer Scouting Series #4To Be Determined

Free for members: spaces limited

TBD Saturday, February 7 10:00am-12:00pm

Low Tide Walk Pillar Point, HMB Saturday, February 1412:30pm-2:30pm

Elephant Seal Walk Año Nuevo, SMC Saturday, February 2110:00am-1:00pm

Redwood City EcoVoyages** MSI Saturday, March 71-3pm and 3-5pm

Shark Day MSI Saturday, March 2110:00am-12:00pm

Elephant Seal Walk Año Nuevo, SMC Saturday, March 2810:00am-1:00pm

advanced  registra-on  required,  **par-cipants  must  be  5  yo+,  must  wear  close  toed  shoes

Summer Scouting Series!Join us for our new members-only Summer Camp Scouting series. These field trips are exclusive and FREE to our members. During these excursions we will be visiting potential sites for camp field trips. Members can help us to find the new favorite spot that campers will enjoy all summer long! Sign up for one event or join us every month to see all of the potential field trip sites.  

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New Programs for the Classroom

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Wonders of WatershedsExplore local watersheds and discover how humans depend on, and influence their health with the Wonders of Watersheds. This inquiry-driven program includes a series of three experiences combining in-class learning with hands-on experimentation and discovery to build a deeper understanding of watersheds. The first in-class “Inland Voyage” program will introduce concepts using experimentation with a watershed model. The second experience brings students into the field with a Creek Study. During this field trip students will take data about the water (including physical and chemical properties) that they will use to discuss the health of the watershed. This program culminates with a “Canoes in Sloughs” program that takes students out on the water where they explore another part of the watershed. Through this series students gain an in-depth appreciation for what a watershed is and for their connection to the environment.

Habitat Combination ProgramThe Habitat Combination Program is a multiple-exposure program that combines an in-class visit featuring live animals with a field trip to deepen students’ experiences and create opportunities for cross-cutting between concepts. There are four options that introduce students to different animals and their habitats.

• The “Beach Combo” features animals adapted to survive above and below the sand, which students will look for during their field trip to Pescadero Beach and its adjoining marsh.

• The “Marsh Combo” focuses on the birds, fish, and invertebrates commonly found in marshes and mudflats which students visit in Pescadero.

• During “Rocky Shore Combo” students will study creatures both in their class and as they discover them in the tide pools of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay.

• For the “Coastal Water Combo” students will compare ocean animals brought to the classroom to the wildlife they will discover during a visit to MSI’s bayside facility.

BiomimicryBiomimicry is the practice of taking inspiration from nature to create solutions to meet human needs in a sustainable way. MSI offers 2 programs that introduce this concept and encourage students to apply it in critical thinking, problem solving, and design. Through hands-on observation of live animals, students learn how to identify and analyze adaptations that can be mimicked to solve human challenges. The Discovery Voyage Biomimicry Program includes an in-class introductory visit with live animals, followed by a 4 hour voyage during which students find inspiration by studying the plankton, invertebrates and fish in the San Francisco Bay. The Inland Voyage Biomimicry Program takes place entirely in the classroom, where students will examine live animals and learn about their adaptations. The culmination of both of these programs is a final design challenge that requires students to apply their knowledge of adaptation to creating sustainable solutions for an imaginary research station that requires elements such as mobility, data collection and habitat for the scientists.

To learn more about these and other programs please contact the scheduling coordinator at 650-364-2760 x 10

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Over the summer, I (Austin Cai), lead a team of four high school artists completed two murals for the mural project at MSI. I painted the Kelp Forest mural, while Nancy Hu and Sabrina Zhai painted the Mangroves mural. The murals will be used during MSI’s summer camps. Although there was no definitive deadline, the project had to be completed in the length of summer to avoid conflicts with schools.

I first received the project before the summer of 2014. At the time, I was naively hoping to finish two or three murals in time for them to be used in the summer. However, this plan quickly fell apart. The revised, final, plan was to finish two murals, one by me, one by my team, before the end of summer. I recruited first through my school’s art class, and then I recruited at my extracurricular art class. Many students were interested, but most had scheduling conflicts or lived too far away to make it. In the end, Nancy Hu, Sabrina Zhai, Andrew Shen, and Kevin Chow, all of which were in my extracurricular art class, joined.

I designed four drafts for kelp forest, and was close to getting approved within the first month of

summer. I was planning to attend COSMOS, a science summer program for a month, so I knew I had to finish most of my drafting work early on. (I actually attended a course on marine mammals in COSMOS, so by the time I came back I had enough expertise to add ear flaps and increase the pectoral flipper size on the kelp forest sea lion.)

As our schedules started clearing up, the team members, and many of their parents, held a meeting at a bakery to discuss how to move onward with the project and decide who had what responsibilities in terms of finalizing drafts. Nancy designed two more drafts, combining and finalizing the mangrove mural designs submitted by Sabrina and Andrew. Later, with the kelp forest draft complete and the mangrove mural draft nearly approved, the team held another meeting at the local library to discuss the logistics of beginning to paint. The main area of concern was how to carpool, and how to get the paint.

I knew from previous painting experience that Kelly Moore would donate paint to non-profit projects. The team was ready to start painting. We decided to first sketch the designs out on the cubicles as a point of reference. Nancy and Sabrina were responsible for the mangroves mural, while I was responsible for the kelp forest mural. On weekdays, we worked 3 hours a day, and about four days a week, depending on what time my and Sabrina’s mom had time to drive. Sabrina’s mom would take Sabrina, me, and sometimes Nancy to MSI, while my mom brought dinner and drove us home.

In total, it took about five weeks or 265 hours to finish the murals, including time needed for planning, drafting, meeting, commuting etc.

This project was the first time I have so formally led a group, and it was an amazing experience. Tiff, and the MSI facility were extremely supportive and patient, even when we made mistakes. The entire process was an amazing experience.

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Science and Art

“We learnt a lot on how to set up a team, look for team players, coordinate the activities, and how to provide a strong leadership. I am so glad to see his growth and I am confident Austin will be a stronger leader for his next community service project. Thank you for this great community service opportunity and your support!” -Jian Li (Austin’s Mom)

Summer Internship - Murals, Murals and Murals!By Austin Cai

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Camp  Navigator  Podcast  -­‐  Marine  Science  Camp  Cont.

Science and Art

Mangrove Forest Sketch Kelp Forest Sketch

Kelp Forest Outline

Kelp Forest Final

Mangrove Forest Outline

Mangrove Forest In Progress

Murals were created to stylize the nooks that groups use during Marine Science Camp.

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I am already looking forward to summer Marine Science Camp 2015. Every year one of the most fun challenges is finding field trip opportunities. Finding just the right place takes a lot of careful consideration…What can we learn? What will we see? How about the logistics and safety?

This year I am excited to involve our members and especially our camp families in this process. What better way to plan for a summer of fun science for kids than to have our expert summer campers join us? Every time I visit a new beach, marsh, or park, I am looking for the next adventure. Even when I return to a place I have enjoyed before I discover new ways to appreciate and learn from the surroundings. I look forward to uncovering new gems and finding new ways to enjoy some of our favorite spots alongside our

campers and their families.

Each site that we visit with the Summer Marine Science Camp Scouts will be chosen for its potential to fulfill some sort of learning objective or topic that fits with the camps’ themes. We need our scouts to help us test how engaging and fun the site can be. When our staff visits a site they look for “opportunities and obstacles” and we want our scouts to do so too (while learning and enjoying, of course!).

FIRST GLIMPSEMarine Science Camp

Line Up

All camps run Mon – Fri starting on the dates below.

Plankton Pioneer grade: K – 1June 15, June 29, July 13, August 3, August 10

Ocean Explorer grade: 2 – 5June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10

Bay Explorer grade: 2 – 5June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27

Naturalist (returning campers only)grade: 4 – 5 July 20, August 3, August 10

Underwater Investigator grade: 6 – 8June 22, July 6, July 27

Project Discovery grade: 9 – 12 July 20

BAYLINESCamp Navigator

Pebble Beach offers unique tide pools for campers adventurous nature.

Summer Camp Scouting SeriesBy Felicia Van Stolk

Ocean Naturalist exploring Pebble Beach.

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Camp Navigator

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Opportunities that we will look for include what kind of wildlife can be found at the site. We’ll ask questions such as “What kind of habitats and ecosystems can be explained and connected to the site?” and “What other themes can be addressed on the trip?” As we take a look at the site through a camper’s eyes, I look forward to hearing the questions that come up—each question is an opportunity to explore and seek an answer.

Obstacles that we will identify (and hopefully find a way around) may include the distance to a restroom or accessibility for all levels of mobility. We will also identify what might be distracting or difficult to accomplish with a larger group of people.

Of course, we wouldn’t go on a field trip without having some fun. Our scouts will enjoy activities run by MSI staff, including searching the tide pools and revisiting some of our favorite spots (lunch in a tree!). I look forward to seeing you out there!

Our summer Marine Camp is always meant to be both fun and educational. We love seeing familiar faces year after year, and strive to make sure that there are always new activities and new things to learn .

The Ocean Literacy Principles are an excellent guide as we strive to create meaningful camp curriculum. Ocean literacy is “an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean”—an understanding that we hope to impart to our campers. The seven principles are:

1. The Earth has one big ocean with many features.

2. The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of the Earth.

3. The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

4. The ocean makes Earth habitable.5. The ocean supports a great diversity of

life and ecosystems.6. The ocean and humans are

inextricably interconnected.7. The ocean is largely unexplored.

Read more about ocean literacy at http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/

Ocean Literacy Principles Inspiring Themes

image ©NASA Photo Library

Hiking to a protected harbor seal rookery.

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BAYLINESVolunteering Takes the Helm

Every volunteering event takes a different effort and, in return, provides different learning and fun. Volunteering at the recent Teacher Event at the Marine Science Institute was no exception, but deserves a special mention because it provided a lot of fun!

I left early from the San Jose campus of Brocade Communications Systems with a colleague, Dan Retter. We beat the general mid-afternoon traffic to reach MSI’s San Francisco Bay shoreline in Redwood City, where the familiar cool breeze of the bay and the warm smiles of the MSI staff quickly greeted us. Upon meeting with KC, Dan and I donned MSI t-shirts and were quickly converted into volunteers. We first embarked on a mission to convert slabs of mozzarella cheese, a bag of basil and a bowl of fresh homegrown cherry tomatoes into an appealing appetizer dish.

Soon it was time for the teachers to show up, so Dan and I hurried to the registration desk to help KC check in all the important guests of honor who travelled from various K-12 schools in the Bay Area. Dan prepared MSI bags for handouts and I searched for

and pulled out name tags from the sheets. As the inflow of guests trickled down, Dan and I were assigned to another MSI staff member who gave us a tour of the MSI campus. We were astonished by the campus view of the Bay and excited to see various marine species collected from the Bay for careful study in well-maintained aquariums of various sizes and shapes. The temperature of the water and the ecosystem in the tank were maintained to mimic species’ original homes in the Bay. The collections of fishes, crustaceans, eels and sharks were easy to view, touch and feel, when safe to do so.

After the tour of the campus, Dan and I moved into an airy outdoor room where we helped several other volunteers serve food and wine to the teachers. Between guests, there was plenty of time for us to enjoy ourselves with the food and wine. We had a good opportunity to socialize with other volunteers including a couple from Oracle, a student from UC Davis and a retiree from the local area.

To end the day of volunteering at MSI, Dan and I could not resist the temptation of relaxing and devouring the beauty of the Bay from the picnic benches at MSI with a glass of fine wine!

By Rakesh HansaliaBrocade

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BAYLINESThank You to Our Donors

$50,000 and AboveMoore Family FoundationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

$25,000 - $49,999Sandhill FoundationOracleCentral Contra Costa Sanitary DistrictContra Costa Water District

$10,000 - $24,999The Furnessville FoundationHeising-Simons Foundation Homestead FoundationSilicon Valley Clean WaterDelta Diablo Sanitation DistrictDean and Magaret Lesher FoundationRossi Family FoundationScience by Nature Collaborative

$5,000 - $9,999Atkinson FoundationCargillDanford FoundationFacebook Local Community FundMr. and Mrs. James CrawfordMt. View Sanitary DistrictPeninsula Aquatic CenterThe Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell FoundationMatson Navigation CompanyKohl'sTurner DesignsScandling Family Foundation **

$2,500 - $4,999Wells Fargo FoundationMatt and Nicole PattersonMr. and Mrs. Peter ChungDow Chemical Company

$500 - $2,499Borel Private Bank and Trust CompanyChildCare CareersExpansion Capital GroupJames and Susan RobertsJennifer MartinLakas Parrenas Shimizu Philanthrophy FundMr. and Mrs. Chris EspinosaMr. Paul Turner and Laurie Schoeffler(H)Provident Credit UnionSan Mateo County Harbor DistrictThe Repass-Rodgers Family FoundationMr. Jason JonesThe East Creek FundMs.Velvet VoelzPort of Redwood CityMr. Julian OsinskiGoogleDoering Family Foundation, LTD.George and Ruth Bradford FoundationLyngso Garden Materials, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Zachary HulseyMs. Patricia Cooley-WetzelSequoias- Portolla Valley Resident AssociationDevil's Canyon Brewery CompanyRonald C. Wornik Jewish Day SchoolMr. and Mrs. David TuitupouThe Robert Brownlee FoundationWhole FoodsSIMS Metal ManagementSolano County Water AgencyMark CottonaroMr. and Mrs. John GilbertMr. Chris ThromSuzanne and Mahmoud Jillo

✴Multi-year support✴An Advised Fund of Silicon Valley Community

Foundation

We strive to make this list as accurate as possible. If we have omitted anyone by mistake, we sincerely apologize and ask you to contact Denise@sfbaymsi.org so that we can correct this oversight immediately.

MSI is a non-profit education organization that relies on the generous donations of individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies to ensure that program costs remain within reach for schools.

We thank the donors listed in part below who have made it possible for us to serve 55,000 students of all ages for the past 12 months. We salute these generous supporters’ commitment to high-quality science education and cultivation of environmental stewardship.

If you would like to learn how you or your company can support MSI programs, please contact Denise Brennan, Advancement Director, at 650-364-2760 x14 or Denise@sfbaymsi.org.

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MSI’s  Mission  Statement

The  Ins-tute's  mission  is  to  cul-vate  a  responsibility  for  the  natural  environment  and  our  human  communi-es  through  interdisciplinary  science  educa-on.  We  achieve  this  goal  through  innova-ve  marine  science  educa-on  programs  that:

•Place  students  of  all  ages  in  direct  contact  with  the  natural  environment•Emphasize  the  interdependence  of  all  living  things,  their  connec-on  to  the  physical  environment,  and  the  special  responsibili-es  of  humans  to  the  environment•Facilitate  ac-ve  learning  through  the  use  of  observa-on,  cri-cal  thinking,  and  problem  solving  skills  in  a  coopera-ve  seHng  • Ins-ll  confidence,  encourage  involvement,  and  inspire  accomplishment  by  providing  posi-ve  role  models.  

2014-­‐15  Winter  Edi0on

500 Discovery Parkway •Redwood City •CA 94063 •650-364-2760 •sfbaymsi.org

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