An award has been made to the New England Aquarium to develop the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI). The overall goal of the CCEP Phase I project is to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. This project will strengthen the capacity of aquariums and related Informal Science Education institutions (e.g., coastal national parks, nature centers, and national marine sanctuaries) throughout the U.S. to interpret climate change and its impacts on coastal zones and marine life. Working with professional and volunteer aquarium interpreters and educators the partnership will provide training, tools, and support to help aquarium professionals interpret climate change for their visitors, making connections with collection animals. The initiative will serve not only the partner institutions, but also an expanding network of aquariums and informal science education institutions interested in bringing important messages about climate change and the ocean to their visitors.

The specific goals include (1) grounding interpretative techniques with visitor research; (2) building a "community of practice" of interpreters; (3) deepening the scientific content knowledge of interpreters; and (4) expanding to reach additional institutions nationwide. By the end of this project, the PIs expect to (1) convene two conferences of stakeholders; (2) implement two pilot "Study Circles" facilitated by FrameWorks Institute; (3) conduct formative evaluation to deepen our understanding of the potential and scalability of Study Circles as a way to facilitate communities of practice; and (4) develop a realistic, feasible strategic plan for scaling up communities of practice to reach hundreds of institutions across the U.S. More information on this project is available by visiting http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503465, or contacting the PI.