Japan Earthquake Swarm demonstrated before and after the 8.9

Japan Earthquake Swarm Google Earth Animation  here 

www.youtube.com

Quick video showing earthquakes in Japan between 9 March and 14 March. 1 hour ~ 1 second. Big one is around 1:17. 

Kevin Sorbo Urges You to Support Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Re...

MARINE PESTS AND THREATS

Our lives depend on a healthy marine environment. We know that exotic species can throw our ecosystems out of balance. Do hitchhikers in ballast water and clinging to the bottom of ships arriving from other waters affect the health of Australian waters? AUSMEPAs Marine Pests and Threats unit of work (here) for students and teachers puts that question into perspective. The newly renovated pages have just gone live! If you wish to learn and share information on this interesting topic please visit our Curriculum Unit webpage at http://www.ausmepa.org.au/pests/default.asp?pageid=2&nav=2  Use this website to research the facts and decide on the actions needed to prevent marine pests and threats coming to Australia either in ships’ ballast water or attached to ships’ hulls.

AUSMEPA MEDIA RELEASE: RHONNDA ALEXANDER MEMORIAL MARINE EDUCATION GRANT

RHONNDA ALEXANDER MEMORIAL MARINE EDUCATION GRANT

AUSMEPA’S Executive Director, Michael Julian, announced today the launch of the Rhonnda Alexander Memorial Marine Education Grant in the memory of Rhonnda Alexander and her support for AUSMEPA as well as for marine conservation and marine environment education. Rhonnda was married to Michael Alexander, AUSMEPA’s first Chairman, for 46 years until her tragic death on 19 July 2011 in a car accident near their Peregian Springs home.

Rhonnda played a key role in the setting up of AUSMEPA and encouraging her husband Michael to also get involved and accept the challenge of being the inaugural Chairman. Throughout her husband’s Chairmanship Rhonnda was a keen supporter of AUSMEPA making suggestions on how AUSMEPA could grow and achieve its goals.

AUSMEPA will award the grant of $3,000 each year to the school that can demonstrate, in its application for the grant, the most effective school marine education project that will lead to students actively improving the marine environment. This could include educating their local community and other environmental behaviour change activities.

The type of project is entirely up to each school; however the grant application must meet the required criteria. See attachment.

For the first year of the grant, applications are being sought only from schools whose teachers are members of the Marine Teachers Association of Queensland. Once AUSMEPA has gained experience in administering the grant, applications next year and subsequent years will be invited from all schools in Australia.

Applications will close at the end of April with AUSMEPA announcing the school to be awarded the grant at the end of May 2011. The successful school will have until the end of November to complete the project and submit to AUSMEPA a three minute video clip about the outcome of their project. The video clip will be loaded on to the AUSMEPA website.

For more information please contact Michael Julian 0417 657 951.

Criteria for AUSMEPA’s Rhonnda Alexander Memorial Marine Education Grant

Main criteria

1. Students must have a major role in organising the project.
2. On completion of their project the students will create a video clip communication product suitable to  be placed on the AUSMEPA website. Permission slips will be required.
3.  The project must have a major coastal conservation application either by direct action or involvement with community education (they have equal weight).
4. The innovative approach to the project has application to other schools.
5. The quality of the project content, outcomes and outputs.
6.  The grant money should not be used for resources already available at school however may be used for example to go towards purchasing or hiring equipment that the school would not normally have.
7.  The attached application must be fully completed, signed and dated by the school Principal.

Other important information.    

1. All applications must have both a concise and a detailed description of the student project. Details of expected educational outcomes for students and how this project links to marine conservation must be outlined.
2. An individual teacher needs to be designated as project leader and primary contact between AUSMEPA and the school.
3. There must be a budget showing how the grant will be spent. There is no requirement to find matching funding. It is anticipated that some projects may find small unexpected variations in expenditure. Please note there is no requirement to obtain any additional funding however if other sources of funding are made available these should be detailed in the budget.
4.  The project may be undertaken with a community partner. If there is a partner, details of their role and support needs to be included in the application
5.  Supporting documentation can be provided as an attachment however the primary assessment will be restricted to the application information.  NOTE:  The application may also be supported by a presentation prepared by the students using one media of their choice to explain why their project is important. Examples of media could include video clip, PowerPoint presentation, song, poem, poster, or postcard etc.   Principal’s signature is required to confirm that the project has the full support and encouragement of the school community. The Principal will supervise the expenditure of the grant taking into account there may be variations that the school will be responsible for resolving.
6. The project will be considered to be concluded upon confirmed receipt of the student’s video clip communication about the project, accompanied by Parent Permission Slips for student images and budget sign-off by the Principal.

RightShip Develops Ship Environmental Rating

AUSMEPA congratulates RightShip Pty.Ltd. for developing a world first environmental rating option for ships listed in its ship vetting data base. 

The environmental rating comprises two components:

• An environmental star rating based on an analysis of a range of data for each ship and includes pollution incidents, compliance with international marine environmental conventions and standards, affiliations with organisations like AUSMEPA and the Green Award.
• A greenhouse gas emissions rating which looks at the mass of CO2 emitted in terms of grams of CO2 per tonne of cargo and distance travelled.

 It is hoped that this new initiative will assist in making sustainability a criteria in the vessel selection process used by vessel charterers who wish to ensure their cargo is carried in the best environmentally operated ships.

AUSMEPA is closely associated with RightShip Pty. Ltd which maintains an AUSMEPA fleet data base of ships in the AUSMEPA Ship Membership scheme (here). 

TED TALK: Brian Skerry reveals ocean's glory and horror

Brian Skerry reveals ocean's glory -- and horror | Video on TED.com

www.ted.com

TED Talks Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life above and below the waves -- as he puts it, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change.

Click here to view see the talk and view the magnificent photography of Brian Skerry.

Coast and Marine Teacher Training in South Australia 22 March 2011