Marine Mammals - Science education
Marine Mammals is an EU-funded project to increase young people’s interest in natural science and prevent shortage of specialists in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Marine Mammals is integrated into the “Science with and for society” work programme of the European Commission. The specific aim of the project is to increase young people’s participation and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging them in motivating real-science experiences.
One of the aims of this project is to provide learning materials for school teachers and students which is developed by an international team of experts consisting of marine scientists, educational researchers and teachers. The materials will introduce scientific topics from current research questions as well as different research methods to students.
Often seen as ambassadors for oceans and still threatened by anthropogenic impacts such as noise and plastic pollution present in the oceans, marine mammals were chosen as key animals for this project.
Basic information
- Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Germany
- Foundation for the Development of the University of Gdansk (FRUG), Poland
- Havets Hus, Sweden
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover Foundation (TiHo), Germany,
- University of Liège, Belgium
- University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
- WWF Poland, Poland
You can find more information on the project’s website
Marine Mammals developed extensive teaching materials, including practical experiments, to cover various areas.
In teacher training courses, summer schools and symposia, participants were able to experience research directly. Teachers and students tested the teaching materials and tools together with the scientific experts. Tools for practical experiments were borrowed in expedition boxes and can be borrowed after the project lifetime. In addition, Marine Mammals developed digital teaching materials such as podcasts, 3D animations and an interactive poster to reach a broader audience.