Billion Oyster Project: Linking Public School Teaching and Learning to the Ecological Restoration of New York Harbor Using Innovative Applications of Environmental and Digital Technologies Samuel P. Janis, Lauren B. Birney, Robert Newton Billion Oyster Project: Linking Public School Teaching and Learning to the Ecological Restoration of New York Harbor Using Innovative Applications of Environmental and Digital Technologies Samuel P. Janis, Lauren B. Birney, Robert Newton Professor Samuel P. Janis, Restoration Program Director, The New York Harbor Foundation,
[email protected] Dr. Lauren B. Birney, Assistant Professor School of Education, Pace University,
[email protected] Dr. Robert Newton, Research Scientist, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University,
[email protected] Abstract Research consistently shows that children who have opportunities to actively investigate natural settings and engage in problem-based learning greatly benefit from the experiences. They gain skills, interests, knowledge, aspirations, and motivation to learn more. But how can we provide these rich opportunities in densely populated urban areas where resources and access to natural areas are limited? This project will develop and test a model of curriculum and community enterprise to address that issue within the nation's largest urban school system. Middle school students will study New York harbor and the extensive watershed that empties into it, and they will conduct field research in support of restoring native oyster habitats. The project builds on the existing Billion Oyster Project, and will be implemented by a broad partnership of institutions and community resources, including Pace University, the New York City Department of Education, the Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York Academy of Sciences, the New York Harbor Foundation, the New York Aquarium, and others.