Ocean Innovations

🎓 Audience

Education: Grade(s) 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Teacher(s)/Educator(s), Parent, Adult Learners, Homeschool/Family , Learning Pod; Public Library: Library Patrons, Library Staff

 🧬 Topics

Career & Technical Education (CTE), Economics/Business, Health & Physical Education, Industrial Technology, Professional Development, Science, STEM, Technology/Information Science

🗂️ Format

• Introduction and Overview: Introduction to biomedical and technology development, inviting learners to share their knowledge or experiences related to the topics.

• Segment 1 - Marine Medicines: Discuss recent advances in biomedical research at the lab, including cancer compounds from sharks and probiotic compounds from marine organisms.

• Segment 2 - Ocean Technology: Explore various technologies used in ocean monitoring, including state-of-the-art sensors and autonomous vehicles used to monitor dangerous phytoplankton.

• Segment 3 - Research and Innovation: Focus on applied research as we dive into the offshore ecosystems called Blue Holes–unique environments that require advanced SCUBA techniques for exploration and innovative approaches to sampling the water.

• Questions and Answers: Time is provided for learners to ask questions and discuss the topics of marine medicines, ocean technology, and Mote's research efforts.

🎯 Objectives

1. Examine recent advancements in marine-derived medicines and their potential health benefits.

2. Analyze various ocean technologies used for monitoring and improving water quality.

3. Investigate the unique ecosystems of Blue Holes and their significance in marine research.

4. Discuss how innovations in biomedical and ocean technology contribute to advancements in marine science.

✏️ Standards this program supports

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

• ETS1B 6–8 — Developing possible solutions. Learners explore how scientists apply engineering principles to design tools and techniques for ocean research, such as autonomous vehicles for water monitoring and devices to collect samples from extreme environments like Blue Holes.

• ETS1B 9–12 — Developing possible solutions. Learners evaluate how researchers identify and solve complex real-world challenges in marine environments through innovation, developing targeted technologies like sensors for harmful algal blooms and specialized diving equipment for deep-sea ecosystems.

• LS1A 6–8 — Structure and function. Learners examine how features of marine organisms, like shark immmunce cells or bioactive compounds in coral reef species, support medical research and can be adapted to benefit human health.

• LS1A 9–12 — Structure and function. Learners analyze the relationship between structure and function at the cellular and molecular levels in marine organisms, including how adaptations like fluorescent proteins or microbial interactions are harnessed for biomedical innovation.

• LS2C 6–8 — Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience. Learners investigate how marine ecosystems such as phytoplankton blooms and Blue Holes function, and how environmental data collection supports understanding of stability, change, and resilience in these systems.

• LS2C 9–12 — Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience. Learners evaluate ecosystem processes and feedback loops by examining how technology aids in the long-term monitoring of ocean conditions, supporting the study of complex offshore systems and human impacts.

• LS4D 6–8 — Biodiversity and humans. Learners explore how biodiversity in marine environments contributes to human health and innovation, highlighting the need to conserve species with potential biomedical and ecological value.

• LS4D 9–12 — Biodiversity and humans. Learners assess how the preservation of marine biodiversity supports scientific discovery, including how novel compounds and ecological insights from the ocean inform medicine, engineering, and environmental management.

Ocean Literacy Principles

• • Ocean Literacy Principle #5 – The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

  • Ocean Literacy Principle #6 – The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.

UN SDGs

• • 13 - Climate Action

  • 14 - Life Below Water

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)

• SC.6.N.1.5 – Recognize that science involves creativity, not just in designing experiments, but also in creating explanations that fit evidence. Application: Students explore how scientists use creativity to develop technologies for ocean monitoring, engineer tools for exploring Blue Holes, and design biomedical research based on marine life.

• SC.7.L.17.3 – Describe and investigate various limiting factors in the local ecosystem and their impact on native populations, including food, shelter, water, space, disease, parasitism, predation, and nesting sites. Application: Students explore how environmental factors, such as water chemistry and harmful algal blooms, act as limiting factors in marine systems and are studied using specialized sensors and monitoring tools.

• SC.8.L.18.1 – Describe and investigate the process of photosynthesis, including the roles of light, carbon dioxide, water, and chlorophyll; production of food; and release of oxygen. Application: Students consider the role of phytoplankton in marine ecosystems and how sensors are used to monitor photosynthetic activity in the ocean.

• SC.912.L.17.2 – Explain the general distribution of life in aquatic systems as a function of chemistry, geography, light, depth, salinity, and temperature. Application: Students examine how environmental factors influence marine ecosystems such as Blue Holes and how researchers monitor these variables using advanced sensor technology.

• SC.912.L.17.13 – Discuss the need for adequate monitoring of environmental parameters when making policy decisions. Application: Students investigate how autonomous vehicles and sensors collect ocean data to guide decisions about water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resilience.

• SC.912.L.17.17 – Assess the effectiveness of innovative methods of protecting the environment. Application: Students evaluate how marine-based biomedical research and monitoring technologies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable health solutions.

☑️ Evaluation Link

When answering these questions, please focus on the quality of the content and not the technology. You can answer anonymously. After clicking Did the program take place?, choose if you are you an Educator or Parent.

• cilc.org/ContentProvider/Evaluation

• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV): Unmanned underwater devices that operate independently to collect data or perform tasks in marine environments.

• Biomedical: Relating to the study and application of biology and medicine, particularly in the development of treatments and technologies for human health.

• Blue Hole: Unique underwater sinkholes or caves found in marine environments, often characterized by their deep, clear water and distinctive ecosystems.

• Ecology: The study of interactions between organisms and their environment, including the dynamics of ecosystems.

• Ecotoxicology: The study of the effects of toxic chemicals on ecosystems and wildlife.

• Forensics: The application of scientific methods and techniques to investigate crimes, including those related to environmental issues and marine biology.

• GPS: Global Positioning System, a satellite-based navigation system used to determine precise locations, often used in marine research for tracking and mapping.

• Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB): Rapid growth of algae in water that can produce toxins harmful to marine life, humans, and ecosystems.

• Immunology: The study of the immune system and its functions, including how organisms defend against diseases and pathogens.

• Microbiology: The branch of science that studies microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and other microbes, often in the context of health and environmental impact.

• Mitigation: Strategies and actions taken to reduce or alleviate negative impacts, such as environmental damage or health risks.

• Ocean Acidification (OA): The process by which the ocean becomes more acidic due to increased levels of carbon dioxide, affecting marine life and ecosystems.

• Ocean Technology: Tools and systems designed for the exploration, monitoring, and management of marine environments, including sensors and autonomous vehicles.

• Phytoplankton: Microscopic marine plants that are a crucial part of the ocean's food web and play a role in monitoring water quality.

• Probiotic: Beneficial microorganisms that contribute to health, sometimes derived from marine organisms.

• Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV): An underwater robot controlled by a person from a distance, used for exploring and collecting data from marine environments.

• Sampling: The process of collecting samples from an environment, such as water or organisms, for scientific analysis and research.

• SCUBA: Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, equipment used by divers to explore underwater environments while breathing compressed air.

Play Bio/Tech Bingo

Play virtual bingo using a computer, smartphone or tablet during your program to focus on key concepts and vocabulary.

• Online

• On paper/PDF

🌐 Websites

• Biomedical & Technology Development

• Chemical & Physical Ecology

• Ecotoxicology

• Environmental Laboratory For Forensics

• Marine Biomedical Research

• Marine Immunology

• Marine Microbiology

• Ocean Acidification

• Ocean Technology

• Phytoplankton Ecology

📰 Mote News

• Mote Marine Laboratory to be featured on PBS program Changing Seas

• Mote Leads Successful Sensor Deployment Initiative to Improve Coral Reef Acidification Monitoring

🖥️ Videos

• Mote Marine Laboratory Biomedical Research

• SEA Science At Home | Immunology & Water Tension

• Changing Seas: Florida's Blue Holes: Oases in the Sea

• Changing Seas: Mysterious Microbes

• Behind the Scenes | Water Chemistry with Rachel Ayala

• Introduction to Water Quality

• Mote Lander Deployment