Recently Terri Bidle (bidle@usc.edu) at The Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies (WIES) at USC sent out a request for nominations for the 2007 Ocean Leadership Awards. If you are not familiar with the award, here is some information she sent out:
"Once again it is time to honor the outstanding work of educators, researchers, scientists and volunteers. We want to thank you for your commitment and accomplishments. Your leadership in developing and implementing innovative
approaches to the teaching of ocean sciences deserves an award! For details on how
to nominate yourself or another distinguished individual before April 6, 2007 please visit www.usc.edu/quikscience."
I'd like to think I'd be an appropriate candidate for one of these awards, so I nominated myself. But my word may not carry much weight. Perhaps those of you out there in SoCal who read my weekly "DSive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper column, have seen my daily cable TV show, watched one of my DVD's or heard me talk at your dive club might want to second the nomination.
No, there's nothing in it for you, just the satisfaction of knowing you've potentially helped me! Yes, it's all about me. Boy, am I shameless!
Here is what I sent to WIES as background on my efforts over the past five decades:
OK, Terri. I'll bite, and be not so humble in nominating myself for an
Ocean Leadership Award!
I began my career as a marine educator teaching marine biology on SCUBA at
the Catalina Island School for Boys in 1969. My students studied marine
life under water, in the tidepools and through joint research projects
(partially NSF funded) in kelp raft dispersal of marine invertebrates with
my mentor at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology.
I have worked on a number of Cousteau Institute, The Cousteau Society,
Ocean Futures and Catalina Conservancy projects with Jean-Michel Cousteau.
These include the former Project Ocean Search Catalina educational
programs of the late 70's and early 80's, a two hour TBS documentary on
the Channel Islands in 1986, and a number of other educational efforts.
From 1996 to 2000 I was Vice President for Science, Education and
Ecological Restoration (SEER) with the Catalina Conservancy. In that
position I was responsible for revamping our entire education program,
linking it with results from various scientific research projects on the
island.
From 2000 on I have conducted independent marine education programs
targeted at Catalina residents (including our school children) and island
visitors. My "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" column in the Avalon Bay News
includes more than 220 articles on marine life, ecology and conservation
issues. My twice daily "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" public access television
show on local marine life has been running for more than four years on
Catalina Cable TV. My www.StarThrower.org web site contains substantial
information on regional SoCal marine life. I've also given a number of
talks to dive clubs, school groups and the gen eral public on kelp
forests, and have produced six commercial DVD's on marine life.
In short I've focused on media-based efforts to broaden the reach of my
education efforts!
I don't normally nominate myself, but those who might nominate me are
probably unaware of this award. Other than this, I'm a normal, unassuming
kind of guy who enjoys opening the eyes of non-divers to an important
world they rarely see.
Best fishes!"Dr. Bill" Bushing
bushing@post.harvard.edu
http://www.StarThrower.org
"Once again it is time to honor the outstanding work of educators, researchers, scientists and volunteers. We want to thank you for your commitment and accomplishments. Your leadership in developing and implementing innovative
approaches to the teaching of ocean sciences deserves an award! For details on how
to nominate yourself or another distinguished individual before April 6, 2007 please visit www.usc.edu/quikscience."
I'd like to think I'd be an appropriate candidate for one of these awards, so I nominated myself. But my word may not carry much weight. Perhaps those of you out there in SoCal who read my weekly "DSive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper column, have seen my daily cable TV show, watched one of my DVD's or heard me talk at your dive club might want to second the nomination.
No, there's nothing in it for you, just the satisfaction of knowing you've potentially helped me! Yes, it's all about me. Boy, am I shameless!
Here is what I sent to WIES as background on my efforts over the past five decades:
OK, Terri. I'll bite, and be not so humble in nominating myself for an
Ocean Leadership Award!
I began my career as a marine educator teaching marine biology on SCUBA at
the Catalina Island School for Boys in 1969. My students studied marine
life under water, in the tidepools and through joint research projects
(partially NSF funded) in kelp raft dispersal of marine invertebrates with
my mentor at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology.
I have worked on a number of Cousteau Institute, The Cousteau Society,
Ocean Futures and Catalina Conservancy projects with Jean-Michel Cousteau.
These include the former Project Ocean Search Catalina educational
programs of the late 70's and early 80's, a two hour TBS documentary on
the Channel Islands in 1986, and a number of other educational efforts.
From 1996 to 2000 I was Vice President for Science, Education and
Ecological Restoration (SEER) with the Catalina Conservancy. In that
position I was responsible for revamping our entire education program,
linking it with results from various scientific research projects on the
island.
From 2000 on I have conducted independent marine education programs
targeted at Catalina residents (including our school children) and island
visitors. My "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" column in the Avalon Bay News
includes more than 220 articles on marine life, ecology and conservation
issues. My twice daily "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" public access television
show on local marine life has been running for more than four years on
Catalina Cable TV. My www.StarThrower.org web site contains substantial
information on regional SoCal marine life. I've also given a number of
talks to dive clubs, school groups and the gen eral public on kelp
forests, and have produced six commercial DVD's on marine life.
In short I've focused on media-based efforts to broaden the reach of my
education efforts!
I don't normally nominate myself, but those who might nominate me are
probably unaware of this award. Other than this, I'm a normal, unassuming
kind of guy who enjoys opening the eyes of non-divers to an important
world they rarely see.
Best fishes!"Dr. Bill" Bushing
bushing@post.harvard.edu
http://www.StarThrower.org
