On July 15th, 2013 Eyes of Reef (EOR) participated in a round table session at the 2013 Hawaii Environmental Education Symposium held at the Hawaii Convention Center.  K-12 teachers, marine scientists, education based non-profit groups, UH/HIMB faculty, and other environmental education advocates gathered to promote resources and share experiences about how to incorporate marine studies into Hawaii curriculum and how to get our keiki passionate about the ecological and cultural importance of our oceans.

We asked participants to try to pick out photos of healthy, non-stressed coral from photos of corals with disease, bleaching, COTS predation, or algal overgrowth. Many participants were shocked to discover the many ways that coral can be stressed.  However, they were also excited to know that EOR is a resource that not only educates about stressors to the marine environment but also trains participants to be citizen scientists. K-12 teachers from Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii expressed interest in collaborating with EOR to conduct training sessions in classrooms.

We hope to hear from all these teachers soon!