ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Sept. 11, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Marine life artist Wyland - known for his mega-sized
Murals called "Whaling Walls" - has issued a challenge
to every primary school student in the United States
to learn to use science in the service of
marine conservation. His only requirement?
They do it creatively.
WHO: In partnership with the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography (UCSD) and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps,
the artist has created the Wyland Ocean Challenge,
"Clean Water for the 21st Century," a non-profit
interdisciplinary marine art and science education
program. Wyland was recognized in 1999 for educational
innovation by the National Educator's Association
magazine NEA Today in 1999. Over the last twenty years,
he has provided community outreach on conservation
issues to more than 1,000,000 children, and currently
writes a column on children and the marine environment
in Sport Diver Magazine. Scripps SIO in La Jolla, Calif.
is considered one of the world's Premier Oceanographic
research programs.
WHEN: The Wyland Ocean Challenge, "Clean Water for the 21st
Century," program will be available free to every school
in the nation, starting this week.
HOW: The challenge features lesson plans (K-3, 4-6) available
online to teachers, a nationwide art contest, and will
conclude with a Wyland-created "Underwater Village"
tour at major museums and aquariums from Mexico to
Seattle, Wash. Each tour stop gives students a hands-on
opportunity to rebuild a dying coral reef through art.
BACKGROUND: The new online curriculum and teachers' guide meet all
national science standards and is downloadable from any
classroom computer. The overall goal of the program is
to give students a global view of the importance of
water, from the planet's oceans, lakes, and rivers, to
its streams, ponds, and wetlands. Information about the
first stage of the program, which focuses on oceanic
habitats, is now available for grades K-6 and can be
found at www.wylandoceanchallenge.org. The program is
expected to reach over one million students this year.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Chancellor Charles
Kennel called the program a prime example of two
different disciplines that "begin in opposite directions
but end up together on the great circle of human
comprehension."
"Over the past one hundred years our scientists have
gained an ever-more sophisticated understanding of ocean
and earth sciences," Kennel says. "The Wyland Ocean
Challenge is a wonderful way to engage children in
understanding one of the complex environmental problems
that face us today."
NOTE TO EDITORS: To interview Wyland or Charles Kennel, contact Steve Creech from 9 am to 6 pm PST, Monday through Friday, at 949/ 643-7070, ext. 283. More information at the following links:
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at http://sio.ucsd.edu/
Birch Aquarium at Scripps at http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/
Wyland Foundation at http://www.wylandfoundation.org/
VIDEO AVAILABLE: http://www.wylandfoundation.org/wyatbirchvideo.html
OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:
http://www.wyland.com/htmlsite/where/globalmap/globalmap.html
HIGH RES ART AVAILABLE: http://www.wylandworldwide.com/main/media.cfm
Password: Manatee