This fall, freshman students
at the University of the Virgin Islands will experience a new twist
on a UVI staple - attending classes via videoconference. While the
University routinely uses videoconferencing technology to connect
instructors on one campus with students on the other, students
enrolled in all sections of the fall semester's Science 100 course
will be treated to regular presentations by Dr. Nasseer Idrisi who
will be broadcasting from the decks of a research vessel steaming
from Japan to Australia.
Dr. Idrisi, UVI research biological oceanographer and professor in
the Marine and Environmental Science masters program, was selected
to fill the "HBCU Educator" post for an international research
project that will study an ocean plateau located about 900 miles
east of Japan. The plateau - a large area of raised ocean bottom -
is known as the Shatsky Rise. In his position as a teacher at sea,
Dr. Idrisi will have the opportunity to learn shipboard science
alongside the expedition's science party and translate his learning
experiences for students, their families and the general public
through the creation of blogs, live videoconferencing from the ship
and other classroom activities.
The Shatsky Rise project is organized by the Integrated Ocean
Drilling Program (IODP) and sponsored by the Consortium for Ocean
Leadership, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that
promotes advanced research, education and sound ocean policy.
Consortium members include the United States, Japan, China, South
Korea and the European Union. The University of the Virgin Islands
is the only one of the nation's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges
and Universities) located outside the continental United
States.
Dr. Idrisi said he's "excited about the
opportunity to further education in science in the USVI and at
other HBCUs." His home for two months - from Sept. 4 through Nov. 4
- will be the 470-foot ocean drilling ship named the JOIDES
Resolution. (JOIDES stands for Joint Oceanographic Institutions for
Deep Earth Sampling.)
A veteran of other, though shorter, research
cruises in the Caribbean, Florida Bay and the Bahamas, Dr. Idrisi
expects his role on this cruise to be a completely new experience.
While he is trained in oceanography, the Shatsky Rise project will
mainly involve geological studies. "I'll be more of a conduit,
sharing what I see," he said. "I'll be asking lots of
questions."
UVI President Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster has congratulated Dr. Idrisi
on the appointment. "This is a national recognition and we are very
proud of your accomplishment," Dr. Ragster said. "Thank you for
your contributions to the success of UVI and to the fulfillment of
our mission."
According to Dr. Idrisi, the project's
scientific goal is to shed light on the geological processes that
form ocean plateaus known as rises. "One idea is that the rises are
formed through the movement of plate tectonics - that's the
accepted model now," he said. "But some say that a rise may be
formed through volcanic activity. And, because oceanic rises are
huge, they could be the result of super-volcanic activity." He said
the ship's main research technique will be to drill into the rise
and take core samples that the project's 24 scientists will examine
for clues of the history, sources and evolution of the
rise.
Dr. Idrisi said he would soon be visiting the Ocean Leadership
headquarters for general project orientation and training in the
use of Twitter (real-time texting) and Face Book, Internet-based
social media applications that he'll use to share his shipboard
experiences.
Along with the ongoing telecommuting sessions with UVI Science 100
students and his regular graduate students, Dr. Idrisi said he
hopes to use the project to expand outreach to the full range of
Virgin Islands students in grades K through 12. "I think this kind
of connecting to the community is a hallmark of UVI and of
VI-EPSCoR, the Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research."
Much more on the Shatsky Rise voyage (IODP
Expedition 324), including background, photos of the ship and the
scientists and sailing schedules, is available from the Ocean
Leadership web site: www.oceanleadership.org.