Teachers to hear about Mission Oceans

The curriculum for the Navy-sponsored academic outreach, "Mission Ocean," will be presented at the 2011 Mississippi Science Teacher's Association Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Jackson, Oct. 23-25. The curriculum is being offered in association with the December 2011 christening of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782), which is scheduled for commissioning in Gulfport, Miss., in 2012. The submarine-related science curriculum, approved by the Mississippi Department of Education for 6th and 7th grades, that will be available beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. Developed by a team at Purdue University, the year-long curriculum focuses on science activities and missions in a simulated submarine control room. Participation in the Mission Ocean program, developed in 1997, has produced statistically significant improvement in standardized test scores in the content areas of science, mathematics and social studies. (Source: Tcp, 10/20/11) Note: The Navy is a major tenant at Stennis Space Center, Miss. SSC is home of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command.