(Rob Underwood of DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy, left, watches as students prepare to race their solar cars at the 2018 Delaware Junior Solar Sprint. DNREC photo by Joanna Wilson.)

Registration for schools due by Jan. 10, 2020 deadline

DOVER – Delaware 5th-8th grade students are invited to build and race solar-powered model cars in a statewide challenge of creativity, engineering, and speed in the 2020 Junior Solar Sprint state competition, co-sponsored by DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy and the Delaware Technology Student Association (TSA).

The event will take place on April 2, 2020 at the Delaware Technical Community College campus in Dover as part of the National Junior Solar Sprint Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program.

Public, private, and parochial schools, and homeschooled children in grades 5-8 across the state may register up to two teams of two to four students each. Registration is free, and the Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy will provide each participating school with two starter kits, each including a solar panel, motor, and wheels.

Interested educators should submit a completed registration form by Jan. 10, 2020 by email to JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov or by mail to DNREC State Street Commons, 100 West Water Street, Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy Suite 5A, Dover, DE 19904.

The registration form and rules and guidelines can be found on the Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy‘s Junior Solar Sprint webpage, or the Delaware TSA State Conference webpage. Schools are not required to have a TSA chapter in order to participate. Additional questions can be directed via email to JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov or by phone at 302-735-3480.

For those not familiar with the event, a video of last year’s Junior Solar Sprint is posted on DNREC’s YouTube channel at 2018 Solar Sprint.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

DOVER – The 2020 Delaware Wetlands Conference will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 29-30, at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship announced today. For information, participants and presenters can visit de.gov/dewetlandsconference.

Dates and deadlines to remember for the 2020 Delaware Wetlands Conference are:
• Registration for conference participants opens Wednesday, Nov. 13.
• The deadline to submit abstracts for oral presentations is Wednesday, Oct. 30.
• Poster presentations will be accepted through Monday, Dec. 20.
• The deadline for entries in a new photo and art contest is Friday, Nov. 1. Artists of all ages are encouraged to submit their best work highlighting a wetland plant, animal, or scene. The winning work will be featured on the cover of the 2020 Delaware Wetlands Conference program.

DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment and Coastal Training programs have put together a full two-day event that focuses on the importance of wetlands across the Mid-Atlantic region. More than 350 wetland experts and enthusiasts from the area are expected to gather at the biennial conference to share the latest innovations in wetland research, outreach, and conservation programs.

The conference brings together scientists, planners, county and federal representatives, community leaders, educators, natural resource managers, and students to discuss current research on tidal and non-tidal wetlands, the value of the region’s wetlands, and the impact their management has on the community.

Wetlands play a vital role in our everyday lives, protecting our communities from flooding and erosion and boosting our economy through the tourism, outdoor recreation, and seafood industries. This conference fosters an atmosphere that supports the exploration and dissemination of wetlands science. Although wetlands are the primary focus of this learning and networking event, related topics also will include streams, habitat, and wildlife.

For more information on the 2020 Delaware Wetlands Conference, including sponsorships, please visit the website, or contact Brittany Haywood at Brittany.Haywood@delaware.gov, or call 302-739-9939.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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Four Delaware teachers have been named as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the highest recognition that K-12 mathematics and science teachers can receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. The finalists were honored last week at the national awards ceremony in Washington, DC.

The 2017 national awardees are:

• Kathleen Olenderski (mathematics) of Alfred G. Waters Middle School in the Appoquinimink School District.
• Joshua Gates (science) of the private Tatnall School

The 2018 national awardees are:

• Jennah Truitt (mathematics) of Lord Baltimore Elementary School in the Indian River School District
• Danielle Rash (science) of Olive B. Loss Elementary School in the Appoquinimink School District

The Delaware Department of Education also has named six teachers as 2019 state PAEMST finalists:

• Katherine Hoffecker (mathematics) of Middletown High School in the Appoquinimink School District
• Eileen Voltz (mathematics) of the Charter School of Wilmington in the Red Clay Consolidated School District
• Kathleen Wilson (mathematics) of St. Georges Vocational Technical High School in the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
• Jordan Estock (science) of Concord High School in the Brandywine School District
• Elizabeth Plant (science) of First State Montessori Academy Charter School
• Rachael Smith (science) of Hodgson Vo-Tech High School in the New Castle County Vo-Tech School District

The national finalists and state awardees will be recognized later this school year at the Delaware STEM Conference. Information will be forthcoming.

The goal of the PAEMST award program is to exemplify the highest standards of mathematics and science teaching in addition to honoring individual achievement. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. The award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. Every year each state selects up to three mathematics teachers and three science teachers as state finalists. A national selection committee reviews state finalist applications and selects one awardee in each content area for every state. Teachers are recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make progress in mathematics and science. As part of the recognition process, awardees take part in a weeklong series of networking and professional development activities in Washington, D.C., and receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

For more information about PAEMST and to see nomination forms and application instructions, visit www.paemst.org.

DOVER – DNREC’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section will be holding three informational public open house workshops to share information about dredging and other waterway management operations in Delaware.

The workshops are scheduled as follows:

• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5-7:30 p.m., South Coastal Library, 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach, DE 19930
• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 5-7:30 p.m., Indian River Volunteer Fire Company Hall, 32628 Oak Orchard Road, Millsboro, DE 19966
• Sunday, Nov. 3, 1-3:30 p.m., Lewes Library, 111 Adams Avenue, Lewes, DE 19958

The workshops all will provide information on topics such as the Inland Bays dredging prioritization project that is currently in progress, the upcoming maintenance dredging project at Massey’s Ditch, and an overview of waterway management operations (dredging, channel marking and surveying, macro-algae harvesting) conducted by the Shoreline & Waterway Management Section.

Interested parties are encouraged to attend the open houses to share ideas and comment on the dredging prioritization project, as well as learn and ask questions about these important topics of DNREC’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section staff.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 242

LEWES – Delaware’s coastal and natural resources will be featured from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6 at DNREC’s Coast Day education tent between the Smith and Cannon buildings on the campus of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958.

Coast Day is the university’s annual outreach event that attracts thousands of visitors from Delaware and throughout the region to showcase the latest in ocean science and conservation.

“Coast Day celebrates Delaware’s coastal resources and brings together partners who are committed to preserving our beaches, waterways, tidal marshes, farmland, upland forests, bay, and ocean for future generations,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Coast Day visitors will get a close-up look into the science and technology that is being used and developed to help make important decisions about our natural resources in Delaware and around the globe.”

DNREC’s tent features the agency’s diverse programs that help conserve and protect Delaware’s natural resources and encourages public participation through hands-on activities and educational games that appeal to both adults and children. DNREC has exhibited at Coast Day since the event’s inception in 1976.

This year, a variety of DNREC exhibits with games and giveaways will highlight Delaware’s coastal and natural resources, including:
Shoreline and Waterway Management Section’s Dune Sign Contest winners display, floodplain mapping tool, and dredging survey

• The Delaware Bayshore Initiative’s mini-theater and DuPont Nature Center’s touch tank
• DNREC volunteer opportunities at the EcoCafe
• The Delaware Shorebird Project
• DNREC Recycling Program information and sorting activity
• Outdoor Delaware magazine
• Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center and Fort Miles programs
• Resources for the public on ocean science from Delaware Coastal Programs
• Air quality monitoring equipment demonstrations
• Information on bats and white-nose syndrome with audio of bat calls and videos from the Species Conservation & Management Program
• Mosquito Control Section‘s tips for knocking out pests
• Wetlands conservation activities for the whole family
• DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances will provide information on Brownfields Development and Heating Fuel Underground Storage Tank Closure Assistance programs.

For more information on the event, visit https://www.deseagrant.org/coast-day.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 241