The first Summer Institute of the USC Center For Craniofacial Molecular Biology's Octopus Project got off to a rousing start thanks in part to a dynamite slide presentation by artist and marine enthusiast Marjory Spielman on Monday, August 23 at the California Science Center. Dr. Charles Shuler presented an overview of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and then turned loose the facilitators from the USC California Science Project (CSP) Leadership Cohort.

Inspired by the facts they identified in their "PBL" scenario, and their ideas about the LA Harbor and the White Croaker dilemma, approximately 52 teachers from the Jordan/Locke Cluster of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), divided into two alternating groups and boarded the Vantuna Research vessel at the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI). Their task was to plumb the depths of the LA Harbor and investigate "The Sciaenidoa Dilemma"! SCMI is a consortium of 10 major universities in southern California, including eight from the Cal State University System comprising the Ocean Studies Institute, along with USC and Occidental College.

Aboard Occidental's Vantuna, plankton was collected using a very fine-mesh plankton net pulled behind the ship, it was then viewed and identified in the laboratory using the video microscope. The Van Veen mud grab, Secchi disk, Forel color scale, and Sea-bird instruments were used to determine some of the physical properties of the water and environment, including sediment composition, water clarity, temperature, oxygen concentration, pH, and salinity. A Shallow Water Otter Trawl, using a net called an otter trawl, brought up the organisms that live on the shallow, sandy sea floor (30-60 ft deep). These fish and invertebrates were identified by the onboard instructors, and since many of them die, were preserved for the next days activity. Finally, the group went to the "Rock Pile", a hard rocky substrate that houses a rich abundance of organisms not seen on soft sea floors. Using a biological dredge a variety of benthic organisms and rock samples from a rock outcrop were collected from approximately 13 fathoms.

Returning to SCMI, the groups took their places in the laboratory classroom with marine biologist Carrie Wolfe. They learned about abiotic and biotic factors in the ocean environment, reviewed of the tools for water quality measurement, and collected water samples off the pier. Through discussion of the water quality test results teachers learned what these results mean; what is "normal" or expected; how results change; what causes these changes and how it affects the biotic factors of the marine environment. Some of the things teachers learned about plankton were: 1) What creatures make up the plankton; 2) the role of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton in the marine environment; 3) how the plankton is affected by abiotic factors, and; 4) how abiotic factors such as pollution affect the food web. They had a chance to do some classification and identification of plankton using the video microscope, plankton keys and data sheets. They discussed how plankton is quantified, what use can be made of the data and how this information contributes to knowledge about the overall health of the harbor.

Day two at SCMI consisted of four break-out session in the morning with groups of teachers:

• (some happily, and some with trepidation) dissecting the animals that had been collected and died the day before
• exploring existing curriculum to bring the content back to their students in age-appropriate ways
• identifying fish using the dichotomous key (where they discovered that "Sciaenidoa" was misspelled) graphing the data collected the previous day, discussing fish data analysis - its organization and use, and food webs
• learning about the marine environment and personal responsibility, "Beach Clean-up Day and how to involve their students from Michael Klubock of the Malibu Foundation.

On the morning of Thursday, August 25, the Jordan/Locke teachers were guests of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for an early morning private tour and discussion of a special 2-year exhibit to be developed and designed by their students as part of the Octopus Project. Then it was off to the Los Angeles Systemic Initiative's (LA-SI) San Pedro Mathematics, Science and Technology Center to explore this great teacher resource, get together in grade-level groups and develop a plan to implement their ideas in the classroom. Finishing out the week on Friday, at King-Drew Medical Magnet it was time for more instructional materials workshops, a chance to meet by school groups to develop a school-wide plan for dissemination and implementation, and a culminating visual presentation by each school of their ideas.

In evaluations throughout the week teachers expressed their enthusiasm for PBL, cited their increased confidence in marine science, their appreciation for the planning time and to be able to meet and learn with other teachers in their cluster. Some of their comments regarding PBL :