Sea Lab Partners with Shell for Minority Program
ASU Interns Look to Energize Younger, Minority Sea Lab students

Two Alabama State University students will soon have the opportunity to experience the world of marine science and positively affect the life of younger students in the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Discovery Hall summer program. Discovery Hall opens the field of marine science to Alabama secondary school students through hands-on field and laboratory experience. Letitia House and Toice Goodson are Discovery Hall’s newest teacher interns; they begin their own experience with the Discovery Hall kids this summer thanks to the cooperation of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Shell Exploration & Production Company. A Shell donation of $12,500 will cover the expenses associated with these two internships, including housing, food, travel, supplies and stipends.

Present at the check presentation were(L-R) Dr. Daniel Vertrees, Alabama State University's dean of the College of Education; Dr. Linda Bradford, chairwoman, ASU's Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dr. Thelma Ivery, interim dean, College of Arts and Sciences, acting chairwoman, physical science and associate professor; Dr. Joe A. Lee, ASU's president; Jay Trussell, Shell operations manager; Toice Goodson, ASU student; Dr. B.K. Roberson, assistant professor of biology; Tish House, ASU student; Dr. Karen Scissum-Gunn, director, biomedical research and training program, chairwoman Department of Biological Sciences and associate professor of biology; Dr. George Crozier, director of Dauphin Island Sea Lab; and James Blanton, Shell operations superintendent.

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab recognizes that minorities, particularly African-Americans, are underrepresented in the sciences; among marine sciences students, the situation is one of most egregious. Recently, the Sea Lab approached Shell Exploration & Production Company with a way to not only encourage ASU students to realize the opportunities available to them in the marine sciences, but also to provide mentors, in the form of teacher interns, for the younger minority students at Discovery Hall. Science education majors Letitia and Toice are the first ASU students to participate in this Sea Lab/Shell program.

"We are grateful to Shell for its kind donation to establish a first-ever minority science teacher internship program at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab," said Dr. John Dindo, head of Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s public outreach programs and K-12 education. "The combination of hands-on learning and mentoring will prove invaluable in producing enthusiastic, life-long learners in marine science. This is an exciting opportunity for us, the interns and all our students; we look forward to broadening the range of experiences for educators and students in the minority population."

Each of the new interns will have the opportunity to learn the Discovery Hall material to be taught, assist in teaching at each of the grade levels, assist in the field based programs, and be able to assemble a curriculum guide that can be used by the intern in a future class. Beyond the classroom, Letitia and Toice will be available as mentors for the young Discovery Hall students during an educational, fun summer.

Shell Exploration & Production Company, based in New Orleans and Houston, is making this Dauphin Island Sea Lab contribution on behalf of its Yellowhammer Gas Plant located in nearby Coden, Alabama.

(Editor’s note: This story is based on a press release written by Kelly Coone, Shell Oil)