Dayton woman one of 24 teachers in nation to attend Naval event

A teacher from Dayton High School is one of 24 teachers in the nation who attended an oceanography training sponsored by the U.S. Naval Academy.

Peggy Merrell participated in the 24t​h ​annual session of the Maury Project Workshop July 10-21 in Annapolis, Md.

The Maury Project is designed to give science teachers and science supervisors an in-depth study of various oceanographic and meteorological subjects including waves, tides, density and wind-driven oceanographic circulations and ocean-atmosphere interactions. The workshop’s goal is to equip teachers with training and teaching materials that can be used in their classrooms.

The teachers, from 17 states and one from Canada, participated in lectures, tutorials, research cruises, hands-on laboratory exercises and field trips.

David Smith, retired professor and former chairman of the Naval Academy oceanography department, and Wendy Abshire, education director of the American Meteorological Society, served as co-directors of the workshop.

Speakers included oceanographers and senior scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Maryland at College Park, NASA Goddard Space Flight Program, and the United States Navy.

The workshop is named in honor of Navy Lt. Matthew Fontaine Maury, who lived from 1806 until 1873 and is considered to be the founder of physical oceanography.

The workshop is funded by the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the Office of Naval Research and the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration. It’s also supported by the United States Naval Academy, the State University of New York at Brockport and the American Meteorological Society.

For information about the Naval Academy, go to ​www.usna.edu​. Information about the Naval Academy’s Oceanography Department is at www.usna.edu/Oceanography​.