The YMS provides research opportunities to university undergraduate students, K-12 teachers and their students, as well as to parents who join the Young Scientists in their investigations. Hands-on activities and practical materials have been developed for teaching science, aimed at appealing to the natural fascination with the marine environment which is experienced by people of all ages. Important YMS goals are to make university researchers accessible to teachers in the community in order to encourage them to become involved in research and gain confidence in their approach to teaching the sciences. The teachers and their young students are offered direct exposure to working scientists from a variety of disciplines who answer questions and provide guidance for research projects and enriched teaching at the individual, small group, or class level.

Dr. Miriam Polne-Fuller is the creator and director of the YMS program. Her personal research activities during the past year have focused on three topics: 1. Creation of tissue and cell culture systems for red and brown seaweeds, which contain pharmaceutically active compounds. 2. Develop-ment of aquaculture methods for tank cultivation of the Pacific Hagfish-Silkfish, Eptatritus stautii. This is a study of the effect of feeding schedules and silk harvesting on survival, growth and silk production. 3. Study of the marine amoeba Trichosphaerium and the presence of polyethylene degrading enzymes in isolates from around the world.

Dr. Polne-Fuller has continued to work with UCSB graduate and undergraduate students, UCSB student teachers, high school teachers and students, as well as elementary school teachers and students. She expanded on the development of marine science curricula, lesson plans, activities and research projects for elementary and secondary classrooms. Dr. Polne-Fuller's classroom tools include science stories she has written, as well as use of selected poems and music to enrich the teaching of science. During this year, she worked at the UCSB Graduate School of Education with class of 1996-97 student teachers, helping them to prepare for teaching K-6 science. In support of science education in the community, Dr. Polne-Fuller worked with eleven junior high and high school science teachers in the Santa Barbara and Ventura School Districts. She served as a Community Partner for a 4th grade teacher at Main School in Carpinteria and presented science evenings in five local schools. Throughout the year Dr. Polne-Fuller presented marine science programs to groups of teachers who visited the Marine Science Institute, gathered at the beach or at the Santa Barbara Zoo. In addition, she developed for the Santa Barbara County Education Office a one-week workshop for teachers of grades 3-6. Other educational activities were as follows:

Research Projects with Students:
Guidance was provided for seven elementary school science research projects and three high school research projects. One of the students won first place at the county level and second place at the state level. Dr. Polne-Fuller worked with eleven "At-Risk" junior high school students who are interested
in nature. Four of these students became engaged in serious research projects.

Teaching:
UCSB Summer Session class for excelling high school students, Bio 93. Four MSI researchers are serving as mentors in this research mentorship program.

Presentations at Schools:
Offered six "Marine Science as a Profession" lessons and activities at La Cumbre Middle
School AVID classes.
Family evening presentations of alginate and kelp forest activities were made at three local and
Ventura schools.

Presentations to the Public:
Marine science educational activities were presented at the Ventura Whale Festival, Santa Barbara
Whale Day, Earth Day, Point Mugu Whale Festival, Harbor Festival and Light Parade Festival.
Guided touch tank visits were provided for local public groups, as well as tours for winners of a
UCSB Lottery donated by the Office of Public Relations.
Presentation at the "Science as a Profession" program for high school students in Ventura.

Educational Activities Affiliated with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS):
Dr. Polne-Fuller is the MSI representative to the Marine Education Regional Alliance (MERA), a new local marine educators group lead by CINMS.
She is developing a K-12 Channel Islands teaching curriculum entitled "Translating Research Into Education" for the Channel Islands National Park. This curriculum will bring recent research data from the Park to teachers and classes in the region.