The Gulf of Mexico Foundation and ConocoPhillips proudly present the 14th annual Down Under, Out Yonder and Corals to Classrooms coral reef workshops for K-12 and college entry biology educators nationwide.

"Down Under, Out Yonder" (DUOY) is a five-day workshop that includes three days of scuba diving. "Corals to Classrooms" is the first two-days of land-based workshop without the additional scuba component. Both workshops are held during the month of July.

For more information on either workshop, contact Franklin Viola, DUOY and Media Project Coordinator, at franklin@gulfmex.org or (832) 373-8393.

DUOY General Information
Down Under, Out Yonder coral reef workshop and scuba trip is sponsored annually by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation for K-12 and college entry educators, nationwide. ConocoPhillips was the sponsor for DUOY 2008.

During the land-based weekend, DUOY participants attend the Corals to Classroom workshop n Galveston, Texas, featuring guest speakers and educational materials to bring back to the classroom. Afterwards participants travel to Freeport, Texas, for three days of scuba diving board the MV Fling, a 100-foot live-aboard dive boat operated by Gulf Diving LLC. Non-diving educators may participate only in Corals to Classroom and forego the DUOY dive component of the workshop.

Both workshops focus on the coral reefs of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, located in the Gulf of Mexico about 110 miles off the Texas coast. The federally protected underwater sanctuary harbors the northern-most coral reefs in the continental US. The sanctuary's 42 square miles of coral-covered salt domes are home to schooling fish, turtles, sharks, and occasional pelagic animals including sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and an occasional whale shark.

By providing educators this participatory field experience, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation encourages interest in and conservation of our important marine environment and habitats. GMF’s DUOY program, which offers 28 hours of Texas State Board for Educator Certification for this workshop, received recognition in 2002 from the Environmental Protection Agency by being awarded a Gulf Guardian Award.

Workshop participants will receive a canvas bag full of resources, activities, materials and ideas for implementing topics in biology, oceanography, geology, physical science, American government and environmental science. They will also participate in a supplemental field trip to the Aquarium at Moody Gardens to practice their newly acquired skills and learn other ways to apply what they've learned.

This workshop is provided by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation and is conducted at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) offices in Galveston, Texas.

The FGBNMS is an authorized provider through the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and offers 14 hours of SBEC credit for this workshop. Registration and information materials are available online.