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News: Community college educators begin 73-day underwater adventure

 Bruce Cantrell, left, and Jessica Fain perform a final check of their gear before going underwater to live in a habitat for 73 days.

 Bruce Cantrell, left, and Jessica Fain perform a final check of their gear before going underwater to live in a habitat for 73 days.

Oct. 3, 2014

KEY LARGO, Fla. — Two community college educators on Friday began a 73-day stay in an underwater habitat where they will host an online lecture series about marine science, teach a college credit course and attempt to break the world record for living underwater.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee will live and work in Jules’ Undersea Lodge from Oct. 3-Dec. 15. Cantrell and Fain submerged Friday at 12:08 EDT.

“We’re excited, after months of planning, to begin our mission to raise awareness about marine science and ocean conservation and to encourage young students to pursue science fields,” Cantrell said. “We have a fantastic lineup of topics and guest speakers for the lecture series, and we deeply appreciate the Marine Resources Development Foundation, Jules’ Undersea Lodge and our sponsors for giving us this once-in-a-lifetime education opportunity.”

Jules’ Undersea Lodge is located 25 feet down in the lagoon at the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo in the Florida Keys.

While in the habitat, where living space is the size of a dorm room, Fain and Cantrell will host weekly live episodes of the online lecture series Classroom Under the Sea, presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation (MRDF).

The first episode, “History of Man in the Sea,” will be Thursday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. EDT. Cantrell and Fain will host episodes each Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern through Dec. 11, with a one-week break for Thanksgiving.

“Marine Resources is an advocate for conservation,” said Ginette Hughes, senior vice president for MRDF. “We hope Classroom Under the Sea will show that the health of our oceans affects all communities, whether they are located near the coast or hundreds of miles away.”

Fain developed laboratory lesson plans that relate to the topic of each episode. Teachers and parents can download lesson plans and conduct experiments with students. The lesson plans are available at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea.

Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley, front, and Ian Koblick, president and chairman of the Marine Resources Development Foundation, watch from the command center as Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain enter Jules’ Undersea Lodge, their home for the next 73 days.

“Part of our mission is to excite students about science,” Fain said. “One of the best ways to develop a student’s interest in biology, chemistry and other subjects is through hands-on activities. The lessons plans are a great way to let students see that science is more than just what is in a textbook.”

Classroom Under the Sea topics include “The Sea and Space Connection,” on Oct. 16, which will feature astronaut Buzz Aldrin; “Marine Archaeology” on Nov. 6, which will discuss how scientists find and restore cultural resources lost in the oceans; and “Coral Restoration,” on Dec. 4, which will address the devastation of coral reefs.

Viewers can watch live at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea or on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea. Recordings of each program will be available on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Viewers are invited to tweet questions for Cantrell, Fain or guests to @ClassUnderSea or by using #ClassroomUndertheSea.

All Classroom Under the Sea episodes have been made possible through the generous support of Diversity in Aquatics, the project’s official sponsor. To learn more about Diversity in Aquatics, please visit www.diversityinaquatics.com.

In addition to hosting the weekly programs, Cantrell is teaching an online college-credit course — BIOL 2600: Living and Working Under the Sea  — for Roane State students.

During their stay, Cantrell and Fain will also set a world record for the longest time spent living underwater.  According to According to Guinness World Records, the current record-holder is Richard Presley, who spent 69 days, 19 minutes underwater from May 6-July 14, 1992.

For more information about the Classroom Under the Sea and to download the lesson plans, visit roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea.

Roane State is a two-year, 6,200-student college based in Harriman, Tenn, which is located 40 miles west of Knoxville. Founded in 1971, the college has nine campuses in East Tennessee.

Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. All colleges in the system offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit tncommunitycolleges.org.

Located on Key Largo in the Florida Keys, the Marine Resources Development Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the goal of developing a better understanding of Earth's marine resources. For more information, visit www.mrdf.org.

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