Educational Resources

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ABOUT THIS SITE

This part of our Homepage is dedicated to furthering knowledge about MMS and the Gulf of Mexico Region, science careers, and resources on general topics related to Minerals Management Service (MMS) activities. Don't forget to Bookmark our site before you leave!

lagniappe (lan-yap') n. something extra. Lagniappe is composed of the French la, "the," and a French adaptation of the Spanish napa, "a present made to a customer."

We hope this little lagniappe will help you understand and appreciate the sciences, the diversity of our people and their careers, and what we do here at the Minerals Management Service. For more information please contact us:

Public Affairs Office
Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394
Phone (504) 736-2595; Fax (504) 736-2432
To order educational products, please call 1-800-200-GULF
MMS Sponsors Computers for Learning
The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Gulf of Mexico Region, is continuing its support of metropolitan New Orleans schools by donating surplus computers to them through the Federal Computers for Learning Program. MMS has donated more than 1,000 surplus computers to area schools and educational nonprofits, principally to those with the greatest needs.

ABOUT THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

This link provides more information about the MMS's mission, organization, and about the Gulf of Mexico Region.

Archaeologists, Marine Biologists, Oceanographers, and more! Read about the diversity of careers and people in the Minerals Management Service.

Women in Engineering

Careers in Science Ten scientists from the MMS Gulf of Mexico Region talk about their chosen profession and share their experiences.
Career Opportunities for the Gulf of Mexico Region - provides information on student programs, current vacancies, job benefits, the hiring process, and recruiting dates.

Federal Job Opportunities - Office of Personnel Management Site This link accesses the Federal job website, where hundreds of job opportunities are listed.

Teaching materials and resources suitable for classroom activity and discussion.

Posters and Teacher's Companions: Description and Ordering Information

Click on the thumbnail to view the larger image of the poster or to download the teacher's companion. For easy display, all posters are single sided and measure about 24 by 30 inches. The companions are in a three-hole punched, loose-leaf format for easy reproduction and filing.

Whales and Dolphins of the Gulf of Mexico

This Poster has photos and descriptions of many of the whales and dolphins found in the Gulf of Mexico. While many are familiar with the common bottlenose dolphin, since it can be found near shore, people are amazed to discover that killer whales and sperm whales call the Gulf home.

The Teacher's Companion provides information on the Gulf's whale and dolphin species and describes governmental protection of these animals. Suggested activities for the classroom are included.

Historic Shipwrecks of the Gulf of Mexico

This Poster features some of the fascinating historic shipwrecks that have been identified in the Gulf of Mexico through oil and gas industry-related surveys. The poster can be used to promote classroom discussions about commerce, maritime transportation, technology, historic preservation of marine cultural resources, scientific investigative techniques, and environmental issues.

The Teacher's Companion is an instructional resource for the Sidewheel Steamship Josephine that contains easy to understand information about commerce, maritime transportation, technology, historic preservation of marine cultural resources, scientific investigative techniques, and environmental issues followed by questions and classroom activities. Vocabulary terms and a list of supplemental resources are also included.

Chemistry in the Gulf of Mexico

This Poster depicts chemical processes occurring in the Gulf of Mexico and identifies these chemical processes that have been studied through scientific research funded by MMS.

The Teacher's Companion is a teacher’s instructional guide to accompany the poster of the same title. In this guide, you will find information that relates principles from a basic chemistry class to actual processes occurring in the ocean. This guide will focus on four of these processes. The information and activities are intended for use at the 11th to 12th grade levels. Additional topics and resources are included at the end of the guide.

Islands of Life

This Poster depicts many of the forms of animal marine life that grow on and around the thousands of oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The poster demonstrates that marine life and Federal offshore production not only coexist, but that the manmade offshore structures provide an artificial reef system that fosters and intensifies marine life in areas where it might not otherwise proliferate.

The Teacher's Companion to the “Islands of Life” poster is for teachers wanting to introduce their students to a unique aspect of the Gulf of Mexico. While the Gulf is one of our Nation’s greatest fisheries resources, it is also an important source of the Nation’s energy. Several thousand oil and gas production facilities located on the U.S. continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico make up the largest artificial island and reef system in the world, and an entire generation of Gulf Coast citizens now depends on them for energy, food, and recreation.

Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oases

This Poster highlights and describes various seafloor habitats that exist in the Gulf and the geology that drives them, as well as the abundant marine animals associated with these extraordinary ecosystems.

The Teacher's Companion contains an astonishing colorful display and explanation of three topographic features. Activities are designed for grades 6-12. It is an instructional guide to accompany the poster of the same title. In this guide, you will find information that focuses on the various seafloor habitats and the geology that drives them, as well as the marine animals associated with these extraordinary systems.

Chemosynthetic Communities in the Gulf of Mexico

This Poster brings students to the floor of the Gulf to discover remarkable deep-sea animals that literally live on dissolved gases. These recently discovered chemosynthetic communities consist of tube worms and mussels that live in areas of natural oil and gas seepage. Within these organisms live symbiotic bacteria that convert methane and hydrogen sulfide into food. In this way, the tube worms and mussels provide a home for the bacteria, while the bacteria provide these animals with an energy supply.

The Teacher's Companion introduces the concept of chemosynthetics to students at the middle and high school level. It contains a glossary of terms, examples of different chemosynthetic communities, and a crossword puzzle.

Geologic Secrets Revealed: The New Millennium in the Gulf of Mexico

This Poster focuses on the search for energy resources, including oil, natural gas, and gas hydrates, on and deep below the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. The poster will help grades 11-12 learn how drilling data, geophysical (seismic) data, and information gained through the study of tiny microfossils and nannofossils enable scientists to identify and explore for potential hydrocarbon traps many thousands of feet below the seafloor. Highlighted also are advancements in technology that increase the ability to explore for oil and gas in offshore areas that were previously inaccessible, both in terms of water depth and drilling depths below the seafloor.

Classroom Activities

Activity Sheets - A collection of 2 page classroom activity sheets for elementary students that may be printed for distribution. These include:

Ballast & Stability Lab Experiment
What is Crude Oil
Word Puzzle
Offshore Oil & Gas Platform
Maze
Rigs as Reefs

Drilling For Oil Game - Easy to follow instructions that show how to construct and conduct a classroom activity that allows students to "drill for oil." This activity can be adopted for use at any age level, and in conjunction with lessons on geology, geography, the environmental sciences, and math. It can also be used as a fun activity for younger children.

Feature Articles:

MMS Supports Diversity Through Scholarships and Internships - Minerals Management Service is searching for the next generation of engineers by sponsoring Fort Valley State University’s Cooperative Development Energy Program, http://www.fvsu.edu/cdep.asp?mnu=sub2&Prm=57, through a cooperative agreement established in 2002. FVSU is in Fort Valley, Georgia. The CDEP program recruits, educates, and graduates academically talented minorities and women in the fields of geosciences, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology.

California Students Discover Louisiana Wetlands through JASON Expedition - Nutria and crawfish of the Louisiana wetlands met the island fox and pacific rockfish of California at the February 2005 JASON Project live broadcasts in Ventura County, California.

Educational Outreach - MMS gets into the Science Symposium in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, with a splash!

Marine Mammals - The Gulf of Mexico - Home to Whales and Dolphins.

Chemosynthetic Communities - Unusual tube worms that live in the Gulf's deep waters.

Flower Garden Banks - A coral reef offshore Texas waters.

Rig Diving - Photo story of SCUBA diving around the offshore platforms ("rigs") in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS): MMS-sponsored environmental research projects.

Look here to find common terms used in the oil and gas industry.

Try these sites for more information.

Kid's Corner, MMS Alaska Kid's Playground, MMS Pacific

U.S. Department of the Interior Kid's Pages, MMS Headquarters

Last update: Thursday April 16 2009

Whales and Dolphins of the Gulf of Mexico
	This Poster has photos and descriptions of many of the whales and dolphins found in the Gulf of Mexico. While many are familiar with the common bottlenose dolphin, since it can be found near shore, people are amazed to discover that killer whales and sperm whales call the Gulf home.
	The Teacher's Companion provides information on the Gulf's whale and dolphin species and describes governmental protection of these animals. Suggested activities for the classroom are included.
Historic Shipwrecks of the Gulf of Mexico
	This Poster features some of the fascinating historic shipwrecks that have been identified in the Gulf of Mexico through oil and gas industry-related surveys. The poster can be used to promote classroom discussions about commerce, maritime transportation, technology, historic preservation of marine cultural resources, scientific investigative techniques, and environmental issues.
	The Teacher's Companion is an instructional resource for the Sidewheel Steamship Josephine that contains easy to understand information about commerce, maritime transportation, technology, historic preservation of marine cultural resources, scientific investigative techniques, and environmental issues followed by questions and classroom activities. Vocabulary terms and a list of supplemental resources are also included.
Chemistry in the Gulf of Mexico
	This Poster depicts chemical processes occurring in the Gulf of Mexico and identifies these chemical processes that have been studied through scientific research funded by MMS.
	The Teacher's Companion is a teacher’s instructional guide to accompany the poster of the same title. In this guide, you will find information that relates principles from a basic chemistry class to actual processes occurring in the ocean. This guide will focus on four of these processes. The information and activities are intended for use at the 11th to 12th grade levels. Additional topics and resources are included at the end of the guide.
Islands of Life
	This Poster depicts many of the forms of animal marine life that grow on and around the thousands of oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The poster demonstrates that marine life and Federal offshore production not only coexist, but that the manmade offshore structures provide an artificial reef system that fosters and intensifies marine life in areas where it might not otherwise proliferate.
	The Teacher's Companion to the “Islands of Life” poster is for teachers wanting to introduce their students to a unique aspect of the Gulf of Mexico. While the Gulf is one of our Nation’s greatest fisheries resources, it is also an important source of the Nation’s energy. Several thousand oil and gas production facilities located on the U.S. continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico make up the largest artificial island and reef system in the world, and an entire generation of Gulf Coast citizens now depends on them for energy, food, and recreation.
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oases
	This Poster highlights and describes various seafloor habitats that exist in the Gulf and the geology that drives them, as well as the abundant marine animals associated with these extraordinary ecosystems.
	The Teacher's Companion contains an astonishing colorful display and explanation of three topographic features. Activities are designed for grades 6-12. It is an instructional guide to accompany the poster of the same title. In this guide, you will find information that focuses on the various seafloor habitats and the geology that drives them, as well as the marine animals associated with these extraordinary systems.
Chemosynthetic Communities in the Gulf of Mexico
	This Poster brings students to the floor of the Gulf to discover remarkable deep-sea animals that literally live on dissolved gases. These recently discovered chemosynthetic communities consist of tube worms and mussels that live in areas of natural oil and gas seepage. Within these organisms live symbiotic bacteria that convert methane and hydrogen sulfide into food. In this way, the tube worms and mussels provide a home for the bacteria, while the bacteria provide these animals with an energy supply.
	The Teacher's Companion introduces the concept of chemosynthetics to students at the middle and high school level. It contains a glossary of terms, examples of different chemosynthetic communities, and a crossword puzzle.
Geologic Secrets Revealed: The New Millennium in the Gulf of Mexico
	This Poster focuses on the search for energy resources, including oil, natural gas, and gas hydrates, on and deep below the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. The poster will help grades 11-12 learn how drilling data, geophysical (seismic) data, and information gained through the study of tiny microfossils and nannofossils enable scientists to identify and explore for potential hydrocarbon traps many thousands of feet below the seafloor. Highlighted also are advancements in technology that increase the ability to explore for oil and gas in offshore areas that were previously inaccessible, both in terms of water depth and drilling depths below the seafloor.

Kid's Corner, MMS Alaska	Kid's Playground, MMS Pacific
U.S. Department of the Interior	Kid's Pages, MMS Headquarters