Eagle Pass Independent School District Teacher Alejandra Martinez selected for International Ocean Discovery Program 

The ocean holds many secrets and scientific discoveries waiting to be uncovered. This winter, a local teacher will explore the ocean basins just off Madagascar to untangle these mysteries. Eagle Pass Independent School District Memorial Junior High Science Teacher Alejandra Olivia Martinez has been selected to participate in a two month expedition aboard the International Ocean Discovery Program’s ship the JOIDES Resolution. Martinez will serve as an Education and Outreach Officer from December 1, 2015 through January 30, 2016, announced Adams Klaus, Supervisor of Science Support of the JOIDES Resolutions Science Operations at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Martinez will serve aboard the research ship known as the JOIDES Resolution and is one of three public education teachers selected from a worldwide pool of applicants to serve on this two month ocean research expedition.  The ocean research project, named “The Indian Ridge Moho Expedition” will drill down to 1,500 meters into the Indian Ridge of the Atlantis Bank off the coast of Madagascar.  The major objective of the expedition is to recover the lowermost grabbos and crust mantle transition to understand the processes creating mid-ocean ridge basalt and to resolve the controversy about whether Moho at slow spreading ridges can be a serpintinazation front.

Martinez will participate as an Education and Outreach Officer on the expedition which will include communicating scientific discoveries to the global public and sharing the excitement of those participating in International Ocean Discovery Program’s explorations.  She will assist scientists, document their findings, and write reports of their research findings while educating the global public of the expedition’s research findings through multiple social media sources. During her 12 hour research shifts Alejandra will update and develop the expedition’s website, facebook, twitter, instagram, videos, photos, conferences, and educational programs pertaining to their discoveries.

“I am extremely honored and excited to have been selected as an Education and Outreach Officer on this important ocean research expedition of International Ocean Discovery. I hope to inspire my students and encourage them to view the world as scientists and explorers. ” said Martinez.  “I also look forward to developing educational materials and programs for students and the public from all over the world and teaching them about the importance of science education,” added Martinez.

Martinez will join lead scientists Henry Dick of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Chris MacLeod of Cardiff University, and Peter Blum of International Ocean Discovery Program.

The public may follow Miss Martinez on the JOIDES website at: www.joidesresolution.org and through her Facebook page at facebook.com/martinezscience.

Martinez is a past recipient of the Eagle Pass Independent School District Teacher of the Month Award in February 2015. She has previously participated in an oceanographic research expedition aboard the E/V Nautilus, the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics DIG Texas project, and Geology Camp Program at Texas A&M University-College Station. In addition, she has received the Most Outstanding Teacher Presentation Award at the Geological Society of America Convention in Austin, Texas. She is recognized as a national and internationally acclaimed science teacher through her extraordinary research expeditions and ability to translate her research findings into new educational programs and curriculum materials.

Martinez’s fascination with geoscience and the natural sciences is passed on to her students at Memorial Junior High through her Pre-Advanced Placement and regular 7^th grade integrated science classes.  Recently, she and a group of science teachers took students from Memorial Junior High to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Miss Martinez received her Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University at College Station, Texas and Master of Education from Sul Ross State University.  She is the daughter of Juanita V. and Cesar F. Martinez Jr. of Eagle Pass, Texas.

The Eagle Pass Business Journal congratulates Miss Alejandra Olivia Martinez on her prestigious selection to the International Ocean Discovery Program and wishes her the best in her two month oceanographic research expedition.