Lozano-Knowlton received a NOAA “Team Member of the Year” award during the 2011 National Ocean Service Diversity Day and Employee Recognition Award Ceremony last week in Washington, D.C.
The MERITO program provides bilingual (English/Spanish) ocean conservation education and outreach services to thousands of culturally diverse 4th through 8th grade students and their teachers throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The program’s goal is to provide programs and products that help increase understanding of ocean-related threats, build sanctuary and ocean stewardship, and motivate diverse students to pursue careers in marine sciences and resource protection.
“Despite facing significant fiscal challenges, Rocío has never wavered in her passion and commitment to advance bilingual marine science education,” said Daniel J. Basta, director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “She is an inspiration to students and teachers in her community and to her colleagues at NOAA.”
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.