NAGTNews - Vol 14 - No 1 - January 2015

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1. Scholarships for Field Study

NAGT is currently accepting applications for scholarships for field study, with the deadline for applications being February 14, 2015. Each year, NAGT and AWG make several $750 awards to undergraduate students to facilitate their study of field geoscience. These awards are available for students attending field-based courses at any time of year. The intent of the awards is to support students' participation in intensive field courses in any aspects of geoscience (including geophysics, soil science, hydrology, etc.) that focus on students practicing skills of field observation, data collection, analysis and synthesis. Awardees are selected based on the importance of the field experience in meeting their educational and career goals, the quality of the field aspects of the course, and the importance of the financial award in allowing them to participate in the program. In addition, the committee endeavors to select awardees that expand the diversity of people studying geosciences in the field and a collaboration with the Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG) funds two additional awards specifically for women.

2. Earth Educators' Rendezvous

We are excited to announce that the meeting registration is now open and the topics for morning workshops finalized. Morning workshops require registration and will be filled on a first come first served basis. Workshops are interactive with participants learning from one another and from experts in formats that build on research-based pedagogies. They provide an opportunity each day to synthesize ideas from the afternoon sessions and put them to use in your own context. These sessions feature time to work on your own introductory or upper-division course, to plan new ways to strengthen your program, or to move forward your education research agenda.

We have also sketched a potential schedule for afternoon mini-workshops. All participants registered for a particular day can choose to attend either afternoon mini-workshops or a session of contributed talks. We would like to make sure that the afternoon mini-workshops hit areas of need and interest. To that end, we invite your comment on the proposed schedule. We are envisioning that specific topics (e.g. climate change), specific pedagogical techniques (e.g. flipped classroom), and research results will be presented and discussed in the oral and poster sessions.

Lastly, we would like to encourage the use of the Rendezvous as a venue for working meetings that allow groups to move forward their collaborative project while capitalizing on the opportunity to learn from colleagues at the Rendezvous. If you are interested in running a concurrent working meeting at the Rendezvous, you can apply to receive a $20 per day discount for the members of your group and a meeting room with a projector. We must receive your application before January 15th to be considered for the working group discount.

We hope you will find the program to be engaging and flexible. More details about the plenary speakers and workshop leaders will be available in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year,

Cathy Manduca, Heather Macdonald, and Laurel Goodell
Conference Chairs

3. Renew Your Membership Today

NAGT memberships are based on a calendar-year cycle and by renewing today you ensure uninterrupted access to NAGT's member benefits including our two publications: the Journal of Geoscience Education and the In the Trenches member magazine. This January, In The Trenches will feature the theme "Teaching Climate Change." Renew today to guarantee receipt of this important and timely issue.

Through your membership, you help NAGT offer a wide array of services to our members and to the geoscience community at large. From professional development workshops, to teaching resources, to awards and more, you can learn all about the many things NAGT has to offer on the website: http://nagt.org.

You can check your membership status and renew online by going to the NAGT Membership page. Want to do help NAGT do even more? Consider a sustaining membership, donation, or a multi-year membership.

Thank you for your time and commitment to our organization. We are happy to have you as a member and hope you will continue being part of NAGT in 2015.

4. Kelley Named US Professor of the Year

NAGT member Patricia Kelley (University of North Carolina - Wilmington) has been selected to receive one of four U.S. Professors of the Year awards. Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the awards recognize professors for their excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. The competition selects the awardees in four categories: doctoral and research universities; master's universities; baccalaureate colleges; and community colleges. Dr. Kelley received the 2014 award for Outstanding Master's University and College Professor of the Year.

Read more about Professor Kelley and the other 2014 awardees on the award website.

Congratulations, Tricia!

5. Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards

The American Geosciences Institute's Center for Geoscience and Society is collaborating with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers to host a summit on Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at the State Level. The meeting will be April 29-May 1, 2015, at the NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. The purpose of the summit is to identify and/or devise ways in which key players in the Earth and Space Science (ESS) community can work together to help states, school systems, and teachers implement the Next Generation Science Standards and, more broadly, the principles in the Framework for K-12 Science Education. The participants in the summit will include representatives from a wide array of organizations with an interest in geoscience education, including federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations, and formal and informal science education groups.

In the coming weeks more information will be released about the Summit and the steps that will be taken to achieve its goals. Among those steps will be a series of virtual discussion opportunities that will happen in advance of the Summit, and in which anyone interested in promoting geoscience education can take part.

If you would like to get more information about the Summit, you can sign up for notifications on the NAGT website - http://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops/ngss_summit/index.html. You'll receive updates about the Summit, including about how and when the virtual discussions will take place.

6. Lamont Summer Intern Program

The Lamont Summer Intern Program for undergraduates from U.S. colleges and universities provides a summer research experience in Earth and ocean sciences. The program features a hands-on research project under the supervision of a Columbia-affiliated scientist, as well as special lectures, workshops, and fieldtrips.

Applications for the 2015 program are due March 10, 2015.

Read more about the program and its application guidelines on the program website.

7. IRIS Internships in Seismology and Geophysics

The IRIS undergraduate Internship Program is a summer research opportunity for undergraduates in physics, math, and the geosciences. Research projects vary annually but include the full spectrum of seismological specialties... earthquakes and hazards at the crust, to deep Earth studies of the core. Projects may also involve the deployment of seismic instruments in the field (within the US or internationally) and/or analyses of seismic data in a lab setting. The ultimate goal of each project is to produce results for presentation at a national scientific meeting. Participants receive high-quality mentoring, experience communicating their research to a broad audience, the development of a rich peer community, and opportunities to explore career paths in seismology.

Benefits include assistance locating housing, a competitive weekly stipend, travel and lodging at the orientation week, travel to and from your summer research location, funding for all field costs, and full funding to present your research at the 2014 Fall AGU meeting.

Apply your knowledge. Explore your future. Contribute to science.

Application Deadline - February 1

To apply or get more info: http://www.iris.edu/hq/internship

8. UNAVCO Geo-LAUNCHPAD Internships

The UNAVCO Geo-LAUNCHPAD program provides students from groups underrepresented in geosciences the opportunity to develop research-ready skills by working on a collaborative research-support project located and managed at an NSF facility, UNAVCO, with the overarching goal of increasing the number and diversity of undergraduate geoscience majors.

Geo-LAUNCHPAD helps interns develop research-ready skills through work on a collaborative research support project at UNAVCO in Boulder, Colorado under the mentorship of a UNAVCO project manager. A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) focused on participating in particular aspects of the research process is an ideal way for students early in their academic career to engage in research. Interns work collaboratively to support a science community research project that is mentored by a UNAVCO project manager. This work is complemented by other development activities including a weekly communications workshop, a weekend field trip to the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station, and activities including other summer interns.

The 2015 Program will run June 8 through July 31 and applications are due by February 10, 2015.

9. Earth Science Week 2015 Theme Announced: "Visualizing Earth Systems"

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2015 will be "Visualizing Earth Systems." This year's event will promote awareness of the many ways scientists monitor and represent information about Earth systems including land, water, air, and living things.

Earth Science Week 2015 learning resources and activities will engage young people and others in exploring ways of visualizing Earth systems. Using technologies ranging from on-site data collection to satellite-based remote sensing, scientists investigate conditions of Earth systems. And today's geoscientists display their findings in charts, graphs, diagrams, illustrations, photos, videos, computer-generated animations, and 3D-printed creations.

"With this theme, Earth Science Week explores what it means to see our planet through eyes informed by the geosciences," says Geoff Camphire, AGI's Manager of Outreach. "Geoscientists are finding innovative ways to not only examine natural phenomena, but also present that information to professional, educational, and other audiences. In addition to tools such as telescopes and microscopes, we also can view and map changes in natural systems through new avenues such as computer games, smartphone apps, and online videos."

Reaching over 50 million people annually, AGI leads Earth Science Week in cooperation with its sponsors and the geoscience community as a service to the public. Each year, community groups, educators, and interested citizens organize celebratory events. Earth Science Week offers opportunities to discover the Earth sciences and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth.

Earth Science Week is supported by many organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey; the AAPG Foundation; the National Park Service; NASA; Esri; National Geographic; the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration; the Geological Society of America; and the American Geophysical Union; the Association of American State Geologists; and the Archeological Institute of America.

Earth Science Week 2015 will be celebrated October 11-17. For more about this week and ways to get involved -- including newsletters, local events, and classroom activities -- please see the Earth Science Week web site at http://www.earthsciweek.org/.

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Rock and Mineral Exchange

• Available: Rock specimens for trade
• Desired: Ig/Met Hand Samples Wanted

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Community Advertisements

Two-Year Visiting Position in Paleontology/Sedimentary Geology - Cornell College

Posted: Jan 5 2015
Cornell College, a private undergraduate liberal arts college founded in 1853 in Mount Vernon, Iowa, invites applications for a two-year visiting assistant professor in paleontology/sedimentology in its Department of Geology beginning in the fall of 2015.

Semester Position in Paleoclimatology - Cornell College

Posted: Jan 5 2015
Cornell College, a private undergraduate liberal arts college founded in 1853 in Mount Vernon, Iowa, invites applications for the Anderson Natural Science Lectureship, a semester-long sabbatical replacement position in its Department of Geology for the fall of 2015.

Assistant Professor of Geology - University of Mississippi

Posted: Oct 30 2014
The Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the University of Mississippi invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of assistant professor.

Assistant Professor, Field Geologist in Stratigraphy/Sedimentology or Igneous/Metamorphic Petrology - Angelo State University

Posted: Oct 7 2014
The Department of Physics and Geosciences at Angelo State University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Geology at the Assistant Professor level. We seek candidates that demonstrate excellence in undergraduate teaching and field geology with a specialty in either: a) igneous or metamorphic petrology, or b) sedimentology and/or stratigraphy.