Geoscience Teachers in the Park

Who is eligible?

Elementary, middle school, and high school teachers of geoscience, as well as recent graduates who are prospective geoscience teachers.

Privileges and responsibilities

Upon completion of 200 hours of work (at or by mid-July) and submission of a written report, interns receive $1,500 in stipend. Work is in various areas as are the end results produced (see bullets under "Background"). Teachers may strengthen their professional networks and enlarge their selection of resources available with which to teach their students. Those interested in furthering their education are provided with up to $500 (in addition to the stipend) to enroll in a college courses, conferences, etc.

Background

Since 1996, geoscientists have been invited as interns to national parks across the United States as part of Geoscientists-in-the-Parks (GIP), a program which grants interns the opportunity to collaborate with park staff and conduct in situ research on various aspects of the park to create summaries, inventories and surveys for park staff, and field guides and interpretive talks for park visitors.

Now, parks are inviting teachers as well. In 2006, NAGT (National Association of Geoscience Teachers) expanded upon this program by providing funds to get teachers in Mammoth Cave National Park to learn from and collaborate with park personnel, local university staff, contracted researchers, and park partners. When possible, each "Geoscience-teacher-in-the-park" will be paired with a "Geoscientist-in-the-park." Interns gain experience in field, lab, and classroom. Because this is a relatively recent creation, the program continues to develop. In 2008, teachers:

• Used GPS to map newly discovered cave entrances
• Developed self-guided trail guides connecting Karst features to the park's biology and history
• Assisted in water monitoring, cricket monitoring, and woodrat monitoring programs
• Assisted in national bird banding project and bat roost monitoring project
• Attended various classes (geomorphology, Project WILD, citizen science workshop, etc.)
• Interact with students through cave tours and the Junior Ranger Program
  

Beyond

The objective of Geoscience-Teachers-in-the-Parks Internship is to provide teachers with new avenues of teaching. The program has inspired several ongoing activities:

• Deborah Sherfey ('08) will be conducting off-trail cave tours on September 4th and 5th for her class of 48 students so that they may observe cave developments resulting from Karst features, explore un-developed cave passages, examine fossils, and get a sense of difficulties experienced by the cave's first explorers.
• Lisa Pack ('08) plans to set up a scavanger hunt around the school building, teaching her students how to use GPS in order to locate the points.
  
• "What is a scientist?" lesson plan developed by '07 interns challenges stereotypes and aims to "ignite an interest in science among their students."
• Many interns volunteer to return to Mammoth Cave National Park. Continued involvement can take whatever form the intern imagines, enabling teachers to assist future interns, present to the community and to audiences at Western Kentucky's Universities, shape the development of the project, and give their students hands-on learning at both the Mammoth Cave National Park and Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning (MCICSL).
  

Application

Teachers may apply to be a part of the Geoscience Teachers in the Park program by completing the online application or by downloading the form

Application Deadline for 2009 Internships: February 14, 2009.

"This truly brings into perspective what I teach in the classroom about scientific method and how it is used in the various fields of science careers right here in our local area. . . Being able to converse and interact with researchers and employees left me with a sense of their pride and dedication to the environment and field in which they work." -Debbie Sherfey ('08)