Volume 12, Issue 1 | Winter 2023
Foundations
NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEOSCIENCE TEACHERS GEO2YC DIVISION
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In this Issue:
- Talking Teaching
- Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
- NAGT service opportunities
- Student summer research
- Funding opportunities for 2YC faculty and students
- Upcoming meetings
- Geo2YC pencils
Talking Teaching
In 2022, the Geo2YC Division supported a few members with the Geo2YC Faculty Development Grant. Read on below for their experiences that were supported by this award.
Kettle Moraine State Forest Fieldtrip, Wisconsin
Alan Capelle, Madison College
The students were very excited to gain firsthand knowledge about the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Common depositional landforms of continental glaciation were the focus for this field trip. These geological features were identified for students during the first part of our trip through hiking, use of maps and images. Students were able to witness these features throughout the day and could identify them independently by the time of departure. Using Kettle Moraine State Forest as a geological lab added authenticity to students' learning experience. It was an extremely valuable addition to materials and Google Earth that are typically provided in the classroom. Such features as glacial erratics, outwash plains, end moraines, drumlin fields, kames, eskers, and large kettles were observed, as we hiked the State Forest. Many students had never visited a State Forest until this trip.
Students were provided with a mobile website from the Wisconsin DNR on the Summit Nature Trail glacial features that can be seen from the top of Dundee Mountain (Yes, we have a few mountains in Wisconsin!). We concluded the day's events by discussing and sharing resources on The Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, a unit of the National Park System. This trip provided students with new insight on the unique glacial landforms of Wisconsin. In this era, many courses do not have the luxury of including authentic, experiential learning. The students and faculty consider themselves fortunate to be able to benefit academically. A special thanks to the NAGT Geo2YC Division for their sponsorship of this field trip!
2nd Annual Meeting of the Minds- Supporting Present and Future Geoscience Educators at local 2YCs and 4YCs in Orange County, California
Angela Daneshmand, Santiago Canyon College
During the event, Phil Hughes, a 2YC Geology Professor from Santa Ana College shared insight on the geology of the Newport Back Bay and highlighted the different structures found within the area. We made 5 additional stops along the California Coastline with Retired 4YC Geography Professor and Coastal Geomorphologist, Wayne Engstrom. Wayne explained the local ecology along the Upper Newport Back Bay and Crystal Cove State Park. While at Crystal Cove, he explained the cultural significance of vernacular beach cottages and displaced Japanese immigrants during World War 2. When discussing the changing coastline, he provided examples from his research based on archived documents such as historic US Coast Surveys and field notes helping to explain how the ancestral river channels have changed over time and how that influences what we see today.
During lunch, 4YC Geology Professors from CSU-Fullerton Matt Kirby and Kate Metcalf presented a checklist to ensure inclusivity on field trips and also discussed alternatives to field trips to make Geosciences a more accessible major. Attendees appreciated the in person interactions with local colleagues and were excited about expanding their professional network. After attending our event, many attendees expressed an increase in their confidence in holding future field trips with their own classes. Leading field trips for the first time may seem a bit daunting and overwhelming to new professors. Exploring field locations and seeing ways that experienced professors structure their field trips is very helpful.
Passing down knowledge to future 2YC and 4YC educators and sharing expertise is of utmost importance to ensure consistency in teaching and allows students to get the most out of their experience in our classes. By including Geographers, Geologists and Earth Scientists, everyone was able to contribute to the body of knowledge from the respective disciplines. This benefited both newly minted instructors, as well as those with 40+ years of experience. It also allowed instructors from different disciplines to build networks on their respective campuses. We plan to continue to strengthen the connection between local 2YC and 4YC institutions by holding this meeting annually with continual improvements based on attendee feedback.
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
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Grow your experience within NAGT
Editors needed for JGE
Do you enjoy reviewing manuscripts and providing constructive feedback to authors? Are you interested in engaging more deeply in the review process? Would you like to be more involved in the geoscience education community? If so, you might be interested in serving as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geoscience Education. For more information and to apply to be an Associate Editor, go to the JGE Associate Editor information and application website. If you have questions about what is involved, send them to Kim Hannula (hannula_k@fortlewis.edu). If you would like to be involved in reviewing for JGE, please sign up on our Editorial Manager page.
NAGT Webinar Committee is looking for members and webinar hosts
NAGT offers a wide range of webinars each month to bring the latest in geoscience and pedagogy to our members. The NAGT Webinar Committee is looking for new members who would be willing to serve a three-year term in helping to organize and plan the webinar schedules. They are also interested in knowing what you would like to see! If you have ideas on webinars, would like to host a webinar, or would like to join the committee, reach out to the current chair, Adrianne Leinbach (aaleinbach@waketech.edu).
Are your students interested in summer research?
Help your students find a summer research experience using the 2023 community sourced directory of REU
Are your students looking for an undergraduate research experience? Northwestern University has created the 2023 Community Sourced Directory of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). Please encourage your students to visit the directory to find REUs for summer 2023. There are currently over 230 entries, and the directory will be updated weekly until March. There are column headers to help students find REUs that fit their specific needs (e.g., accessibility, accommodations, stipends, minimum academic qualifications, etc.)
Funding opportunities
Apply for a Geo2YC Faculty Development Grant! Next deadline is April 15.
Open to members of the Geo2YC Division of NAGT, the Geo2YC Faculty Development Grant offers mini-grants up to $500 to support an activity (workshop, field trip, etc.) which benefits faculty from multple institutions and travel grants of $100 to support attending professional development activities. Rolling deadlines annually on April 15 and September 15. Apply here.
2YC faculty, K-12 teachers, and 2YC students: please consider applying for the Dorothy Stout Grant! Annual deadline is April 15.
In honor of Dottie Stout, the first female president of NAGT, awards are made annually in three categories: Community College Faculty, Community College Student, and K-12 Educator. The awards support participation in Earth science classes or workshops; attendance at professional meetings; participation in Earth science field trips; and/or purchase of Earth science materials for classroom use. In addition to the $750 award, each winner receives a one-year membership to NAGT. Apply here.
Connect with your colleagues!
Early Career Geoscience Faculty Workshop 2023, June 25-29, with optional virtual visit to the National Science Foundation
Macalester College, MN Application Deadline: March 1, 2023
If you are in your first three years of a faculty position, please apply to join us for a multi-day workshop in a stimulating and resource-rich environment where you will participate in sessions on topics including effective teaching strategies, course design, establishing a research program in a new setting, working with research students, balancing professional and personal responsibilities, and time management. Participants must have a faculty position at a two-year or four-year college or a university at the time of the workshop and must be in their first three years of teaching or starting a position in the Fall. The workshop is offered by NAGT On the Cutting Edge professional development program for geoscience faculty with support from the National Science Foundation.
The workshop registration fee is $1200 and accommodations and some meals will be covered by this registration fee. Travel is not included in the registration fee and participants or their home institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop. In cases where the cost of attending this workshop would cause financial hardship, you may be able to apply for a stipend to help defray these costs. Ask your department or university for funds to attend as well – many have been quite supportive. The registration fee will be due in May after notification of acceptance into the workshop.
Save the date for the 2023 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
Join us for the ninth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Pasadena, California, hosted by Pasadena City College and Caltech. The Rendezvous will begin on the evening of Sunday, July 9, with an icebreaker and end after the Friday, July 14 town hall session. In addition to the standard program there will be pre-meeting and post-meeting field trips as well as an opportunity to visit the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Caltech Seismological Laboratory.
Key dates include:
- Hosting a working group application deadline: March 1, 2023
- Abstract submission deadline for oral, poster, teaching demo, and Share-a-Thon sessions: March 1, 2023
- Travel stipend application deadline: April 5, 2023
- Early registration deadline: May 3, 2023
- Review Camp application deadline: May 3, 2023
Please visit The EER 2023 homepage for more information.
NAGT Webinar Series
Check out the schedule for the NAGT Webinar Series! Lots of great opportunities for learning and discussion through these events, and we try to schedule 2YC specific content on the first Fridays of each month. Even if you cannot attend, you can register so the link to the recording is sent straight to your inbox. An archive of prior webinars is also available.
AGU Chapman Conferences
Keep AGU Chapman Conferences on your radar for in-depth meetings on key topics that impact the geosciences! See the Chapman Conference website for 2023 offerings. Wondering what one of these events might be like? Geo2YC member Bridget James writes: In 2022, I attended the AGU Chapman Conference titled [link https://www.agu.org/Chapmans-SNC-Justice-in-Geoscience ) '"Second National Conference - Justice in Geoscience"'] held at AGU Headquarters in Washington D.C. in mid-August, where I engaged with other geoscientists on the three major themes of the conference: Archival (reading the past to create paths forward), Urgent (Justice for geoscientists of color) and Imaginary (Imagining a radically different future). After watching Keynote speakers each morning, then attending reading seminars, question-driven sessions, arts and creative sessions, workshops and action labs throughout the day, we all ended each day with an hour or two of writing our thoughts surrounding the day's events with the conference themes in mind. It was a powerful workshop where the outcomes of those days' events will likely reverberate within the geoscience community and beyond for decades to come.
Where in the world are NAGT Geo2YC pencils?
