View online supplements for In the Trenches at http://nagt.org/nagt/publications/trenches/index.html.
In This Issue
News & Announcements
- Traveling Workshop Leaders Meet in Boise
- Call for InTeGrate Webinar Proposals
- NAGT Partners with the 2018 March for Science
- 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous Contributed Program Now Available
- Journal of Geoscience Education Announcements
- New Issue of In the Trenches
- Announcing 2018 Field Camp Scholarship Winners
- NAGT Sponsored Project Spotlight: ADVANCEGeo Partnership
Upcoming Webinars
- Next Generation Science Standards Webinar
- InTeGrate Webinar: Addressing Landslide Hazards in Introductory Undergraduate Courses
- 2018 AGU/AGI Heads and Chairs Webinar Series
- InTeGrate Webinar: Integrating GPS, SfM, and TLS into Geoscience Field Courses
- Academic Career Paths in Geoscience Education Research Webinar
Deadlines
- Spaces for 2YC Faculty Still Available in the Early Career Workshop
- 2018 ASCN Systemic Change Institute Workshop: Application Deadline Extended to April 15
- Applications for SESYNC Teaching Socio-Environmental Synthesis with Case Studies Short Course due April 17
- Applications for UNAVCO Short Course on Using Kinematic and Static GPS in Undergraduate Field Courses Due April 26
- Spring Deadlines Associated with the 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
- Upcoming NAGT Award Deadlines
- Session Proposals for AGU Fall Meeting Due April 18
- InTeGrate Workshops at the Goldschmidt Conference: Register by June 13
- NSF Program Solicitation: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education
Section and Division Highlights
NAGT Community Kudos
NAGT Career Hub
- Director, INRSEP & Diversity in STEM Program
- USGS/NAGT Cooperative Field Training Program
Rock and Mineral Exchange
1. Traveling Workshop Leaders Meet in Boise
The Traveling Workshops Program (TWP), part of NAGT's integrated Workshop Program, brings leaders in environmental, sustainability, and geoscience education to campuses and events across the nation. The program focuses on opportunities to strengthen courses, institutions, and educational programs wishing to attract and support diverse students. The TWP program draws upon expertise from numerous NSF funded projects such as On the Cutting Edge, InTeGrate, SAGE, and Geo-Needs.
In early March, 28 leaders involved in the Traveling Workshop Program gathered at Boise State University in Idaho for training and planning related to the TWP Program. These individuals will lead the next TWP workshops. Topics discussed at the meeting included how to strengthen the capacity of individuals to be strong workshop leaders, and how to build upon knowledge from previous years to continue to increase the impact of the TWP program. Breakout sessions at the meeting discussed topics such as department-wide sustainability initiatives, increasing the societal relevance of geoscience courses, the advancement of diversity and support for all students, teacher education, and interdisciplinary environmental programs. The training meeting also included a session on Implicit Bias, led by Catherine Riihimaki, that included an engaging discussion of diversity and inclusion, a new area of workshops that are in development.
When asked to share her reflections on the meeting, Rachel Teasdale, a Traveling Workshop leader, wrote that "it was great to be able to work with other TWP leaders who have a variety of experiences with the workshops. New ideas from new folks and learning trade secrets from the experts was especially helpful as we worked to compile resources for future workshops."
More information about the Traveling Workshops Program can be found here. The next deadline to apply to bring the Traveling Workshop Program to your campus, event, or institution is October 15 (for 2019 Spring/Summer workshops).
2. Call for InTeGrate Webinar Proposals
The InTeGrate project runs an approximately weekly webinar series during the academic year. These webinars focus on topics related to using InTeGrate materials or conducting programming to forward the main InTeGrate themes. In Spring 2018, the focus will be on supporting new users of the materials, promoting learning about Earth for diverse audiences, incorporating InTeGrate themes in K-12 teacher preparation, and teaching sustainability across the curriculum. Leading an InTeGrate webinar offers presenters the unique opportunity to promote teaching materials and pedagogies, prominently share resources and ideas with peers, and increase involvement in InTeGrate's growing community of educators. Leading a webinar is also an excellent way to create an online-accessible, professional-quality resource related to your teaching practice that you can easily add to your portfolio or share as a representation of your pedagogy and/or work.
The InTeGrate project expects to welcome new webinars in Spring 2018 and in Fall 2018, but space is limited, so don't delay if you have a webinar idea you wish to propose. Please use this form to share your suggestions for InTeGrate webinars. You may propose a topic, suggest a presenter, or express your interest in leading a webinar.
3. NAGT Partners with the 2018 March for Science
NAGT is proud to announce its 2018 partnership with the national March for Science movement. The March for Science, an emphatically nonpartisan event, calls for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. As stated in its Mission, the March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity.
The stated values of the March include:
- Evidence-driven political positions and decision-making
- Diversity and inclusion in STEM
- Nonpartisan advocacy for science
- Transformative and creative approaches to supporting a scientifically-engaged society
- Ongoing internal evaluation, correction, and feedback
Activities and Signage: Get ideas for the March
By endorsing the march, NAGT affirms these principles, recognizes the importance of science and science education to our citizens, and stands up for diversity, inclusion, and equality in science. We encourage our members to march in support.
The 2018 March for Science takes place Saturday, April 14, with satellite marches occurring across the country.
Learn more about NAGT's science advocacy and position on the March for Science here.
4. 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous Contributed Program Now Available
Have you secured your spot at the 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous? Registration is now open, with early bird rates available until May 1. Seeking funds to support travel to the conference? The deadline to apply for a travel stipend is this Sunday, April 8. Still undecided about attending Rendezvous? The conference's contributed program is now available in entirety, detailing the workshops, plenary speakers, poster and oral sessions, share-a-thon-sessions, teaching demonstrations, field trips, and more that will occur across the five-day conference. There is truly something for everyone at the Rendezvous, which brings together researchers and practitioners working in all aspects of undergraduate Earth education, including a mix of college faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers from all disciplines who are interested in improving their teaching about Earth. Browse the program and you'll see that the conference is designed to appeal to everyone from the instructor attending their first Earth education-themed meeting, to experienced STEM education researchers, to administrators who want to better support students in their programs. A new webpage is also now available that details the Rendezvous programming relevant to K-12 teachers. In addition, the whole program is searchable by theme, so no matter your interests, specialities, or learning desires, you'll easily find something for you. We hope to see you at the fourth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous this July!
5. Journal of Geoscience Education Announcements
The latest issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) is now out; you can read Editor-in-Chief Anne Egger's editorial about the journal's transition to a new publisher, Taylor & Francis, here. There are a few new features associated with the transition that NAGT members should take note of:
- You can now access JGE through your NAGT membership by going to your account page. (This is also a great time to renew your membership, if you haven't done so already!)
- You can now access two additional journals through our partnership with Taylor & Francis: Journal of Environmental Education and Science Activities. These are also available through your NAGT account page.
- To receive notice when new issues come out, you must sign up for alerts: Go to the JGE homepage and select "New content alerts." You can register for an account with Taylor & Francis to receive email alerts when new issues or articles are published. Note that registering for alerts at Taylor & Francis is not tied to your NAGT account or access.
- Join the community of peer reviewers: The Journal of Geoscience Education is always looking for peer reviewers with diverse expertise. Go to the journal's online submission and review system through Editorial Manager, and register or update your profile with classifications and keywords - these are used by Associate Editors to match manuscripts with reviewers. You can also contact Editor-in-Chief Anne Egger (jge-editor@nagt.org) or any other members of the Editorial Board if you are interested in serving as a reviewer.
6. New Issue of In the Trenches
The April edition of In The Trenches will soon arrive in the mail for all NAGT members. The issue, centered on the theme of Science and Religion, resists the binary thinking often associated with these two fields and instead explores what geoscience educators need to be aware of and ways they can respond when teaching students with views that may be contrary to science. Articles in the themed issue discuss subjects such as teaching about evolution in a creationist environment, promoting critical thinking in a religion class, responding to young Earth creationism, and more.
7. Announcing the Winners of the 2018 Field Camp Scholarships
Each year, NAGT makes several $750 awards to undergraduate students to facilitate their study of field geoscience, made possible by donations to the NAGT Field Camp Scholarship Fund. These awards, previously given to students who attend a traditional summer field camp, are now 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 aspect of geoscience (including geophysics, soil science, hydrology, etc.) that focuses 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 for Women Geoscientists (AWG) funds two additional awards specifically for women.
Please join us in extending congratulations to this year's scholarship winners: Shayna Avila (Cal State Fullerton); Katelyn Brower (Western Washington University); Samantha Denham (Pacific Lutheran University); Cason Dowdy (University of Georgia); Molly Gallahue (St. Norbert College, AWG Crawford Field Camp Scholarship Recipient); Sabrina Green (California State University, Fullerton); Denay Grund (University of Nebraska, Omaha); Olivia Helprin (Humboldt State University); Ashley Lynn (East Carolina University); Neal Mathes (Case Western Reserve University); Samantha McComb (SUNY-Potsdam, AWG Crawford Field Camp Scholarship Recipient); Shirley Mensah (Eastern Illinois University); Evan Millsap (Utah State University); Holly Pettus (West Virginia University); Miai-Hana Reed (Georgia State University); Kelsey Tucker (University of Alaska, Anchorage); and David Valerio (Texas A&M University).
This year, over 80 students applied for 18 available awards, making NAGT's Field Camp Scholarship program quite competitive! There were numerous deserving and inspiring candidates, and we wished we could provide funding to all. NAGT is proud to support these students' educational goals, career aspirations, and professional development. We are also very grateful for our members' continued support of the future generation of geoscience professionals. Please keep the [link Field Camp Scholarship Fund in mind if you wish to donate to help fund even more students next year.
8. NAGT Sponsored Project Spotlight: ADVANCEGeo Partnership
NAGT is proud to sponsor programs and activities that align with the association's mission to support a diverse, inclusive, and thriving community of educators and education researchers to improve teaching and learning about the Earth.
Many factors play into the decisions of women to leave science, including overt and subtle forms of gender and racial discrimination. The ADVANCEGeo Partnership is a four-year NSF-funded project that brings together the Earth Science Women's Network, Association for Women Geoscientists, and American Geophysical Union to address the problem of sexual harassment in the Earth, space and environmental sciences. A primary goal of the project is to improve work climate conditions by developing bystander intervention workshops for department heads, chairs, faculty and grad students to appropriately respond to and prevent sexual and other types of harassment on campus and in the field, as well as include awareness and prevention training of harassment in the teaching of ethical conduct in research.
ADVANCEGeo is also addressing three related barriers to the retention of women in the geosciences: (1) Hostile climate due to the prevalence of sexual harassment, especially in areas with field training and research; (2) Perceptions that sexual harassment is infrequent and affects few individuals; and (3) Perceived and real lack of resources for responding to sexual harassment.
The project aims to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment through development of tested workshops for department heads, chairs, and faculty and a survey of the geoscience community. This work will address the culture of academic geoscience by empowering the earth and space science community to stop and prevent sexual harassment by developing strategies of bystander intervention and disseminating these through in-person and online workshops. The project also aims to enhance ethics training of current and future geoscientists by producing teaching modules that include sexual harassment. ADVANCEGeo will partner with professional societies for national dissemination and sustainability.
You can learn more about the ADVANCEGeo project goals, approach, upcoming workshops, and presentations on the project website.
1. Next Generation Science Standards Webinar
On April 12 at 3pm CT, NAGT and AGI will host an NGSS webinar featuring two different presentations:
Explore plate tectonics through GPS data
Most students are leveraging geodesy every day through GPS technology embedded in commonly used devices: smartphones, cars, health trackers, computers, and many other devices. This familiarity with the technology provides an opportunity to segue from a familiar navigational experience of a GPS-enhanced mapping application to the scientific applications recorded by permanently installed high-precision GPS and other geodetic techniques. In collaboration with master teachers and college faculty, UNAVCO, an NSF-funded non-profit university-governed consortium, has developed a suite of free learning materials featuring high-resolution GPS data and three-dimensionally aligned to NGSS. In this session we will explore data-rich plate tectonics lessons as a theme of discovery.
Presenter: Shelley Olds, Science Education Specialist, UNAVCO
High-Adventure Science: Argumentation and modeling in Earth Science using free online modules
Science is not (all) about facts. There are unknown questions to be answered, unknown discoveries to be made. So, how do we engage students with those unknowns and have them explore the sources of scientific uncertainty? To prepare students to weigh arguments and make informed decisions, we need instruction that promotes coherent understanding of data, as well as the factors that influence how certain we can be of the data. The Concord Consortium's High-Adventure Science project has created six investigations for middle and high school students that focus on current, compelling, unanswered scientific questions.
Each free online five-day investigation incorporates interactive dynamic computer models and real-world data. Students use computational models to quickly explore the behavior of Earth's complex systems and develop uncertainty-infused scientific arguments. Students make claims based on evidence from the models, compare their results to real-world data, justify their claims, and describe what influenced their confidence in their claims.
This presentation will focus on how students' content and scientific argumentation skills are changed through the process of teaching students how to think explicitly about certainty with respect to data and the use of interactive models. Especially in frontier science, such as climate change research, or fresh water availability where claims can be disputed and changes arise as new evidence is produced, this level of critical thinking is a key skill for students to develop.
Presenter: Amy Pallant, Concord Consortium, Senior Research Scientist
The registration deadline for this webinar is April 10.
2. InTeGrate Webinar: Addressing Landslide Hazards in Introductory Undergraduate Courses
On Wednesday, April 18 at 12pm CT, presenters Beth Pratt-Sitaula (UNAVCO), Adam Booth (Portland State University), and Becca Walker (Mt San Antonio College) will lead a webinar on the subject of Addressing Landslide Hazards in Introductory Undergraduate Courses, using InTeGrate-developed and curated materials as tools. This webinar will feature a short talk by geomorphologist Adam Booth on cutting edge ways lidar data are being used to better understand landslide hazard and Earth surface processes. Following this, module author Becca Walker will overview the the GETSI Surface Process Hazards module and highlight ways to teach this topic in introductory Earth science courses. At the end of this webinar, participants will have better awareness of ways to integrate landslide case studies, lidar and InSAR data, and quantitative skills into introductory undergraduate courses; strategies to engage students in geoscience learning through landslide hazard map development; greater familiarity with GETSI (GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues) teaching resources and principles; and connections to new colleagues engaged in this work. Participants must register for this webinar by April 16.
3. 2018 AGU/AGI Heads and Chairs Webinar Series
The American Geosciences Institute is collaborating with the American Geophysical Union's Heads and Chairs program to provide critical support for geoscience academic departments. One of the key activities of this collaboration is a monthly webinar series that is open to anyone, but which is specifically designed to address issues raised by geoscience department chairs. Topics will range from data management needs of faculty, to using e-portfolios to document student success, to implementing effective policies while teaching in the field. The next webinar in the series, Implementing Effective Field Camp Policies and Procedures, takes place April 20 at 1PM ET. Registration should be completed using this form.
4. InTeGrate Webinar: Integrating GPS, SfM, and TLS into Geoscience Field Courses
On Tuesday, April 24 at 1pm CT, presenters Beth Pratt-Sitaula (UNAVCO), Benjamin Crosby (Idaho State University), and Bruce Douglas (Indiana University) will lead a webinar on the subject of Integrating GPS, SfM, and TLS into Geoscience Field Courses, using InTeGrate-developed and curated materials as tools. This webinar will provide an overview of two modules: High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS/GNSS and Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM. Presenters will give brief overviews of the geodetic methods and module components and provide tips on how best to use them with undergraduates. At the end of this webinar, participants will have learned more about geodetic field methods (GPS, lidar, and SfM); better awareness of the challenges and benefits of integrating geodetic field methods into geoscience courses with field components; greater familiarity with GETSI (Geodesy Tools for Societal Issues) teaching resources and principles; and connections to new colleagues engaged in this line of work. Participants must register for this webinar by Friday, April 20.
5. Academic Career Paths in GER Webinar
The Academic Career Paths in GER webinar has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 24 at 1pm ET. Often an "academic career" is associated with a career doing research; however, research is only one possible component of an academic career. Academia is broadly defined as the life, community, or world of teachers, institutions, and the greater education enterprise. Thus, there are a wide variety of possible careers within academia. These include, for example: professors of practice/instructors, administrators at various levels, staffs for centers of teaching and learning, staffs at university/college museums, and faculty at other types of institutions other than R1 institutions. The goals of this webinar are for participants to be able to: 1) Describe the range of career opportunities in academia, especially those which may be different than the ones that their advisors/supervisors hold, 2) Explain how their training and experience in Geoscience Education Research can be an asset to academic careers that may not necessarily be focused on GER, and 3) Construct mental models of pathways they might follow from their current graduate studies or early career positions to other careers in academia. To learn more about the webinar, click here. Please register for the webinar using this link.
1. Spaces Still Available for 2YC Faculty in the Early Career Workshop
While the deadline for general applications to the 2018 Early Career Workshop has passed, a few openings remain that are reserved for faculty from 2-Year Colleges to participate in the workshop. Scholarships will likely be available to defray the cost of attending the workshop. In this multiday workshop 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 full-time faculty position at the time of the workshop and must be in their first three years of full-time teaching or starting a full-time position in the Fall. If you are a 2YC faculty member interested in attending the workshop, please submit your application ASAP!
2. 2018 ASCN Systemic Change Institute Workshop: Application Deadline Extended to April 15
The 2018 ASCN Systemic Change Institute is designed to support campus change agents in using institutional change strategies to advance STEM change projects to greater scale and sustainability. Campus teams will bring existing projects, envisioned or started, that they need help bringing to scale or longer-term sustainability. Campus teams may be struggling with leadership turnover, lack of resources or infrastructure, team dynamics, shifting project goals and priorities, or other challenges. Institute participants will learn about the national context and drivers for change, theories and frameworks of change and the logistics of managing change projects to advance them to scale and sustainability. The Systemic Change Institute is a year-long commitment from ASCN to support teams, and a commitment by teams to work with mentors toward achieving project goals. Institute participants will be mentored throughout the year by STEM leaders, researchers, and change agents who have experience with reform projects. The institute kicks off with a two-day workshop that takes place in Philadelphia,July 18 - 20, 2018 . Virtual progress meetings will also be scheduled throughout the following year, and mentors will make one site visit to each team's institution.
To learn more about the workshop program and goals, visit the ASCN Systemic Change Institute website. The deadline to apply for the workshop has been extended to April 15.
3. Applications for Teaching Socio-Environmental Synthesis with Case Studies Short Course due April 17
SESYNC invites applications for a short course, Teaching about Socio-Environmental Synthesis with Case Studies to be held at SESYNC in Annapolis, MD on July 30-Aug 2, 2018. Through the short course, participants will learn about the case study method for teaching and engage in discussions about teaching the concepts and competencies students need to understand and address complex, socio-environmental problems. Participants will also design and create a case study for teaching; each individual or team will commit to producing one case that will be shared via the SESYNC website. The short course is open to faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and other professionals, and all cases must focus on a socio-environmental issue. We encourage teams (max of 4) to apply together, but individuals are welcome too. For more information, please visit the program website. The deadline to apply is April 17 at 5pm ET.
4. Applications for Short Course on Using Kinematic and Static GPS in Undergraduate Field Courses Due April 26
UNAVCO invites applications for a short course, Using Kinematic and Static GPS in Undergraduate Field Courses, which will take place August 14-16 at Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. The goal of this workshop is to equip instructors of field geoscience courses with the knowledge and skills needed to integrate high precision positioning with GPS/GNSS into their courses. Participants will learn about both kinematic and static methods and how to guide students through the process of determining which methods best suit different research questions and sites. Featured geoscience applications include measuring topographic features and change detection for both geomorphic and structural geology research questions. Most participant travel costs will be covered. For more information, please see the program website. The deadline to apply for this short course is April 26.
5. Spring Deadlines Associated with the 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
The 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous will take place July 16-20 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Approaching deadlines include:
- Travel stipend application deadline: April 8
- Early registration deadline: May 1
- Activity Review Camp application deadline: May 1
- Deadline to pre-order a Rendezvous t-Shirt (ensures you will receive a t-shirt in your desired size):June 15
Sign up to receive Rendezvous updates to be the first to know when additional news and information becomes available.
6. Upcoming NAGT Award Deadlines
NAGT's Outstanding Earth Science Teacher (OEST) awards are given for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences at the pre-college level. Any teacher or other K-12 educator who covers a significant amount of Earth science content with their students is eligible. Ten national finalists are selected, one from each NAGT regional section. Some sections also recognize state winners. Individuals may apply themselves or nominate a colleague for the award. The selection of award winners is conducted at the Section level and each Section sets its own deadline for nomination. A listing of the deadlines and contact people for each Section is listed on the award website. Check out your Section's deadline and submit your nominations via the website. And remember, you can also nominate yourself!
In honor of Dottie Stout's outstanding work and lifelong dedication to Earth science education, NAGT awards Dorothy Lalonde Stout Professional Development Grants that support Earth science professional development in three categories: Community College Faculty, Community College Student, and K-12 Educator. The deadline for applications, which include a proposal describing how applicants will use the award to support their professional growth, is April 15.
The Robert Christman Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize individuals who have provided long, distinguished service to NAGT at the national and/or section level. Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis.
7. Session Proposals for AGU Fall Meeting Due April 18
The American Geophysical Union's 2018 Fall Meeting will also mark AGU's Centennial celebration. The two events will celebrate the past, present, and future of the Earth and space sciences, and will demonstrate how our science is strong, vibrant, global, and essential in many ways to society. The theme of the meeting is "What science stands for." 2018 Fall Meeting session proposals are now open, with sessions that tie to the meeting theme or AGU's Centennial being especially welcome. Proposals can be a traditional oral or poster session, panel discussion, short talk, or in the new format of an eLightning session. The session proposal deadline is April 18.
8. InTeGrate Workshops at the Goldschmidt Conference: Register by June 13
The 2018 Goldschmidt Conference takes place August 12-17 in Boston, during which time InTeGrate will host two associated workshops on the subject of Engaging Students in Understanding the Earth System as it Intertwines with Key Societal Issues. The first workshop, taking place Tuesday, August 14, is designed for K-8 teachers. More information about the workshop, including the program and instructions for completing registration by the deadline of June 13, can be found here. The second workshop, taking place Thursday, August 16, is designed for high school teachers. The workshop program and information about completing the registration by the deadline of June 13 can be found here. Space is limited for both workshops, so please do not delay in registering if you are interested in participating.
9. NSF Program Solicitation: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education
Through the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) initiative, the agency continues to make a substantial commitment to the highest caliber undergraduate STEM education through a Foundation-wide framework of investments. The IUSE: EHR program is a core NSF undergraduate STEM education program that seeks to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate STEM education for both majors and non-majors. The program is open to application from all institutions of higher education and associated organizations seeking support for projects that have the potential to improve student learning in STEM through development of new curricular materials and methods of instruction, and development of new assessment tools to measure student learning. In addition to innovative work at the frontier of STEM education, this program also encourages replications of research studies at different types of institutions and with different student bodies to produce deeper knowledge about the effectiveness and transferability of findings. To learn more about this opportunity, including the requirements for submitting a proposal, read the full announcement. Beginning in FY 2018, there will be no single date deadlines for Exploration and Design proposals, which may be submitted any time from October 1, 2017 and onward. Please note, however, that proposals received after May 1 will be held over to the subsequent financial year for possible award (for example, awards will be made in FY 19 for proposals received after May 1, 2018).
Eastern Section
- The Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Student Research Symposium (SRS) for the GLOBE Program will be held in Buffalo, NY May 4-5, 2018. Teachers and their students from across this region will share their research with their peers and guests. If you are interested in helping support these efforts, there is an opportunity for NAGT Eastern Section members to help serve as mentors to these teachers and their students or help in offering expertise as a reviewer. If you are interested in helping you can contact GLOBE directly (www.globe.gov) or contact the Northeast lead Dr. Michael Jabot (jabot@fredonia.edu).
- Save the Date: The 2018 annual meeting of the NAGT Eastern Section will take place in Millersville, PA, June 7-9. More details are available online at the Eastern Section website.
MidContinent Section
- The deadline for submitting nominations of the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award for the MidContinent section has changed from March 31 to May 15. Remember, you can also nominate yourself!
Pacific Northwest Section
- The Pacific Northwest Section's Annual Conference will take place June 27 to 29, 2018 and is scheduled to take place in the Portland, Oregon area. Initial plans call for a conference on Wednesday with field trips on Thursday and Friday. Stay tuned for details as they develop.
Southeastern Section
- The annual SENAGT business meeting and social will be held during the Southeastern Section Meeting of GSA. The meeting will be on Thursday, April 12, 2018 at 12:00pm at the Downtown Grill & Brewery in Knoxville, TN (424 South Gay Street). Please come have your voice heard and enjoy some good company.
GER Division
- Upcoming GER events and opportunities:
- The Academic Career Paths in GER webinar has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 24 at 1pm ET. Please register here.
- GER will host networking events at the 2018 Earth Educators' Rendezvous, coordinated with 2YC and TED
- GER is hosting a 2018 GSA Session: T84. Making Sense of Methodologies and Theoretical Frameworks in Geoscience Education Research.
- Know a researcher worth spotlighting, have an article worth reading, or an opportunity worth sharing? Submit to the GET Exchange using this queue. Self nominations are welcomed. Check out the latest edition of the GER Exchange for even more division highlights.
- GER has lots of exciting projects in the work, and is always looking for members to help prioritize and promote these projects! If you are interested in serving on the Communications or Long Range Planning Committees, please email Katherine Ryker (kryker@seoe.sc.edu).
Geo2YC Division
- On Wednesday, July 18 the Geo2YC Division will host a happy hour reception at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Lawrence, Kansas. Watch the Rendezvous program page for details including the location.
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Do you work with an adjunct faculty who does great work who deserves to be recognized? Are you an adjunct faculty who has done something worth recognition? Please fill out the nomination form to recognize the great work our adjunct faculty do to support student learning at the two-year colleges. The form must be filled out in one session. We ask for brief descriptions of reasons for nominations and contact information at the department and school level to assure full recognition. Anyone may nominate a faculty member for the Award, including self-nominations. Winning adjuncts will be featured in the future editions of Foundations and will receive a complimentary one year membership to the Geo2YC division.
Do you have good news related to your geoscience education work that you would like to share with your NAGT Community? Would you like to call attention to a paper, presentation, or resource you developed or helped develop to share with your fellow Earth educators? Submit to NAGT's Community Kudos!
Don Duggan-Haas, current President of NAGT, was honored with the Thomas B. Ervin Distinguished Service Award from the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) at the recent NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Atlanta, Georgia. The award is presented to officers and volunteers who provide dedicated service to Earth science education.
Dr. Duggan-Haas also recently appeared on the Important Not Important Podcast, which features "weekly conversations with awesome scientists, engineers, doctors, politicians, and journalists, [about] the questions and topics most likely to either save the planet, or end it!" Don was joined by Therese Etoka and Jai Bandal, two immigrant high school students who fought to keep climate change science a part of Idaho's state science education standards. Climate change was preserved within the standards. Together, they discussed a possible game plan to ensure every American student receives a comprehensive science education. You can listen to their conversation in full here.
Callan Bentley, current President of NAGT's Geo2YC Division, marked ten years of blogging about geology in December 2017. First at "NOVA Geoblog," and then at "Mountain Beltway," Callan has written ~2700 blog posts in that time on a wide variety of geological topics. Many are richly illustrated with photos, 3D models, and embedded gigapixel images. The current incarnation of Callan's blog has been hosted by the American Geophysical Union since 2010. You can read many of his blog posts here.
Director, INRSEP & Diversity in STEM Program
Posted: March 26 2018
HSU's INRSEP & Diversity in STEM Program is a recently restructured program that will provide academic and research support services to historically underrepresented students in the Sciences.
USGS Cooperative Field Training Program
Started in 1965, the NAGT-USGS Cooperative Summer Field Training Program is the longest continuously running internship program in the earth sciences. Over the past fifty years, more than 2,300 students have participated in this program with an impressive number of these individuals becoming full-time employees of the USGS. The deadline for nominations is October 16, 2018.
Need help getting the word out about your position opening, event, or field trip? Submit your posting to the new NAGT Career Hub!
Available Samples
Desired Specimens
Are you looking for new specimens for your collection? Do you have extra samples to share with colleagues?
Post in the Rock and Mineral Exchange.
