News
- New! NAGT Blog: Navigating learning, teaching, leading
- Update on the 2020 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
- Turn to SERC and NAGT: Resources for Teaching Online
- In Case You Missed It: Watch the Recording of the NAGT Webinar (Suddenly) Teaching Geoscience Online
- Check out the New NAGT Webinar Series YouTube Channel
- Seeking New Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) Editor-in-Chief: Applications Due May 1
- Seeking Members to Serve on NAGT's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: Nominate Yourself or a Colleague
- New Issue of In the Trenches
Awards and Recognition
Upcoming Webinars
- Educational Modules for Teaching Topics in Computer Science, Earth or Environmental Science, Economics, Physics, or Physical Chemistry Using Polar Research and Data - April 27
- Lessons Learned from Integrating EDDIE Modules into a Semester-long Undergraduate Environmental Data Science Course - April 29
Deadlines
- Beginning April 15: Stout, Miner, Shea and Other NAGT Award Nominations
- May 1: Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) Editor-in-Chief Position Applications
Section and Division Highlights
NAGT Career Hub
Rock and Mineral Exchange
New! NAGT Blog Navigating learning, teaching, leading
Check out the new NAGT Blog: Navigating learning, teaching, leading that will feature posts from NAGT leadership. Currently, Anne Egger is blogging about her experience moving structural geology to an online format. Read her blog posts and sign up to receive future posts as email messages, and make comments (as long as they follow our guidelines).
Update on the 2020 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
We know that many of you have questions about what is going to happen with the Earth Educators' Rendezvous. At this time, we are gathering information about our capability of hosting a virtual EER, including which workshops and sessions could transition well to an online format. We are evaluating our ability to offer the high-quality professional development you have come to expect from NAGT in a different format at a reasonable cost. An announcement will be made on April 17, and updates will be posted on the COVID-19 Updates page.
Turn to SERC and NAGT: Resources for Teaching Online
To support the geoscience education community amid the COVID-19 pandemic, SERC and NAGT have assembled an evolving set of resources to help with teaching online including a Collection of Activities and Materials for teaching geoscience online, Webinars and Virtual Events, as well as recordings of Past Events. We also invite you to Join the Community - sign up for our email list to share resources, discuss strategies, and ask questions about teaching online.
In Case You Missed It: Watch the Recording of the Webinar (Suddenly) Teaching Geoscience Online
Watch the recording of the webinar (Suddenly) Teaching Geoscience Online. This webinar provides a rapid introduction to the elements of successful online geoscience teaching from a panel of seasoned online instructors and reviews the available (and growing) resources for teaching geoscience online, including both pedagogy and content elements.
Check out the New NAGT Webinar Series YouTube Channel
Head over to the official NAGT Webinar Series YouTube channel, where you will find all the webinars in the series at your fingertips. Feel free to binge-watch, and remember to subscribe!
Seeking New Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) Editor-in-Chief: Applications Due May 1
NAGT seeks new Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE). The journal is in a growth phase, with submissions, citations, and downloads all increasing. The Editor-in-Chief provides the overarching vision for JGE while paying attention to the details involved in maintaining a high-quality peer-reviewed publication. This individual will continue to expand the stature, reach, and impact of the journal, be responsive to the needs and interests of NAGT and the geoscience education research communities, and stay abreast of changes in the dynamic landscape of scientific publishing. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the search chair in advance of the application deadline with any questions. Requests for additional information, including a proposal for how the duties of the Editor-in-Chief will be incorporated into the existing workload with support from the home institution, will be made to qualified applicants by May 15. The new Editor-in-Chief will assume responsibility for the journal beginning December 1, 2020. Questions? Contact the search committee chair, Margaret Crowder, margaret.crowder@wku.edu. Apply by May 1, 2020.
Seeking Members to Serve on NAGT's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: Nominate Yourself or a Colleague
NAGT's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee facilitates the organization's efforts to build an inclusive and equitable organization, and achieve its goals related to diversity of its membership, leadership, committees, award winners, and participants in all events. Members of the committee provide expertise and guidance to NAGT. The DEI Committee reports to the Executive Committee. Use this form to nominate yourself or a colleague by April 27.
New Issue of In the Trenches
The April edition of In The Trenches will soon arrive in the mail for all NAGT members. April's ITT issue centers on the theme of Fostering Future Geoscientists, with articles on Integrating Research Experience into Introductory Geoscience Courses, Offering Career-Focused Courses to Increase Geoscience, and How to Make a Rock Cycle Exhibit on Your Campus.
Congratulations to NAGT-sponsored project, EarthScope Alaska Native Geoscience Learning Experience (ANGLE) on receiving the Western States Seismic Policy Council's (WSSPC) 2020 National Award in Excellence in the Outreach category. This award is only given once every four years. The ANGLE project works with Alaskan teachers, park/museum interpreters, emergency management educators, and students to promote science and preparedness learning related to earthquakes, tsunami, and volcanoes. ANGLE has contributed more than 20 activities to the NAGT collection and works with a wide variety of Alaskan and national partners. ANGLE is led by Jennifer Witter, a researcher at Alaska Pacific University and Science Coordinator for the Anchorage School District. Collaborating institutions that share in the award are University of Alaska Anchorage's Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) and Central Washington University (CWU). NAGT member, Beth Pratt-Sitaula is the CWU PI.
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 presentation or resource you developed or helped develop to share with your fellow Earth educators? Submit to NAGT's Community Kudos!
April 27: Educational Modules for Teaching Topics in Computer Science, Earth or Environmental Science, Economics, Physics, or Physical Chemistry Using Polar Research and Data 11:00am PT | 12:00pm MT | 1:00pm CT | 2:00pm ET. This webinar introduces instructors to education modules created as part of the Polar ENgagement through GUided INquiry (PENGUIN) project. In each module, disciplinary topics and techniques are applied to polar research or data to improve students understanding of course topics, while improving climate and computational literacy. Through the modules, students conduct inquiry, scaffolded by Excel spreadsheets or Jupyter Notebooks in Python. Register by April 24, 2020.
April 29: Lessons Learned from Integrating EDDIE Modules into a Semester-long Undergraduate Environmental Data Science Course 10:00am PT | 11:00am MT | 12:00 CT | 1:00pm ET. Webinar participants will learn how diverse EDDIE modules and other resources (NEON QUBES modules and Data Carpentry Lessons) were harmonized into a course plan that builds data science skills using the R language. The webinar will share instructor lessons learned from teaching data science to assist other instructors who wish to integrate EDDIE modules into their curriculum. Register by April 27, 2020.
Beginning April 15: Stout, Miner, Shea and Other NAGT Award Nominations
Celebrate your colleagues and students by nominating them for an NAGT award! Nomination deadlines are fast-approaching.
- Nominations due April 15, 2020:
- Dorothy Lalonde Stout Professional Development Grants are given to faculty and students at two-year colleges and K-12 teachers.
- Neil Miner Award is presented to an individual for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences.
- James H. Shea Award is given to an individual for exceptional contributions in the form of writing and/or editing of Earth science materials (broadly construed) that are of interest to the general public and/or teachers of Earth science.
- Nominations due May 15, 2020:
- 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.
- Nominations due June 15, 2020:
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards are presented to outstanding teaching assistants in geoscience education, with up to 30 awards given annually. Both undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants are eligible for the award.
- Nominations accepted on an ongoing basis:
- Robert Christman Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have provided long, distinguished service to NAGT at the national and/or section level.
May 1: Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) Editor-in-Chief Position Applications
NAGT seeks new Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE). Requests for additional information, including a proposal for how the duties of the Editor-in-Chief will be incorporated into the existing workload with support from the home institution, will be made to qualified applicants by May 15. The new Editor-in-Chief will assume responsibility for the journal beginning December 1, 2020. Questions? Contact the search committee chair, Margaret Crowder, margaret.crowder@wku.edu. Apply by May 1, 2020.
Geo2YC Division
Do you have stories, experiences, experiments, photos, or awards that you'd like to share in the next issue of the Geo2YC Foundations news? Email Editor Suki Smaglik at sukismaglik@gmail.com by Friday, June 1, 2020.
GER Division
GER Transformation and Collaborations Awards recognize those who have made significant contributions to the development of and capacity for geoscience education research, including non-GER colleagues (e.g. geophysicists, educational psychologists, education researchers, etc.) who have infused the GER community with new ideas. Find out more about both awards and make your nominations by May 15, 2020 for both the Transformation and Collaboration Awards.
NAGT-GER provides monthly updates on professional opportunities, funding, articles of note, researcher profiles, and other content of interest to our membership. Please consider contributing items of interest for inclusion in future editions of the Exchange!
TED Division
Do you have news items for the TED Newsletter? Send news, photos, and updates to: suzanne.metlay@wgu.edu. Post time-critical info on the TED Facebook page.
Eastern Section
NAGT's Eastern Section has cancelled its June 2020 Meeting that was to be held at West Chester University, Pennsylvania. Visit the Eastern Section website for more information.
Pacific Northwest Section
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Section 2020 Annual Conference originally scheduled to be held June 16-19, 2020 has been cancelled. The section is currently exploring hosting either a virtual conference or a series of virtual meetings. For more information, contact conference organizer Philip Schmitz, pschmitz@bluecc.edu.
Check out the PNW Section Winter 2020 Newsletter (Acrobat (PDF) 1.4MB Feb6 20).
Geoscience/General Science Faculty
Linn-Benton Community College is seeking applicants to join the Physical Sciences Department. This position is a Full-time 1.0 FTE, 168-day, Academic Year, Contracted Position with Benefits. The Physical Sciences Department at LBCC consists of faculty specializing in a variety of disciplines, and offers courses in astronomy, geology, earth sciences, chemistry, and physics. Courses range from introductory classes for non-science majors through year-long sequences in geosciences and general sciences. The physical science faculty develops, plans, and presents organized lectures, laboratory activities, and out-of-class assignments in accordance with approved course outcomes.Need help getting the word out about your position opening, event, or field trip? Submit your posting to the NAGT Career Hub!
Available Samples
Ophiolite, Tertiary sedimentary, misc metamorphic
Desired Specimens
Precambrian chert. Stromatolites
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.
