Initial Publication Date: April 13, 2023

NAGT Newsletter Header April 2023

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News and Announcements

2023 Earth Educators' Rendezvous: Register by May 3 for the best rates!

Registration and abstract submissions for poster and Share-a-Thon presentations are open for the ninth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous, taking place in Pasadena, CA, from July 10-14, 2023! NAGT members receive $100 off registration.

Last Chance to Nominate your colleagues for 2023 NAGT Awards!

Time is running out to nominate yourself or colleagues for 2023 NAGT awards! Check out the awards below and nominate by April 15.

NAGT Seeks a New Editor-in-Chief for JGE

JGE Issue CoversDo you enjoy learning about research that is happening across the geoscience education community? Are you interested in broadening access to education research and elevating the work of geoscience education researchers? Do you have high standards and a willingness to support editors and authors in meeting those standards? If you answered yes to these questions, this opportunity may be for you! NAGT is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE), NAGT's premier peer-reviewed publication for geoscience education research, to begin serving in Fall 2023. Learn more about the position and submit your application by May 1.

Serve our Community: Join an NAGT committee

Help to guide the work of the organization: NAGT committees are seeking new members. For more information about each committee and to nominate yourself or a colleague, please visit NAGT's Get Involved in NAGT Leadership web page. The following committees are seeking new members:

Nominate yourself or a colleague

New PreK-12 Professional Development Opportunities Portal

Are you looking for professional development opportunities in Earth science education? We invite you to visit the newly released PreK-12 Professional Development Opportunities portal. The portal was developed by the Next Generation Science Standards in ESS (NGSS-ESS) Working Group, which is a collaboration of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA), and the American Geosciences Institute (AGI). The goal of this new resource is to assist ESS teachers as they search for professional development opportunities that meet their needs by making that search as efficient as possible. Experiences being offered include a field trip to the Galapagos Islands, field camps in the southwest U.S., teacher leadership academies, and a week of workshops and technical sessions at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous. These experiences are offered by a very wide range of organizations and include opportunities that offer graduate credit or CEUs and some offering stipends. Stop back frequently as new opportunities are added regularly.

Visit the portal at: https://nagt.org/nagt/k12_educators/k12_pd.html

Reminder: Provide Feedback on Proposed Bylaws Changes

NAGT members are invited to read and comment on revisions to NAGT's bylaws. The revised bylaws, which involve Standing Committees, Meetings, and Regional Sections, will be put to a vote during the May Executive Committee Meeting. Submit any feedback on the bylaws changes by May 1.

Reminder: AGI Offers Free Training in Geoscience Communications to NAGT Members for Limited Time

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is offering free training in geoscience communications to members of AGI Member Societies (that means you!).

The online course, Practical Geocommunication, is offered by Geologize LTD, which is endorsed by leading geoscience organizations around the world. It is designed to enable geoscientists at all career stages to become more effective and powerful public ambassadors for the geosciences. During the course, participants have access to lessons, quizzes, assignments, and direct interaction with the course instructor, Dr. Haydon Mort, through forums. The training counts as nine hours of Continuing Professional Development, and a certificate is provided upon completion.

The free training opportunity opened on March 1, 2023, and is available for one year. NAGT members can access it using the instructions on this page. Please do not share this with others outside the organization, as it is a member benefit.


Events header

NAGT Webinar: Exploring GeoMagnetism through Citizen Science

Jae Robinson, Holly McCrory, Aamna Sirohey, (all presenters are affiliated with CIRES Education & Outreach, NOAA, and MagVar)
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 2:30 pm Pacific | 3:30 pm Mountain | 4:30 pm Central | 5:30 pm Eastern
Registration deadline: Monday April 17, 2023

NGSS Webinar: Teaching Earth and Space Science with PhET Interactive Simulations

Rebecca Vieyra, PhET Associate Director of Global Initiatives
Date & Time: Thursday, April 20, 2023, 1:00 pm Pacific | 2:00 pm Mountain | 3:00 pm Central | 4:00 pm Eastern
Registration deadline: Wednesday, April 19, 2023

CLEAN Webinar: Beyond Doom & Gloom: How to Teach Climate Change Towards Empowerment with CLEAN

Alicia Christensen, CIRES Outreach Associate
Date & Time: Thursday, April 20, 2023, 3:00 pm Pacific | 4:00 pm Mountain | 5:00 pm Central | 6:00 pm Eastern (60 minutes)
Register up to event start.

NAGT Webinar: Developing evaluation systems that value diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts: an active workshop for the geosciences

Megan Elwood Madden, Alisa K. Kotash, Elinor R. Martin, Lori A. Snyder, Mashhad Fahs, Gerilyn S. Soreghan, (all presenters are affiliated with The University of Oklahoma)
Date & Time: May 2, 2023, 10:30 am Pacific | 11:30 am Mountain | 12:30 pm Central | 1:30 pm Eastern
Registration deadline: May 1, 2023

NAGT Webinar: Heads and Chairs: What you need to know about nominating students for the NAGT/USGS Cooperative Summer Fellowship Program

Kurt Burmeister, Executive Secretary, NAGT/USGS Cooperative Summer Fellowship Program, Laura Corey, Youth and Education in Science (YES) Program Analyst, U.S. Geological Survey, Anne Egger, Executive Director, NAGT, Eleanour Snow, Youth and Education in Science (YES) Program Manager, U.S. Geological Survey
Date & Time: May 10, 2023, 9 am Pacific | 10 am Mountain | 11 am Central | 12 pm Eastern
A webinar for heads and chairs to learn more about the new nomination process for the NAGT/USGS Cooperative Summer Fellowship program and how to nominate students.
Registration will be available soon.

Speaking Up Workshop

Join fellow NAGT members for a two-day interactive workshop May 18, and 19, 2023. On Thursday, May 18, participate in the interactive Speaking Up program by Powerplay and IncluxionWorks. On Friday, May 19, participants will have a debrief session with NAGT facilitation to apply these lessons and create lasting resources for NAGT members.

Participants are invited to join for Thursday only or for both sessions, though preference will be given to those who can attend both sessions. Thursday attendance is a prerequisite for participating on Friday. This workshop is only open to NAGT members. Members who assist with running NAGT professional development programs are highly encouraged to attend. Learn more and apply by April 23.

Ninth Annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous

Registration is open for the ninth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous, taking place in Pasadena, CA, from July 10-14, 2023! NAGT members receive $100 off registration. Register by May 3 for the best rate!

2023 Workshop on IGUaNA and GETSI Modules

August 8-10, 2023, University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
Undergraduate instructors, including instructors at 2YC and MSI institutions, who want to use near-surface geophysics applications in their classrooms are encouraged to apply for this workshop, which includes field and classroom components. During field data collection activities, participants will gain experience in how to collect near-surface geophysics datasets and also learn how to teach effective data acquisition. In the classroom, participants will use the IGUaNA and GETSI teaching materials under the guidance of module authors. Guided discussions will emphasize how to use Introducing Geophysics for Urban and Near-surface Applications (IGUaNA) and Geodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) materials in your courses, and how to overcome possible roadblocks and limitations. You'll come away with an implementation plan on how to incorporate these concepts into your courses. Apply for the workshop by May 1.

For Students

Summer 2023 Geoscience Field Camp Offerings

Field Camp Small ImageIn an effort to help students and faculty find options for Summer 2023 field camp offerings, NAGT is compiling a list of field camps of all formats. This list includes programs--whether they be online, in-person, or hybrid--that have space for additional students. Please share the field camp list with others who may be interested in participating in these programs.

View field camp list

Deadline Extended: Apply for a Career Prep Workshop Grant by April 17

The Preparing for an Academic Career workshop, held annually at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous, is an opportunity designed for graduate students who are interested in pursuing academic careers in the geosciences. Thanks to generous donations from NAGT members and donors, this year's workshop is currently able to offer stipends of $300 each to a limited number of graduate student participants to help offset costs of participating in the workshop. Learn more about the grant and apply using this form by April 17.

Section and Division Highlights

Two-Year College Division

Nominate an Outstanding Adjunct 2YC Faculty today!

The Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award (OAFA) is an opportunity to showcase your or one of your adjunct colleague's efforts in doing great work in geoscience education. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis. See the information page for more details about the award. Nominate an adjunct faculty member

Apply for Faculty Development Awards
The Geo2YC Division wants to support members' efforts to promote geoscience education. Two Faculty Development awards are available to Geo2YC members: (1) Mini grants up to $500 to support an activity (workshop, field trip, etc.), which benefits faculty from multiple institutions, and (2) travel grants of $100 to help an individual attend a professional development activity. Apply by April 15

Teacher Education Division (TED)

Post to the TED Facebook Page

Members are invited to post time-critical information on the TED Facebook page.

From Our Members

Belonging in the Field Discussion, GeoSPACE: Building community for students in a hybrid, multi-modal field course designed for inclusion and access

Join the Belonging in Field Education Research Team for their next Belonging in the Field discussion, GeoSPACE: Building community for students in a hybrid, multi-modal field course designed for inclusion and access. This talk and Q&A will take place on April 26th at 12-1 pm Pacific Time (3-4 pm Eastern Time).

Dr. Anita Marshall and Yesenia Arroyo will share their approach to building inclusive communities with examples from GeoSPACE - an inclusive field course for students with disabilities and other marginalized identities. RSVP for the talk at the link below. We hope you will come join this important conversation! Register to attend this discussion: https://bit.ly/BFE_RSVP

Teaching Earth Materials or Petrology? Join us for a summer workshop!

Recent developments in online resources offer new paths to enhance and accelerate petrology learning. If you teach an intermediate level course in petrology, or an earth materials course that includes petrology, and would like to participate in this NSF-funded workshop on teaching petrology, you are encouraged to apply! The workshop will be held at Smith College in Northampton, MA, on 2-5 August, 2023. Participants will design and write student assignments that use online resources and then use and evaluate one or more of the new activities in their classes in the academic year following the workshop. The extensive, interactive igneous and metamorphic petrology website written by co-PI Brady will serve both as an example and as a vehicle for implementing the new activities. Expenses for travel (reasonable airfare) and lodging (two people per room) will be reimbursed for all attendees. If you have questions concerning this workshop, please feel free to contact any member of the organizing committee: John Brady, Smith College (jbrady@smith.edu); Clem Hamelin, College of William and Mary (chamelin@wm.edu); Sarah Mazza, Smith College (smazza@smith.edu); Heather Petcovic, Western Michigan University (heather.petcovic@wmich.edu). Apply by May 1.

Career Hub

Community and Program Coordinator of the Water Resources Center at East Carolina University

Visiting Assistant Professor of Geophysics - Boise State University

Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography and Geospatial Information Systems - Boise State University



Rock and Mineral Exchange

Available Samples

Desired Specimens


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