News & Announcements
- Rendezvous 2019 Recap, Donor Challenge, Save the Date for Stanford 2020
- Volunteer to Staff the NAGT Booth at GSA
- NAGT-sponsored Activities, Courses, and Sessions at GSA
- Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
- Gain More Strategies to Actively Engage Students with On-Ramps
- Explore the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education
- Opportunity: Geo-Click Project Seeks Instructors
Upcoming Workshops and Webinars
- Using the NGSS to Change Worlds Webinar September 12
- Apply by October 15 for Your Institution to Host an NAGT Traveling Workshop
- Earth Education for Sustainable Societies Workshop October 14-16
- MATLAB Workshop: Teaching Computational Thinking Skills with MATLAB October 20-22
- Project EDDIE: Module Development Workshop October 28-30
- NAGT Fall 2019 Webinar Series
- Recordings from Spring 2019 InTeGrate Webinars are Available
Deadlines
- Apply to Join the Project EDDIE Faculty Mentoring Network
- Undergraduate and Graduate Students: Submit Your Abstract for AGU's Fall 2019 Virtual Poster Showcase
- AGI's Earth Science Week Contests: Video, Photography, Visual Arts and Essay
- Register Now for the AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop
- AGI Seeking Nominations for Elections and Awards
- Career Hub: Ongoing
Section and Division Highlights
NAGT Career Hub
Rock and Mineral Exchange
1. Rendezvous 2019 Recap, Donor Challenge, 2020 Programming Ideas and Location
Thank you to everyone who attended the 5th annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Nashville, TN. What a tremendous time of learning, sharing, networking, and collaborating! We hope those in attendance were able to connect with colleagues, old and new, and left with inspirational teaching ideas as well as creative ways to continue to build our community.
The 2019 Rendezvous attendance grew 20% over 2018, topping out at 301 participants who took part in workshops, presentations, posters, and teaching demos over the course of the week. Rendezvous continues to draw both new and returning participants, in a mix of higher education and K12, from all over the US. Help make the 2020 Rendezvous even bigger by marking your calendar to attend July 13-17, 2020!
Check out the Rendezvous 2019 slideshow on the top page of the Rendezvous website. Even if you missed this year's Rendezvous, you can still catch up on some of the action on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching the hashtag #EarthER19.
2019 End of Meeting Survey
If you attended the 2019 Rendezvous and haven't yet provided feedback, please remember to complete the End of Meeting Survey before you get caught up in your hectic schedule again. Your feedback on how the meeting went is crucial to continuing to improve the event and deliver high-quality experiences to future participants. Thank you to all who have contributed feedback!
2019 Rendezvous Participants: U.S. geographical breakdown
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We welcomed participants from almost every state at this year's Rendezvous. Tell your friends about this amazing Earth educators' gathering and help us gain representation from every state (and beyond!) for the sixth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous in 2020!
Donor Challenge
Combined Divisions Social Mixer
More than 70 people mixed and mingled at a Rendezvous evening social event co-sponsored and organized by all three of NAGT's divisions: Geo2YC, GER and TED. This event was open to all EER attendees. We thank all of the members (and future members!) who attended, and look forward to a similarly successful event in Palo Alto in 2020!
Suggest 2020 Programming: Have an Idea for Next Year's Rendezvous Programming?
Share an Idea with the Rendezvous organizers. The Earth Educators' Rendezvous committee will review all suggestions and work to create a balanced program that serves diverse audiences.
Where Will Next Year's Rendezvous Be?
Be the first to learn about dates, deadlines and logistics by signing up for notifications using this Express Interest Form.
2. Volunteer to Staff the NAGT Booth at GSA
3. NAGT-sponsored Activities, Courses and Sessions at GSA
- NAGT sponsors a great number of activities, courses, and sessions at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting each Fall.
- The GSA Meeting is also where the NAGT's annual business meetings take place.
- Check out NAGT-sponsored activities, sessions, and short courses at GSA, which highlight key issues of importance to geoscience educators at all levels. When registering for the annual meeting, you can also register for one of the NAGT-sponsored short courses, which include:
- Preparing Undergraduates -- Data-Rich Introductory Teaching Modules and Connecting Content to Geoscience Careers
- Geoheritage: Concepts and Methods for Sharing Earth's Legacy for Economic, Societal, and Scientific Advancement
- Teaching Quantitative Structural Geology
- Inclusive and Effective College Science Classrooms: Engaging Students, Designing Lessons, and Integrating Diversity into Curriculum
- Stop by the NAGT booth to meet officers and other NAGT members and to learn more about how you can be involved in your organization.
- More information about NAGT activities at GSA will be shared as it becomes available.
4. Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
Rest assured, summer is far from over! But for those of you seeking to get a seamless start on your course planning, don't forget to visit the Teach the Earth Portal, a resource by and for Earth educators that offers more than 4,500 teaching resources ranging in topic from metacognition and geoethics to mineralogy and teaching in the field. On the Teach the Earth Portal, you'll also find more than 4,000 classroom activities and contributions from thousands of educators. If you haven't done so already, summer is also a great time to join the Teach the Earth community and contribute your own activity or course description to the collection of resources.
5. Gain More Strategies to Actively Engage Students
On-Ramps are quick-start guides to help you get up to speed in widely-used strategies for actively engaging students in the classroom to improve learning. From interactive lectures, to concept sketches, to quantitative skill-building, On-Ramps are sure to assist you with creating classroom environments that promote student learning.
6. Workshop on the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education
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The workshop on the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education will be held September 12-13, 2019, at the Keck Center, Room 100, 500 5th St. NW, Washington, D.C. This two-day workshop will bring together stakeholders with many perspectives on the future of undergraduate STEM education. Follow this link for more information and to register.
7. Opportunity: Seeking Instructors Interested in Geo-Click Project
GeoClick is an NSF-funded (#1835950) effort to uncover new spatial misconceptions, test the value of multiple-choice versus open-ended diagram-based questions, and engage geoscience instructors in improving spatial conceptions in geology. The project team is currently soliciting instructors who are interested in being involved in data collection during the next two academic years. We are particularly interested in working with instructors who teach using the Top Hat classroom response platform. For more information, please check out the publication on early project findings and contact Nicole LaDue (nladue@niu.edu). Learn more:LaDue, N. D., & Shipley, T. F. (2018). Click-On-Diagram Questions: a New Tool to Study Conceptions Using Classroom Response Systems. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 27(6), 492-507.
1. "Using the NGSS to Change Worlds Webinar" September 12
Using the NGSS to Change Worlds webinar is presented by Matt Krehbiel, Achieve Director of Science and will be held at 1:00 PM Pacific | 2:00 PM Mountain | 3:00 PM Central | 4:00 PM Eastern. The NGSS (and similar standards based on the research of the Framework for K-12 Science Education) provide a unique opportunity for science educators to change their world and the worlds that their students perceive—and who's better positioned to change the world than Earth Science educators? Come talk about changing worlds and a few resources Achieve has developed in the past year as a part of our ongoing effort to support you in your efforts. Register by Sept 10, 2019.
2. Apply by October 15 for Your Institution to Host an NAGT Traveling Workshop
3. "Earth Education for Sustainable Societies" Workshop October 14-16
The Earth Education for Sustainable Societies (EESS) Workshop will be held at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, from October 14 through 16. This workshop will bring together a diverse group of 70+ participants to articulate high-priority needs for strengthening Earth education for sustainability and generate actionable new ideas to address those needs. The workshop encouraged applications from individuals with interests in sustainability education, including post-secondary and K12 faculty, informal educators, researchers, and more, to contribute to dynamic discussions about the future of Earth education. While the application deadline for this workshop has passed, keep an eye on the workshop website for presentations and other workshop products.
4. MATLAB Workshop: "Teaching Computational Thinking Skills with MATLAB" October 20-22
For students to succeed at research and careers in STEM, they require quantitative thinking and computational skills. This workshop brings together faculty who teach computation in their courses and are interested in strengthening and developing their teaching skills and MATLAB based materials. Working in sessions and 1-on-1 with faculty peers and MATLAB experts, participants will discuss teaching strategies, tools, and resources. Participants will spend time during the workshop evolving and improving their course materials based on give-and-take with and colleagues. Because the workshop includes educators from multiple disciplines, from Biology to Engineering to Math; the workshop enables sharing of ideas and best practices across fields of study. The workshop sessions include a keynote speaker, presentations of effective lessons and teaching methods, panel discussions, and working in groups. While the deadline for applying to participate in the MATLAB workshop has passed, keep an eye on the workshop website for presentations and other workshop products.
5. Project EDDIE: "Module Development Workshop" October 28-30
6. Fall 2019 Webinar Series
NAGT will soon launch its Fall Webinar Series featuring faculty development and topical webinars for educational and instructional purposes. These webinars will provide opportunities for faculty to learn more about pedagogy, to share their classroom and professional experiences and teaching materials, and to discuss what works and what's needed in geoscience education. Stay tuned for more information in the following weeks.
7. Recordings from Spring 2019 InTeGrate Webinars are Available
1. Apply to Join the Project EDDIE Faculty Mentoring Network
Are you interested in teaching quantitative reasoning and looking to include data exploration in your classroom? Have you been thinking about implementing a Project EDDIE module? Join the Fall 2019 Project EDDIE Faculty Mentoring Network (FMN) with the support of QUBES. This FMN will bring together faculty interested in implementing Project EDDIE teaching modules that address quantitative reasoning and scientific concepts using environmental data. Learn more about this opportunity. Application deadline is August 16, 2019.
2. Undergraduate and Graduate Students: Submit Your Abstract to AGU's Fall 2019 Virtual Poster Showcase
Now is a great time to encourage your undergraduate and graduate students to submit an abstract to the Fall 2019 Virtual Poster Showcase. Presenting research is an essential career skill to practice and develop for Earth and space science students. VPS is an engaging cost-effective way to accomplish this for students without the need to attend a scientific conference. By participating in this program, students receive feedback from their peers and subject matter experts. They can achieve international recognition for their research and will receive a GeoRef citation. For more information, please contact Pranoti Asher, AGU Higher Education Manager atpasher@agu.org. Submit abstracts by October 1, 2019.
3. AGI's Earth Science Week Contests: Video, Photography, Visual Arts, and Essay
4. Register now for the AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop
The AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop will take place on December 8, 2019, at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA. This one-day workshop provides an opportunity for heads and chairs of Earth and Space Science departments to discuss issues and strategies for building a strong department, meet other heads and chairs, and learn more about current issues. Registration deadline is Friday, November 1, 2019.
5. AGI Seeking Nominations for Elections and Awards
6. Career Hub: Ongoing
We welcome advertisements of geoscience education related job openings, postdoctoral positions, internships, assistantships, and undergraduate research opportunities that might be of interest to the wider NAGT community. Distribution of these postings include posting the ad on the NAGT Career Hub web page, distribution via the NAGT Facebook page, inclusion in the monthly NAGTNews email newsletter to members. The cost of posting a job opening or a postdoctoral position to the Career Hub is $75 per month (multiple months can be purchased at one time). Payment must be received before these postings will be published. It is free to post an internship, assistantship, and undergraduate research opportunity to the Career Hub. You can use this form to submit a posting for the Career Hub.
Midcontinent Section
The Midcontinent Section of NAGT is sponsoring two sessions at the 2020 GSA South-Central Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 9-10, 2020. Please considering submitting an abstract by December 3, 2019. The two sessions are:
Strengthening Student Engagement, Inclusion and Learning in the Geosciences, K-Higher Ed
- Improving student engagement, inclusion and learning are at the forefront of many educators' and administrators' minds, and key to increasing enrollment in the geosciences. This session welcomes submissions on any topic related to improving geoscience education or outreach, at any level from K-Higher Education. Organizers: Brendan Hanger, Aida Farough, Liane Stevens and Wendi Williams
- This is a geoscience education session that highlights innovative teaching practices through audience participation. Authors will present micro-demonstrations of effective teaching activities that illustrate geologic concepts in geoscience courses. Presentations should have an audience-participation component. Assessment results and reflections on effectiveness are encouraged. Organizers: Michael T. DeAngelis and Rene A. Shroat-Lewis
GER Division
The GER Division organized a research writing retreat Monday-Wednesday morning of the 2019 Rendezvous that included bagels and coffee Tuesday morning. Fourteen participants made progress on everything from dissertation chapters to paper revisions to grant proposals. Many thanks to Peggy McNeal (Towson University) for her efforts in leading this successful event. We look forward to doing it again!
Professor of Practice, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Tulane University's Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences seeks to fill a Professor of Practice position to begin in July 2020. The position is a non-tenured, full-time academic year (nine month) teaching position with renewable 3-year appointments. The responsibilities of this position include teaching courses related to the department's GIS Certificate Program, teaching courses in the applicant's area of specialization, and service to the educational mission of the department and university. Opportunities exist for advising undergraduate research and development of service-learning courses. A doctoral degree in an environmental science or related field is required. Applicants will be expected to teach introductory and advanced GIS courses.
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in Sedimentary Geology or Structural Geology
The Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Long Beach (CSULB) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in any aspect of Sedimentary Geology or Structural Geology to start Fall 2020. A qualified candidate should be dedicated to teaching at the undergraduate and Masters levels and committed to developing an externally funded research program that will involve students. As a campus that serves a very diverse community, the Department of Geological Sciences seeks candidates who, through previous experience supporting diverse students or their own lived experience, will be committed to the successful teaching and mentoring of all students.
Available Samples
Retired Amateur Geologist Seeks Donation Recipient for Valuable Rock and Minerals Collection
Dr. Phillip Ellis Jackson Ph.D. (University of Chicago, Retired; Amateur Geologist) is requesting applications from Colleges and University Geology Departments across the U.S. to become the recipient of his extensive private rock and minerals collection. This collection consists of over 1000 samples (to date) of geographically-diverse rocks and minerals from the continental United States. The recipient institution may wish to keep the entire collection intact, or select a smaller number of representative samples for each site to constitute the permanent collection. Any remaining materials could be utilized for classroom research or demonstrations (which might include their partial or full destruction), or made available to deserving faculty or students to utilize for their individual research or future teaching purposes. Read more about the collection here.
Contact Dr. Jackson directly for more information:
Phillip Ellis Jackson, Ph.D.
pejackson@outlook.com
(972) 816-6371
Ophiolite, Tertiary sedimentary, misc metamorphic
Desired Specimens
Precambrian chert. Stromatolites.#50States50rocks
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.
