NAGT News - Vol 22 - No 12

Initial Publication Date: December 8, 2022

NAGT is pleased to sponsor a variety of geoscience education sessions and activities planned for the Fall 2022 AGU meeting, held in Chicago, IL, and online from December 12-16, 2022. NAGT will also have a booth (#1327) in the exhibit hall where we will be showcasing upcoming workshops, educational resources, and more!

Interested in helping staff the NAGT booth? Volunteering provides a great opportunity to talk about NAGT, meet other geoscience educators, and get to know some of the NAGT staff. Contact Mitchell Bender-Awalt (mawalt@carleton.edu) if you're interested in volunteering.

Renew your NAGT membership for 2023

Join NAGT for our 85th year! Renew your NAGT membership and continue to receive benefits for 2023. Membership in NAGT comes with many benefits, including:

Discounted registration rates on NAGT Professional development workshops, including the Earth Educators' Rendezvous
The monthly NAGT e-newsletter, featuring articles, updates, and deadlines in the world of Geoscience Education
A subscription to the Journal of Geoscience Education, the premier peer-reviewed publication for geoscience education research, curriculum, and instruction
Online access to In the Trenches, our quarterly magazine focused on improving geoscience education at all levels
A voice in the development of Teach the Earth, NAGT's portal to online teaching and professional development resources for geoscience educators
The ability to recognize your colleagues and students through NAGT's awards
Opportunities to volunteer in NAGT committees and offices, from advocacy to professional development

Renew Your Membership!

Complete the professional development survey by December 16!

NAGT is considering new options for online professional development that would complement our in-person offerings. This survey is an opportunity for the community to provide input on future directions for NAGT's offerings. Please complete the short professional development survey by December 16, 2022, to share your ideas. Feel free to share the link to this survey with others, even if they are not current NAGT members.

Take the survey

NAGT seeks a new editor-in-chief for JGE

Do 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, 2023.

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

Propose an NAGT-sponsored session or short course for GSA 2023

The 2023 Annual Geological Society of America meeting will take place October 15-18, 2023, in Pittsburgh, PA, and is now accepting proposals for technical sessions, and/or short courses considering the themes "Diverse Science for a Sustainable Future" or "Climate and Energy Transition." Use the links below to submit a proposal to GSA by February 1.

Organize and Chair a Technical Session by 1 Feb. 2023
Submit a Short Course Proposal by 1 Feb. 2023

NAGT is also proud to sponsor a variety of events and sessions at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting each Fall. The GSA Meeting is also where the annual business meetings of the Association take place. If you'd like NAGT to consider sponsoring your proposed session or short course, please complete the request for sponsorship form.

New and improved Understanding Science website

Do you teach about what science is and how science works - or support teachers who do? The UC Museum of Paleontology is excited to share with you the updated and expanded Understanding Science website. It's packed with NGSS-aligned tools for teaching and learning about the nature and process of science, from kindergarten to college. Highlights include:

Understanding Science 101, an easy-to-understand e-textbook
Science Stories, a database of stories from the history of science and today that highlight how science works, including many exemplars from the geosciences
The science flowchart, a visual representation of the process of science that highlights the creative, human side of science (also available as an interactive journaling tool!)
A database of lessons vetted by experienced teachers

Explore it today!

Join the Project EDDIE Faculty Mentoring Network

Project EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry & Exploration) is excited to continue collaborating with BioQUEST/QUBES to work with faculty interested in adapting and implementing existing Project EDDIE teaching modules that address scientific concepts and quantitative reasoning using large datasets and inquiry-based learning. Participants in this Spring 2023 FMN will implement a Project EDDIE module and discuss topics such as math anxiety, inquiry-based learning, student motivation, and implementation strategies.

Apply by Friday, December 16 to participate

New online resource for faculty about geoscience careers and DEI

The SAGE Facility, operated by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), has just launched a new online, asynchronous 3-5-hour course about careers in geophysics and geoscience. "Unearth Your Future: How You Can Shape the Geoscience Profession for the Needs of the 21st Century," is a free, asynchronous online course geared towards undergraduate students that shares new perspectives on geoscience and geophysics careers, workforce information, and contains key strategies for conducting a successful job search.

This module, 3-5 hours in length, is designed for instructors to supplement their existing curriculum with geoscience careers information. Importantly, this resource was developed using Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) by design. It will provide the opportunity to introduce DEI into courses in a way that seamlessly intertwines geoscience content with concepts like privilege, mitigating microaggressions, addressing imposter syndrome, and applying the 5 Ds of intervention.

Support Earth education for all with a year-end donation to NAGT

Help us celebrate NAGT's 85th year with a year-end donation! When you do, you will know that 83% of your dollars go directly to our programming that supports a diverse, inclusive, and thriving community of educators and education researchers to improve teaching and learning about the Earth.

NAGT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. All contributions are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you to those who have already supported NAGT with a financial contribution in 2022!

Nominate your Outstanding Teaching Assistants

NAGT recognizes outstanding teaching assistants in geoscience education with up to 30 awards annually. Both undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants are eligible for the award. Award winners receive a one-year membership in NAGT, which includes an online subscription to the Journal of Geoscience Education and the In The Trenches quarterly online magazine. The next deadline to nominate students is December 15, 2022.

Please consider nominating your top teaching assistants. The process is not cumbersome and means a great deal to the recipients. For any questions, please contact Katherine Ryker (kryker@seoe.sc.edu).

Submit Community Kudos

NAGT Webinar: Guiding Students to use Data to Support their Scientific Reasoning

Kathleen Browne, Rider University
Andrea Drewes, Rider University
Sage Lichtenwalner, Rutgers University
Gabriela Smalley, Rider University

Date: December 12, 2022
Time: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET
Registration deadline: December 10, 2022

Developing Expertise and Building Collaborations to Advance Atmospheric Science Education Research (ASER) Workshop

This workshop, for the ASER community, will take place from May 22nd - 24th, 2023, in Minneapolis, MN. The purpose of the workshop is to build collaborations and increase research expertise among emerging and current atmospheric science education researchers. SoTL scholars, DBER scholars, and newcomers are invited to apply by the January 18 deadline. The workshop will consist of small focus sessions on research topics and new research collaborations among ASER scholars. Workshop events will include dinner with an invited speaker, and time to network and collaborate with atmospheric science educators and education researchers. All travel expenses and meals will be provided for workshop participants. Workshop participants will be asked to complete a series of pre-workshop tasks (~ 3 hours), and we hope that collaborations will continue post-workshop.

2023 Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty

Save the date for the 2023 Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty, happening in the Twin Cities, MN, from June 25-29, 2023! 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. Applications are now open!

Application open: NAGT Scholarships for Field Study

Each year, NAGT makes several $750 awards to undergraduate students to facilitate their study of field geoscience. 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 and in any format: face-to-face, virtual, or hybrid. 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.

Apply by February 14, 2023

Geo-Launchpad: Paid internship for community college students in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming 2023

Do you have an interest in geoscience but are unsure where to take your next step? Geo-Launchpad is a paid 11-week summer internship program for community college students attending college in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

Geo-Launchpad runs from May 22-August 4, 2023, pays a stipend, and provides shared housing and transportation to Boulder, if needed. This program provides community college students with an introduction to research, a reliable source of summer income, geoscience and engineering knowledge and technical work, career path experience, and professional development activities. All this as a community college student - before you transfer to a four-year university!

Only students attending community college in CO, NM, and WY are eligible.

Complete an internship interest form to be notified when applications open
Learn more on the information page.

GEO2YC Division

Nominate an Outstanding Adjunct 2YC Faculty today!

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

Teacher Education (TED) Division

Post to the TED Division Facebook Page

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

Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized Game

If you are looking for a fun way to introduce students to geological time, fossilization, and paleontology (or bring friends and family together), check out the new board game "Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized." Through competitive gameplay, this Euro-style educational board game (2 hours, 2-12 people, ages 12+) teaches players about the complex processes that occur during the fossilization of Jurassic marine creatures. The game can be used in classes with a university teaching module and high school teaching module that have been formally assessed and are part of the Teach the Earth Exemplary Activities Collection. The game is free to download and is also available through the UT Austin Co-op www.universitycoop.com/taphonomy-board-game and is priced at $70, with discounts for educational institutions (e.g., universities, colleges, K-12 schools, and museums).