NAGT News - Vol 23 - No 6

Initial Publication Date: July 5, 2023

Last Chance to Register for the 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 June 30!

Check out the program
Registration is open through June 30
- Register for the Wednesday afternoon tour of the Caltech Seismo Lab.
- Register for the Brand Park, Verdugo Mountains, Glendale Field Trip, or the San Andreas Fault at Wallace Creek and Parkfield, CA
Presenting at Rendezvous? Check out the presenter guidelines and submit presentation materials
Book your lodging
Order your t-shirt (and other NAGT merch!) from the NAGT Store
Sign up to receive updates on the 2023 EER

NAGT Officer Elections Open Now through July 1, 2023

NAGT holds annual officer elections for both National and Division officers every Spring. The 2023 election of National and Division officers is open now and ends July 1.

Vote by July 1!

2023 Annual Meeting of Geological Society of America

NAGT is pleased to sponsor a variety of symposia and sessions at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from October 15-18, 2023.

Engage in Effective Planning for Change: Apply for a Fall/Winter Traveling Workshop by June 15

Is your program or department facing change? Maybe you've brought on new faculty, student demographics have changed, your administration is asking you to reorganize, or you've proposed reorganization yourself. Maybe you are revising your curriculum and want everyone involved. These big changes can be challenging and disruptive, but they can also be transformative and offer opportunities. Our experienced leader teams will work with you to design a workshop that will bring your community together, be strategic, and build an action plan that can succeed.

Visit the Traveling Workshops Program website to learn more and apply by June 15.

Can't make the June 15 deadline? Don't worry - there are four deadlines per year.

Nominations Open for Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards

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 June 15.

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).

Happy 85th Birthday, NAGT!

May 13 marked NAGT's 85th birthday! Since 1938, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers has promoted excellence in geoscience education and has supported the community of geoscience educators. Our member-driven professional organization has a strong vision: that everyone experiences welcoming, inspiring, and effective Earth education. Help us celebrate 85 years by sharing a story and/or by making a donation using the links below. Your contribution to NAGT will help us continue to inspire geoscience educators and promote Earth education for all.

Learn about the history of the organization
Check out this interactive on the history of JGE
Share the story of your involvement in NAGT
Make a donation to NAGT

Announcing the 2024 Rendezvous in Philadelphia, PA!

We look forward to seeing many of you at this summer's Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Pasadena, CA, and are excited to announce that the 2024 Rendezvous will be hosted by Temple University in Philadelphia, PA! The Rendezvous will take place July 15-19, 2024. Stay in the loop for the latest Rendezvous news by joining the email list.

Are you or someone you know interested in getting more involved with the Rendezvous?

NAGT looks forward to hosting the 2023 Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Pasadena, CA, and in Philadelphia in summer 2024, and the wheels are already in motion to begin the selection process for future Rendezvous site hosts. If you are interested in hosting a future Rendezvous, let us know! Hosting the Rendezvous offers a unique opportunity to showcase your institution to hundreds of researchers and practitioners working in all aspects of 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 the Earth. Rendezvous has rapidly become a highly sought-after and celebrated event for geoscientists and Earth educators. Site proposals are open year-round!

Submit a proposal to host a Rendezvous!

Apply Now for Fall in-Person Workshop: Teaching Computation with MATLAB

Applications are open for Teaching Computation with MATLAB, held in-person at Carleton College in Minnesota, October 22-24, 2023. At this 3-day, peer-led workshop, educators work with their colleagues and MATLAB experts to develop and revamp their computational courses, whether in-person, remote or hybrid. Hundreds of educators have attended these MATLAB workshops and developed impactful curricula for use in their courses. In the workshop, participants will develop curriculum; publish; develop a teaching activity for peer-review and public hosting, enabling citing and resuse. They will also: build community; Learn MATLAB teaching tools; learn how to embed MATLAB tools - such as MATLAB Live Scripts, MATLAB Online, MATLAB Grader, and MATLAB Onramp - in courses to improve student learning. Apply by June 16

Infiniscope Virtual Field Trip Workshop - Create More Accessible Field Trips!

In this virtual workshop, hosted by Infiniscope and taking place June 27-29, you will learn how you can create virtual field trips that provide student agency, increase equity, and make place-based education accessible to all of your learners. Immerse your learners in cultures, histories and landscapes that invite exploration and build connections. In this virtual workshop, taking place June 27-29, you will learn how you can create virtual field trips that provide student agency, increase equity, and make place-based education accessible to all of your learners. With Tour It, Infiniscope's free and easy-to-use tool, you can embed images, videos and websites into interactive hotspots to deepen understanding and extend learning. Exploring 360-degree environments from anywhere reduces barriers and opens up possibilities.

Learn more about the workshop and apply

Two-Year College (2YC) 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

Teacher Education Division (TED)

Post to the TED Facebook Page

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

Conference on "Visualizing Complex Systems"

The 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Visualization in Science and Education (GRC-VSE) has a theme this year that is well suited to Earth and environmental science educators: Visualizing Complex Systems. The co-chairs this year are Tim Shipley (known to many NAGT folks for his work on spatial thinking in geoscience), Leigh Peake (who runs the education program at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute), and Carrie McDougall (of NOAA's Office of Education). So as you might expect, this year's program is rich in talks about climate change, ecology, planetary systems, and other topics of interest to NAGT folks. GRC-VSE is a small, friendly conference that attracts an interesting group of scientists, technologists, artists, educators, journalists, and other professionals to discuss innovative ideas and cutting-edge research.

The conference will be held at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, July 16-21, 2023. Program information and the link to apply to attend can be found at: https://www.grc.org/visualization-in-science-and-education-conference/2023/