View online supplements for In the Trenches at http://nagt.org/nagt/publications/trenches/index.html.
In This Issue
News & Announcements
- NAGT Activities and Workshops at GSA
- Volunteer to Staff the NAGT Booth at GSA
- Results of the 2018 NAGT Officer Elections
- Submit Ideas for the 2019 Rendezvous
- New Issue of Journal of Geoscience Education
- CLEAN Launches New Climate Literacy Quiz
- Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
- Call for InTeGrate Webinar Proposals
- NSTA Position Statement Confronts Challenges of Teaching Climate Change in Nation's Science Classrooms
Upcoming Webinars
- InTeGrate Webinar: Introductory InTeGrate-rich Physical Geology Course
- ASCN Webinar: Change Leadership 101
- CLEAN Webinar Series Running this Fall
Deadlines
- Register now for the AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop
- National Fossil Day Art Competition--Entries Due October 5
- Apply for the Traveling Workshops Program by October 15
- Register for Paleontological Society short course by October 15
- Earth Science Week Contests 2018
- AGI Seeking Nominations for Officers and Awards
Section and Division Highlights
- Award opportunities
NAGTrivia
NAGT Career Hub
- NAGT Executive Director Search
- Assistant Professor of Geology, Carleton College
- Paleontology and Historical Geology Full-Time Lecturer (non-tenure-track), Tufts University
- Assistant or Associate Professor of Geology, Colorado College
- USGS/NAGT Cooperative Field Training Program
Rock and Mineral Exchange
1. NAGT Activities and Workshops at GSA
The Geological Society of America annual meeting is right around the corner, taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana, from November 4-7. Be sure to check out all of the NAGT and education activities (workshops, field trips, topical sessions, meetings and events) going on at GSA. NAGT is cosponsoring a number of events on a wide array of important education topics. You can see all the NAGT sponsored events on NAGT's GSA webpage.
Don't forget to stop by our booth (#314) in the exhibit hall to learn about recent NAGT activities, learn about sponsored projects, and connect with other NAGT members and staff working the booth.
2. Volunteer to staff the NAGT booth at GSA
Seeking Volunteers for the NAGT Booth at GSA - We are actively soliciting NAGT members to help staff the booth during the GSA meeting in Indianapolis. The vendors area will open at 2:00 PM on Sunday, November 4 and there are opportunities to volunteer each day until the showcase closes at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, November 7. This is a great way to meet other NAGT members from around the country and share your excitement about geoscience education. Your commitment and enthusiasm are critical to helping bring new members on board. If you've never volunteered at the booth before, it's so easy! And there will be experienced NAGT officers and staff on-hand to offer guidance and assistance across your shift. If you have even a little time you can share to represent NAGT, please contact Lara Palmquist (lpalmquist at carleton dot edu) in the Executive Director's Office and she can get you on the schedule. Remember, volunteering at the booth is also an excellent way to increase awareness of your own work and efforts--we're so proud of all that NAGT members accomplish!
3. 2018 NAGT Officer Election Results
NAGT will welcome its newest elected officers at the 2018 GSA Annual Meeting, November 4-7 in Indianapolis. Congratulations to all the newly elected officers and thank you for your time and commitment to NAGT.
Elected Officers
David McConnell, President
Karen Viskupic, 1st Vice President
Jennifer Wenner, 2nd Vice President
Donn Hass, Past-President
Frank Hladky, Treasurer
Aisha Morris, Councilor-at-large
Catherine Riihimaki, Councilor-at-large
Reginald Archer, Councilor-at-large
Teacher Education Division (TED) Officers
Eric Pyle, President
Suzanne Metlay, Past President
Laura Hollister, Vice President
Peggy McNeal, Secretary/Treasurer
Steve Mattox, Media Director
Geoscience Education Research (GER) Officers
Katherine Ryker, President
Kelsey Bitting, Vice President
Leilani Arthurs, Secretary
Anne Gold, Treasurer
Geo2YC Officers:
Joy Branlund, President
Jackie Hams, Vice President
Suki Smaglik, Newsletter Editor
Pete Berquist, Archivist
4. New Issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education
Start your new school year with a new issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education! JGE Volume 66, Issue 3, 2018 is now available online on Taylor & Francis and accessible to all NAGT members. Those subscribed to the print edition of the journal should expect your copies in the mail soon. The articles in this issue cover subjects such as geocaching as experimental learning, training of rock classifications using computer systems, the foundations of spacial thinking in meteorology, and more. Access your issue and start reading here.
5. Submit ideas for the 2019 Earth Educators' Rendezvous
The 2019 Earth Educators' Rendezvous will take place July 15-19 in Nashville, TN, co-hosted by Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University. The conference planning committee is already working hard on developing an outstanding program for the fifth annual event. If you have suggestions, ideas, or changes you would like to see at the next Rendezvous, now is the time to share your input using this form. Suggestions for session leaders, speakers, and types of sessions are also welcome. Please submit your ideas by October 1.
6. CLEAN Launches New Climate Literacy Quiz
Following on the popularity of its energy literacy quiz, CLEAN has added a climate literacy quiz that steps through the causes of climate change, the scope of today's changes in the context of Earth's recent climate history, effects of climate change, and solutions to climate change.
The 20-question quiz is designed to be a learning experience as well as an assessment. The answer to each question offers a detailed explanation with references, data (where relevant), and links to related teaching materials from the CLEAN collection. The questions are aimed at high school or intro college level students.
7. Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
For those of you seeking to get a seamless start on your course planning for the new academic year, don't forget to visit the Teach the Earth portal, a resource by and for Earth educators that offers more than 4,000 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 5,000 classroom activities and contributions from over 9,000 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.
8. Call for InTeGrate Webinar Proposals
The InTeGrate project runs an approximately bi-weekly webinar series during the academic year. These webinars focus on topics related to using InTeGrate materials or conducting programming to forward the main InTeGrate themes. In Fall 2018, the focus will be on supporting new users of the materials, promoting learning about Earth for diverse audiences, incorporating InTeGrate themes in K-12 teacher preparation, and teaching sustainability across the curriculum. Leading an InTeGrate webinar offers presenters the unique opportunity to promote teaching materials and pedagogies, prominently share resources and ideas with peers, and increase involvement in InTeGrate's growing community of educators. Leading a webinar is also an excellent way to create an online-accessible, professional-quality resource related to your teaching practice that you can easily add to your portfolio or share as a representation of your pedagogy and/or work.
The InTeGrate project expects to welcome new webinars in Fall 2018, but space is limited, so don't delay if you have a webinar idea you wish to propose. Please use this form to share your suggestions for InTeGrate webinars. You may propose a topic, suggest a presenter, or express your interest in leading a webinar.
9. NSTA Position Statement Confronts Challenges of Teaching Climate Change in Nation's Science Classrooms
The National Science Teachers Association has issued a position statement calling for greater support for science educators in teaching evidence-based science, including climate science and climate change. The statement promotes the teaching of climate change as any other established field of science and calls on teachers to reject pressures to eliminate or de-emphasize climate-based science concepts in science instruction. You can read the full article here.
1. InTeGrate Webinar: Introductory InTeGrate-rich Physical Geology Course
On September 28 at 12pm CT, presenter Elizabeth Nagy-Shadman (Pasadena City College) will lead a webinar on the subject of teaching an InTeGrate-rich Physical Geology Course as part of a series supporting teaching with InTeGrate principles, using InTeGrate-developed and curated materials as tools. This webinar will describe a physical geology course that incorporates more than a dozen InTeGrate activities of varying length into the semester. Because these materials have been designed to focus on sustainability and make connections to societal concerns such as limited natural resources and the health of the environment, student learning is enhanced by highlighting the relevance of course topics to their own lives and communities. At the end of this webinar, participants will know where to access online materials for several InTeGrate activities focused on plate tectonics, natural hazards, and minerals; learn how these materials have been implemented into a college classroom, serving as a model for their own courses; and learn about several active learning strategies that can be incorporated immediately into courses for any topic.
Participants must register for this webinar by September 26.
2. ASCN Webinar: Change Leadership 101
Emerging STEM educators -- including graduate students close to completion of their doctoral work, and assistant professors who are just entering their fields -- are often asked to design and implement academic change in the form of new curricula, programs, and pedagogies. Research suggests that their graduate education does not prepare them well to fully comprehend the academic environments and resulting cultures, value systems and constraints. As a result they might not feel empowered or capable of implementing academic change. Furthermore, successful change agents must possess skills (like strategic thinking, obtaining buy-in, and creating partnerships) that are not a part of conventional faculty experiences. Preparation to be a change leader starts with the adoption of successful research-based change strategies, and this adoption can help encourage development of future academic change leaders. Only by developing nascent change leaders can we hope to sustain the growing community of practice in academic change in engineering education.
This Change Leadership 101 webinar by the Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN) will focus on helping individuals begin their development as change leaders. The emphasis will be on practical, hands-on tools that are based in the research literature on change. The presenters are change leaders at different stages of their own development, so there will be multiple perspectives on the theme of change leadership. The webinar will take place September 26. Please register by September 24.
3. CLEAN Webinar Series Running this Fall
Did you miss out on the first round of the CLEAN Webinar Series? There's now another chance to participate in all four webinars, which will take place this fall. The subjects include Intro to CLEAN (September 20), Teaching about Climate and Energy (September 25), Create Your Own Climate and Energy Units (October 3), and CLEAN, NGSS, and 3-D Learning for Climate and Energy Education (October 9).
The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) portal's primary effort is to steward the collection of climate and energy science educational resources, and to support a community of professionals committed to improving climate and energy literacy. The CLEAN Webinar Series in particular aims to help educators take their teaching about climate and energy to the next level. Registration and participation are free.
1. Register now for the AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop
The AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop will take place on December 9, just prior to the Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. You do not have to be an AGU member to attend this workshop. The preliminary workshop program is now available. Please register now, as space is limited to the first 60 participants and is offered at no cost to the attendees.
2. National Fossil Day Art Competition--Entries Due October 5
The National Park Service and National Fossil Day partners are sponsoring an art contest to celebrate the 9th annual National Fossil Day. National Fossil Day is scheduled for Wednesday, October 17, during Earth Science Week. The theme for this year's art contest is: "The Age of Reptiles--More Than Just Dinosaurs." This theme will recognize some of the incredible non-dinosaur reptiles of the Mesozoic that are sometimes incorrectly referred to as dinosaurs, and more frequently overshadowed by the dinosaurs! The 2018 National Fossil Day logo features one of the more famous non-dinosaur reptiles from the Mesozoic. Please click here for contest deadlines and the artwork entry form. Entries must be received by mail by Friday, October 5.
3. Traveling Workshops Program--Bringing Experts to You! Apply by October 15
Who is the Traveling Workshops Program For? Is your institution or department getting ready for re-accreditation, undergoing program review, or seeking guidance on strategic planning? Are you facing reorganization or other major changes such as faculty turnover? Is your curriculum in need of modernization, including the incorporation of modern methods of teaching and learning? Are you trying to incorporate environment and sustainability into your curriculum? Are you anticipating major demographic changes in your students? Is your program involved in preparing K-8 Earth Science teachers? Do your faculty members need guidance in evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning?
If any above questions are relevant to you or your institution, you should host an NAGT-sponsored Traveling Workshop. The Traveling Workshops Program is open and applicable to a wide variety of disciplines, including geosciences, environmental studies, sustainability initiatives, and more.
How does the Traveling Workshops Program work?
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)'s Traveling Workshops Program(TWP) brings leaders in environmental, sustainability, and geoscience education to your campus, regional, or national event. The TWP focuses on opportunities to strengthen both courses and educational programs, including attracting and supporting diverse students. Since 2014, the TWP has visited nearly 50 institutions and reached more than than 500 faculty members in the Earth and environmental sciences. Workshop types are available in five themes:
1) Geoscience and Environmental Science Departments and Programs2) Cross-Campus Environmental and Sustainability Programs
3) Courses (Intro and Upper-Level and Effective and Societally Relevant Courses)
4) Earth Science in K-8 Teacher Preparation Programs
5) Supporting the Success of All Students (diversity)
At the end of an NAGT Traveling Workshop, participants will have a combination of the following, adjusted according to workshop theme:
- Strategies and approaches that have worked for others in the US and Canada.
- A collection of resources, including department best practices, curricula, courses, modules, and activities, on the topic(s) of choice.
- A departmental, program, or individual action plan for moving forward.
Who facilitates the Traveling Workshops Program?
Traveling workshops are facilitated by individuals from TWP's impressive roster of more than 45 leaders in their fields. You can read more about the workshop facilitators here.
How do I bring these experts to my institution?
The next application deadline to bring the Traveling Workshop Program to you is Monday, October 15. For more information about the application process, please visit the program website. Please also review information about host expectations should your application for a Traveling Workshop Program be accepted.4. Register for the Paleontological Society Short Course 'Pedagogy and Technology in the Modern Paleontology Classroom' by October 15
The Paleontological Society is pleased to offer a short course titled 'Pedagogy and Technology in the Modern Paleontology Classroom on Saturday, November 3 from 9am-5pm at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Organized by Phoebe Cohen, Lisa Boush, and Rowan Lockwook, this free workshop is open to all paleontologists and educators. Those interested in participating should register in advance by October 15 by submitting your name and sample syllabus here.
The goal of this workshop is to get the entire paleontological community excited about education and to help participants brainstorm effective strategies for teaching paleontology and Earth history. The program includes a combination of lectures and breakout sessions with a focus on general teaching topics in the morning, and teaching with online databases (including PBDB, Macrostrat, and Neotoma) in the afternoon. Topics to be presented include active learning strategies, flipped classrooms, incorporating research into teaching, kinesthetic learning, how students learn, diversity and inclusion in the classroom, and confronting prior conceptions. The workshop will cater to both early career participants (including students and post-docs) and later career participants. The target audience includes two and four year college faculty who teach (or are interested in teaching) introductory geology, historical geology, and/or paleontology courses.
5. AGI Earth Science Week Contests
In recognition of Earth Science Week 2018 (October 14-20), the American Geosciences Institute is hosting a visual arts contest (for students K-5), an essay contest (for students grades 6-9), a photography contest (open to the general public), and a video contest that focuses on the theme "Earth Expressions." For more information, visit the Earth Science Week Contests 2018 webpage.
6. AGI Seeking Nominations for Officers and Awards
AGI (American Geosciences Institute), of which NAGT is a member society, had its first Call for 2019 Nominations at last month's Member Society Council meeting in Salt Lake City. AGI is looking to expand its pool of candidates for AGI officers and awards for the 2019 nominations cycle. The strength of the Federation is dependent on having participation from Member Societies in the form of nominations from within their membership to serve on AGI's Executive Committee or receive AGI awards. More information about submitting nominations prior to the February 1 deadline is available here.
See Division award opportunities below!
Eastern Section
- Save the Date for the 2019 Eastern Section Meeting in Martinsburg, West Virginia, hosted by Blue Ridge Community and Technical Collage on Thursday to Saturday, June 6-8 2019.
GER Division
- AWARD OPPORTUNITY: The GER Division is pleased to announce two new awards to honor individuals who have propelled geoscience education research forward. The Transformation Award recognizes a GER colleague that has made significant contributions to the development of and capacity for geoscience education research. The Collaboration Award recognizes a non-GER colleague who has infused the GER community with new approaches to GER. For more information please visit this webpage. Applications will be received until September 15 for this first award cycle, and awardees will be notified by October 1. For more information, please contact Past-President Nicole LaDue (nladue@niu.edu).
- Know a researcher worth spotlighting, have an article worth reading, or an opportunity worth sharing? Submit to the GER Exchange using this queue. Self nominations are welcomed. Check out the latest edition of the GER Exchange for even more division highlights.
- Have you checked out the new community framework for GER yet? Learn more in the newsletter section above!
Geo2YC Division
- Deadlines for future Foundations issues:
- Friday, December 8
- Friday, March 2
- Submit your stories, experiences, experiments, photos, awards, etc. to the editor sukismaglik@gmail.com any time prior to each deadline.
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AWARD OPPORTUNITY: Do you work with an adjunct faculty member who does great work and deserves to be recognized? Are you an adjunct faculty who has done something worth recognition? Please fill out the nomination form to recognize the great work our adjunct faculty do to support student learning at two-year colleges. The form must be filled out in one session. We ask for brief descriptions of reasons for nominations and contact information at the department and school level to assure full recognition. Anyone may nominate a faculty member for the Award, including self-nominations. Winning adjuncts will be featured in the future editions of Foundations and will receive a complimentary one year membership to the Geo2YC division.
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 paper, presentation, or resource you developed or helped develop to share with your fellow Earth educators? Submit to NAGT's Community Kudos!
NAGT Executive Director Search
Read a Letter from Cathy Manduca, Executive Director of NAGT
NAGT is seeking a qualified person to serve as the Association's Executive Director to begin August 2019.
NAGT's mission is to support a diverse, inclusive, and thriving community of educators and education researchers to improve teaching and learning about the Earth. NAGT represents the collective voice of K-12 teachers, college and university faculty, and informal educators in museums and science centers who share a vision to build geoscience expertise and an Earth-literate society through high-quality education. We seek an exceptional Executive Director to build on past successes and to provide strategic leadership to guide NAGT toward new opportunities for growth.To learn more about the position and instructions to apply, visit this website.
Assistant Professor of Geology, Carleton College
The Geology Department at Carleton College invites applications for a tenure-track position in Climate Science at the level of Assistant Professor to begin fall 2019. We seek applications from broadly trained paleoclimatologists with interdisciplinary backgrounds and expertise in analyzing climate archives, and who can foster already strong ties between Geology and Environmental Studies at Carleton.
Paleontology and Historical Geology Full-Time Lecturer (non-tenure-track), Tufts University
Tufts University invites applications for a full-time lecturer in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences to begin September 1st 2019. This position is for a 1-year initial contract with possibility of continued renewal of multiyear contracts, and it is included in the union for full-time lecturers (Service Employees International Union).
Assistant or Associate Professor of Geology, Colorado College
Colorado College is seeking applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor beginning in August 2019. The successful candidate is expected to have research and teaching interests that can strengthen departmental connections with other science programs at Colorado College (e.g. environmental science, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics).
USGS Cooperative Field Training Program
Started in 1965, the NAGT-USGS Cooperative Summer Field Training Program is the longest continuously running internship program in the earth sciences. Over the past fifty years, more than 2,300 students have participated in this program with an impressive number of these individuals becoming full-time employees of the USGS. The deadline for nominations is October 16.
Need help getting the word out about your position opening, event, or field trip? Submit your posting to the new NAGT Career Hub!
Available Samples
Desired Specimens
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.
