NAGT News - Vol 23 - No 9 - September 2023

Help Shape the 2024 Earth Educators' Rendezvous

Save the date for the tenth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous! NAGT and the Rendezvous Planning Committee are pleased to announce that next year's Rendezvous will be held July 15-19 in Philadelphia, PA!

Interested in leading a workshop or roundtable?

Submit your workshop or roundtable proposal. The deadline for workshop and roundtable proposals is October 23. The Planning Committee will review all proposals received following the submission deadline with the aim of creating a balanced program that serves diverse audiences and community needs.

Have general ideas for programming?

Submit your ideas and suggestions for the 2024 program by October 23.

Want to stay in the loop?

New Alignment of NAGT's Sections

Following revisions to the NAGT Bylaws approved this spring, NAGT's Regional Sections have undergone a number of changes. These new Sections better reflect the current regional geography of the NAGT membership and better align with the Geological Society of America's Geographic Sections, allowing for coordination around GSA Section Meetings.

Section membership has been updated automatically unless the member mailing address on file did not match the chosen Section. Members can always choose their preferred Section by visiting the NAGT member portal. We hope that you are able to connect with members in your region to coordinate events and make new local connections!

Apply to be NAGT's Social Media Editor

Do you enjoy making connections across the geoscience education community? Are you interested in learning about and sharing timely information and resources with the NAGT community and beyond? Do you make a point of staying connected to geoscience education through social media? If you answered yes to these questions, then you might be a good fit for the NAGT Media Editor.

The Social Media Editor would be involved with creating this NAGT monthly newsletter, which serves as a means to inform our members about relevant events and activities within and beyond the organization. In addition, the Editor would have the opportunity to expand our impact and reach in social media through NAGT's Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X accounts.

Learn more about the position and, if it sounds like a good fit, apply by October 2.

Submit Article Suggestions to In the Trenches

Are you doing something creative, innovative, or inspiring in your geoscience teaching? In the Trenches (ITT) would like to spread the word! ITT articles are short (2500 words or so) pieces that describe what you're doing and how others can try your techniques. Submit ITT article suggestions here.

NAGT at GSA 2023

NAGT is sponsoring a variety of symposia and sessions at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America held in Pittsburgh, PA, from October 15-18, 2023. Visit us at booth #513 in the exhibit hall! The NAGT booth will be open all week. Interested in helping staff the NAGT booth? Contact Mitchell Bender-Awalt (mawalt@carleton.edu) if you're interested in volunteering.

View NAGT-sponsored sessions
Register for GSA's Annual Meeting
- Not a GSA member, but interested in attending the Annual Meeting? NAGT members receive a discount! (Note, GSA members receive the best rate, so if you are a GSA member, please register as such.) To take advantage of this discount for non-GSA members, register for the meeting, and log into your NAGT account when completing the Non-member Questionnaire. In the My Affiliations Screen (a few screens into the questionnaire), select NAGT as the GSA-Associated Society to receive your registration discount.

NAGT at the AGU Fall Meeting 2023

NAGT is sponsoring a variety of geoscience education sessions and activities planned for the Fall 2023 AGU meeting, held in San Francisco, CA, and online from December 11-15, 2023. The meeting theme this year is Wide.Open.Science.

Learn more on the AGU Fall Meeting web page.

Participate in the Geoscience Education & Mentorship Support (GEMS) Program

The Geoscience Education & Mentorship Support (GEMS) program is recruiting mentors and mentees for the 2023-2024 year. Our goal is to match students interested in applying to graduate school with mentors based on needs, backgrounds, and interests. Mentees can request mentorship along two tracks: the Ruby Track is for individuals interested in going to graduate school in the future and the Sapphire Track is for individuals who are applying to graduate programs during the current application cycle. Mentors can choose to provide support in either track.

The second round of applications are due October 1st: You will be notified of your match by October 10, 2023.

Details of the program can be found in the informational flyer. (Acrobat (PDF) 3.4MB Aug2 23) Please note that the program is not accepting applications from international students who have never been enrolled in a US degree-granting program.

Apply at: https://gems-program.org/matching

Apply for the AGU Bridge Program as a Partner Institution by 1 October

Applications are now open to partner with the AGU Bridge Program, which works with graduate geoscience departments across the U.S. to promote equitable practices in graduate education and to recruit and retain students from historically marginalized groups.
As a Partner department in the AGU Bridge Program, you will have:

Access to resources for improving your department's equity practices and a connection to a community of peer departments.
Access to the AGU Bridge Program student applicant database.
Recognition by AGU of your department's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the Earth and space sciences.
Recommendation of your department's educational environment to prospective AGU Bridge Program students.

You are invited to apply on behalf of your graduate department on the AGU Bridge Program website. Click on the "Partner Benefits & Applications" tab to get started. The deadline for partner applications is 11:59 p.m. ET on 20 September 2023.

Apply for the AGU Bridge Program

Apply for a Traveling Workshop: Bring our experienced leaders to you

The NAGT Traveling Workshops Program (TWP) connects you with experienced facilitators to design a two-day workshop that meets the needs of your department, program, or group. The TWP has well-tested workshop sessions on adapting to change, (re)designing your courses and curriculum, inclusive mentoring, supporting all students, and more. Are you preparing for a program review or responding to the feedback from one? Have you seen changes in the faculty in your department through new hires or retirements? Do you feel you could do a better job serving your students? We can help you. Apply to bring facilitators to you for a Spring/Summer 2024 workshop by October 15, 2023.

Apply for a Traveling Workshop

Cathy Manduca Receives Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education

Cathy Manduca, founding director of SERC and Executive Director of NAGT from 2007-2019, was named a 2023 winner of the National Center for Science Education's (NCSE) Friend of the Planet award. The award recognizes outstanding efforts in advancing climate science education.

Among many other impactful projects at SERC, Cathy led the InTeGrate project, a $10 million NSF-funded STEP center in the geosciences, that during its funding involved more than 4,600 individuals in engaging in interdisciplinary undergraduate education focused on sustainability and Earth-centered societal issues. NCSE's executive director Ann Reid underlines Cathy's contributions:

"Cathy Manduca's efforts through SERC and NAGT to support geoscience education in general and climate change education in particular have been heroic."

Sharon Lyon Wins a Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best Audiobook: Fiction 2023

NAGT member Sharon Lyon's first novel, Fossil Woman, has won a Benjamin Franklin Silver Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), for Best Audiobook: Fiction 2023. The novel tells the tale of two women. In the 1950's, a young woman, Henrietta Ballantine, desires to follow in her father's footsteps and study paleontology. Ifa, a Paleolithic woman, faces the dangers of the East African Rift Valley, supported by her tribe. How can these two women forge a connection? The answers are found deep beneath the sediment, in a story of endurance, of resilience...of women.

Check out her website at: https://www.sharonlyon.net

Dr. Christy Visaggi Awarded the AWG Mavis Kent Mid-Career Excellence Award

Congratulations to NAGT President, Christy Visaggi (Georgia State University), who has been awarded the 2023 Mavis Kent Mid-Career Excellence Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG). The award recognizes mid-career recipients' significant contributions to the Earth and space sciences based on contributions to Scientific Excellence and Impact and Distinguished Service and Broader Impact. Read more about Dr. Visaggi's work on her Georgia State University web page.

Do you have good news related to your geoscience education work that you would like to share with the NAGT community? Submit it to NAGT's Community Kudos!

Positive Mental Health in the Geosciences Post-GSA Workshop

Are you interested in supporting geoscientists' mental health and fostering a more inclusive and supportive geoscience community? Consider attending a one-day workshop on Positive Mental Health in the Geosciences.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 (the day following the GSA Connects 2023 Meeting)
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Geoscientists often grapple with stress, anxiety, and isolation. Now, exacerbated by structural racism and the pandemic, we need a collective effort to address mental well-being. Join us to explore the challenges faced by geoscientists and learn about practical solutions implemented by universities, companies, and colleagues. Through engaging discussions and interactive sessions, we will assess the current state of mental health support, define the components of a healthy geoscience community, and identify actionable steps for a community that prioritizes mental health and supports people with all identities. Anyone interested in mental health in the geosciences is welcome to apply. We will prioritize individuals from historically excluded, minoritized backgrounds. A stipend and partial travel support are available.

Apply now:The application deadline is Friday, September 15

NAGT-NGSS Webinar: Earth Science Week: Providing Multi-Faceted Support for NGSS-ESS Instruction

Thursday, September 21, 2023, 1pm Pacific | 2pm Mountain | 3pm Central | 4pm Eastern (1 hour)
This webinar will show how Earth Science Week connects earth science educators to resources, organizations, opportunities, and more. During the webinar we'll go through materials in the Earth Science Week toolkit that are produced by AGI and other partner organizations- including professional societies, federal agencies, and private sector companies. We'll explore how those items can support NGSS-aligned instruction in earth and space science and encourage attention to the geosciences all year long. Note: The first 50 people to register for and attend the webinar will be sent a 2023 Earth Science Week toolkit without cost. Register by Sept 20.

NAGT Webinar: Hands-on with PolarPASS: Easy tools to bring GIS skills and polar curriculum to your classroom

Thursday, October 12, 2023, 10am Pacific | 11am Mountain | 12pm Central | 1pm Eastern (1 hour)
Looking to introduce GIS skills and authentic science data to your students using ready-made tools and curriculum? This webinar will demonstrate elements of the PolarPASS curriculum that combine GIS exercises with learning about glacier basin systems and the Greenland Ice Sheet. You will learn about using the free software QGIS (an ArcGIS equivalent) and the free multidisciplinary data package QGreenland. This webinar will get you using GIS in your teaching, whether GIS is brand new for you or you are looking to expand your GIS teaching activities. Register by October 11.

CLEAN Webinar: Introduction to CLEAN

November 08, 2023, 3pm Pacific | 4pm Mountain | 5pm Central | 6pm Eastern (30 minutes)

Led by CIRES Outreach Associates Katie Boyd and Gina Fiorile-Desranleau, this webinar offers a guided tour of the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) portal. Learn about the CLEAN collection of more than 800 climate and energy educational resources and the range of other supporting materials to help you effectively and accurately teach about climate and energy topics. Register here.

2024 Workshop for Early Career Faculty

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Workshop for Early Career Faculty! Join us for NAGT's highly-rated, annual 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. This year's workshop will take place June 23-27, 2024, at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. Learn more about and apply for the workshop by March 3.

2024 Earth Educators' Rendezvous

Mark your calendar and save the date for the tenth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous, taking place July 15-19, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA! The Rendezvous brings together researchers and practitioners working in all aspects of undergraduate 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 Earth.

GEO2YC Division

Apply For a Geo2YC Faculty Development Grant! Deadline September 15

The Geo2YC Division would like to support your efforts to promote geoscience education in two-year colleges. To this end, we will award mini-grants up to $500 to support an activity (workshop, field trip, etc.) that benefits faculty from multiple institutions and travel grants of $100 to help an individual attend a professional development activity.

You must be a member of the Geo2YC Division of NAGT to apply. The proposed activity must align with the goals of the Geo2YC Division. If you are awarded a mini-grant, you must submit an article sharing your event to the Geo2YC "Foundations" newsletter. Preference will be given to members who have not previously received a Geo2YC grant.

Apply by Sept 15. We look forward to your application!

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.

Nominate an Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member

Geoscience Education Research (GER) Division

Division Seeks New Media Director

The NAGT-GER Division is seeking a member to fill the role of Media Director on the Division leadership team. This is a 1-year appointment beginning in October 2023.There is the possibility of extension for a 3-year term when Division elections are next held, in June 2024. If you are interested in this position or would like more information, please email NAGT-GER Division President Emily Scribner (escribn@clemson.edu).

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.

Collaborate with Polar STEAM Researchers

Polar STEAM (Education, Art, Science) is recruiting educators (across all subject areas) for 2024/25 collaborations with polar researchers. Engage directly with polar researchers through either virtual or field collaborations, co-create educational resources, join the inclusive learning community, and expand your STEAM and Polar science knowledge! Professional Development curriculum is integrated into the Polar STEAM program for all participants. Mentorship is provided in learning about STEAM integrations and in co-creating educational resources or artistic works. Through learning from national experts and looking through an interdisciplinary lens, all participants can build upon their professional practice.
Applications are open for the following polar seasons:

Arctic, approx. May - Sept 2024
Antarctic, approx. Sept 2024 - Feb 2025
Virtual collaborations, Arctic and Antarctic, 2004/25

The program is open to United States citizens, Community College and Minority Serving Institution faculty, Middle and high school educators, and Informal educators.

Educators are strongly encouraged to view the webinar recording, read the FAQs, and to check out their website for more information and for the application: https://polarsteam.info/