NAGTNews - Vol 13 - No 7 - July 2014

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1. Abstract Submission Deadlines for GSA and AGU

Don't forget that the abstract submission deadlines for GSA and AGU are July 29th and August 6, respectively, this year.

There are amazing sessions at both meetings that enable NAGT members to showcase their great work in education and outreach, many of which are being sponsored by NAGT and our partners. You should be a part of them! There are also great workshops and field trips taking place as well.

Check out the slate of activities at both meetings via the NAGT website.

GSA Sessions and Activities »

AGU Sessions and Activities »

2. Traveling Workshops Program: July 21st Deadline for Fall Workshops

Want to strengthen your department or courses, but not sure where to start? Look no further—the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)'s Traveling Workshops Program brings national leaders in geoscience education to your campus or regional event. The Traveling Workshops Program consists of two different tracks—one for courses and one for departments. Colleges, universities, and other organizations can apply to host one or both kinds of workshop.

Building Stronger Geoscience Departments
These 1 to 2 day workshops bring two trained leaders to your institution to facilitate a working session with your department. The program focuses on lessons learned from other institutions, guides you through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for your department, and incorporates activities that address issues of specific interest to your department.

After your application has been accepted, workshop leaders will work with you to design the exact parameters of the workshop you have in mind.

In order to accommodate programs early this academic year, we are offering a special Monday, July 21 deadline. To have a Traveling Workshop Program come to your department this fall, apply online by Monday, July 21.

For more information about the workshops and future deadlines, click here. Please forward this opportunity to any colleagues who you feel would benefit from this program.

Thank you for your consideration of these valuable workshops! We look forward to working with you and your departments.

3. Funds for Community College Faculty to attend the 2014 AGU meeting

Dear Community College Faculty,

There is some NSF funding available via Jan Hodder (University of Oregon) to support community college faculty attendance at the 2014 AGU meeting (15-19 December) in San Francisco. Priority will go to faculty who present a paper or poster at the meeting. The deadline for abstract submission is August 6.

There are a number of education sessions that maybe of interest, they include:

• Challenges & Approaches to Running Effective Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Geosciences,
• Geoscience Workforce Issues: Demography, Gender, and Diversity,
• Increasing the Diversity of Undergraduate Students in the Geosciences,
• Teaching GeoEthics Across the Geoscience Curriculum,
• The Value of Internships and Professional Development Experiences in the Earth and Space Sciences,
• Undergraduate Research in Earth Science Classes: Engaging Students in the First Two Years,

and a number of Climate Change Literacy sessions. All of the proposed sessions can be viewed at: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/start.html and your paper or poster could be in any session.

In addition there will be a lunch session focusing on Undergraduate Research with Students at Two-year Colleges on Monday December 15 and a specific "get together" session for the community college faculty who attend the meeting (time yet to be arranged).

If you would like to apply for this opportunity please send the following information to Jan Hodder (jhodder@uoregon.edu) by July 28:

Name, position, college, courses you teach, an estimate of the cost for your attendance which includes airfare and a maximum of five nights hotel cost (the AGU site will have housing details by mid July - no need to estimate meal costs), and the title of the paper or poster you plan to present.

You will be notified regarding the status of support by August 1.

4. Macdonald Receives the 2014 AGU Award for Excellence in Geophysical Education

published Jul 8, 2014 2:03pm

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers and On The Cutting Edge is proud to congratulate R. Heather Macdonald on receiving the 2014 American Geophysical Union award for Excellence in Geophysical Education.

Established in 1995, the Excellence in Geophysical Education Award (EGEA) is presented annually "to acknowledge a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group." Examples are educators who have had a major impact on geophysical education at any level (kindergarten through postgraduate), who have been outstanding teachers and trainers for a number of years, or who have made a long lasting, positive impact on geophysical education through professional service. Robert D. Ballard was the first recipient of this award.

Dr. Macdonald's efforts with NAGT and On the Cutting Edge are extensive. Dr. Macdonald was elected to the NAGT executive committee in 1991 as a councilor and again in 1994 as second vice president rising through the offices to president in 1996. During her tenure on the board, she was engaged in building interest in education at Geologic Society of America (GSA) with symposia, sessions, and more. She has been the overall leader of the On the Cutting Edge project for the past 12 years, established the early career workshop program, and is currently a member of the committee spearheading the transfer of that project to NAGT. Dr. Macdonald has been a strong advocate for women's issues and was integral to establishing the NAGT two-year college division (Geo2YC).

NAGT/On The Cutting Edge congratulates Dr. Macdonald on this well deserved recognition of her commitment to geophysical education.

Dr. Macdonald will be recognized during the Honors Tribute at the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 17 December 2014 in San Francisco.

5. Wysession Receives a 2014 AGU Ambassador Award

published Jul 10, 2014 2:23pm

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers and On The Cutting Edge is proud to congratulate Michael Wysession on receiving a 2014 American Geophysical Union Ambassador Award.

The Ambassador Award is given annually to one or up to five honorees in recognition for "outstanding contributions to the following area(s): societal impact, service to the Earth and space community, scientific leadership, and promotion of talent/career pool." Established in 2013, the Ambassador Award will honor members whose achievements extend beyond those recognized by traditional scientific discipline awards. The award furthers AGU's strategic goals to promote collaboration and innovation, inform society about Earth and space science, and build the global talent pool.

Michael Wysession, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, is a leading expert on using seismic imaging to determine the structure, composition and dynamics of Earth's mantle. His work with NAGT/On the Cutting Edge includes being a co-PI for On The Cutting Edge and convening several workshops on visualizing geophysical processes for teaching and research. He has also served as an advisory board member for the NAGT Building Strong Geoscience Departments program. Dr. Wysession has been a committed professional development workshop leader and most recently co-convened theWorkshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty in Washington DC.

NAGT/On The Cutting Edge congratulates Dr. Wysession on this well deserved honor. Dr. Wysession will be recognized during the Honors Tribute at the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 17 December 2014 in San Francisco.

6. InTeGrate Announces Publication of Climate of Change

published Jun 25, 2014 3:26pm

Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate), a 5-year STEP Center grant from the National Science Foundation, seeks to increase Earth literacy of all undergraduate students, as well as the number of graduates who are prepared to bring an understanding of the Earth to bear on the resource and environmental issues faced by our society today and in the future.

To this end, InTeGrate is pleased to announce the publication of the complete Climate of Change: Interactions and Feedbacks between Water, Air, and Ice module for introductory geoscience and environmental science on the InTeGrate website.

Developed by Cindy Shellito, University of Northern Colorado, Becca Walker, Mt. San Antonio College, and Cynthia Fadem, Earlham College, this two to three week module has students explore short-term climate variability resulting from atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions. The module promotes awareness of past and contemporary cultures and regions strongly affected by permanently altered or increasingly uncertain climates as students consider human adaptation to climate fluctuations. Students investigate the dynamics and impacts associated with climate variability by examining and analyzing atmosphere, ocean, and ice data; completing a series of readings; and engaging in group discussions. Materials and teaching descriptions for gallery walks, interactive discussions, group work, and lab exercises are provided.

This module is part of a growing collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.

Through the development of these modules, InTeGrate strives to infuse Earth literacy across disciplines, engage younger students in the geosciences, and develop a new vision for how geoscience is positioned in higher education.

7. InTeGrate Announces 2014 Implementation Programs

Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate), a 5-year STEP Center grant from the National Science Foundation, seeks to increase Earth literacy of all undergraduate students, as well as the number of graduates who are prepared to bring an understanding of the Earth to bear on the resource and environmental issues faced by our society today and in the future.

To this end, InTeGrate is pleased to announce the 2014 Incorporating Geoscience throughout the Curriculum Implementation Program recipients:

Next Generation STEM Teacher Preparation in Washington State

A consortium of Washington State Colleges and Universities in partnership with Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Teachers of Teachers of Science, and Teachers of Teachers of Mathematics, and other key stakeholders, will improve science learning and Earth literacy for all Washington State students by creating an improved model for STEM teacher preparation in Washington State aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and utilizing InTeGrate course materials. This project intends to strengthen the role of geoscience in the preparation and professional development of K-12 teachers.

Engaged Sustainability: From Curriculum to Community at Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH

Wittenberg University will transform its educational model, moving from isolated general education requirements without linkages, toward a model that fosters interdisciplinary thinking and a proactive student presence in the community. The team at Wittenberg University will thread sustainability modules within existing courses, broadening participation in sustainability curricula through recruitment and training, and creating linkages in sustainability problem-solving within our community.

The Defining Challenge of Our Age – Climate Science across the Liberal Arts Curriculum, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

Faculty at Gustavus Adolphus College will work together to integrate a set of climate science modules across the liberal arts curriculum, increasing the level of climate science literacy among faculty and students and setting the stage for meaningful interdisciplinary discussions of the role of climate change across the liberal arts curriculum.

Integration of Earth Science Content across Science Teacher Preparation Courses at Grand Valley State University, Allendale Charter Township, MI

The Grand Valley State University project plans to redesign three existing science methods courses for pre-service teaching students majoring or minoring in biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. The courses will incorporate Earth science content, especially climate change and energy, as overarching themes. The courses will develop shared pedagogical content skills, as well as those skills unique to each discipline, with the goal of integrated science methods courses across the curriculum.

Through the development of these implementation programs, InTeGrate strives to infuse Earth literacy across disciplines, engage younger students in the geosciences, and develop a new vision for how geoscience is positioned in higher education. For more information on InTeGrate, please see our website at http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/index.html

8. The CLEAN Team is Soliciting Submissions of Excellent Climate and Energy Science Educational Resources

The CLEAN (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network, http://cleanet.org) team is soliciting submissions of excellent climate and energy science educational resources for review and inclusion in the CLEAN Collection. We are coming to you as you may be developing resources as part of your projects, and/or may have access to others who are.

We are looking only for:

• single, stand-alone resources (no compilation of many resources or curricula)
• freely online available resources
• videos (less than 5 min in length), images, graphs, animations, simulations, lesson plans, activities, experiments, demonstrations
• resources that align with the climate or energy literacy principles
• resources that target grades 6-16

Please do NOT send us a just the link to a webpage or a curriculum, but please DO send us direct links to the resources you would like us to review.

Due to limited funding, we can consider only a few resources per group. Please send us a ranked list if you have multiple resources.

We look forward to hearing back from you and to continuing to build the CLEAN Collection to serve educators.

Please send your resources to Marian Grogan (Marian_Grogan@terc.edu).

9. GeoPRISMS Distinguished Lectureship Program (DLP), 2014-2015

Deadline: August 1, 2014

The GeoPRISMS Office is happy to announce the annual GeoPRISMS Distinguished Lectureship Program for academic year 2014-2015 with an outstanding speakers list. Distinguished scientists involved with GeoPRISMS science are available to visit US colleges and universities to present technical and public lectures on subjects related to GeoPRISMS science.

Any US college or university can apply to host a DLP speaker. Applications are due August 1, 2014 for visiting speakers in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. Institutions that are not currently involved with GeoPRISMS research are strongly encouraged to apply, including those granting undergraduate or masters degrees, as well as those with PhD programs. Institutions may request a technical and/or public lecture. The GeoPRISMS Office will cover airfare for speakers' travel and will coordinate travel and off-site logistics. Host institutions are responsible for local expenses for the duration of the visit.

Visit the GeoPRISMS website to apply and learn more about the speakers and talks available
http://geoprisms.org/education/distinguished-lectureship-program/

Also, please review the DLP Best Practices for making the most of your visiting speaker:
http://geoprisms.org/education/distinguished-lectureship-program/best-practices/

Please direct any questions to the GeoPRISMS Office at info@geoprisms.org

10. Educational Video Series from the American Geophysical Union

AGU has a video series for K-12 educators entitled Live Education Activity Resource Network (LEARN) with AGU. This series of short Earth and space science-related videos gives you the tools you need to try new hands-on activities with your students, complete with teacher guides and other resources. Topics include climate change, the polar environment, astrobiology, earthquakes, oceanography, and more. The thirteen videos currently on the site were recorded at the Geophysical Information For Teachers (GIFT) workshop and other AGU events. You can also submit your own videos to the LEARN collection.

11. Invitation to Present at 2015 American Meteorological Society (AMS) Teacher Workshop Meeting

published Jul 7, 2014 8:19am

Would you like to be a presenter at the AMS Teacher Workshop on Saturday, January 3, 2015 during the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ?

The main goal of the teacher workshop is to present education resources, scientific tools, and research findings that can help teachers in the classroom. We are encouraging presentations on relevant weather-climate-water educational content, especially involving climate phenomena that affects Arizona's climate.

We are looking for enthusiastic, dynamic, and knowledgeable subject matter presenters to make this workshop a success. Partnerships between educators and scientists are always encouraged but not required. Preliminary agenda is attached for your reference.

Presenters will be selected through a peer review process.

Application Deadline is August 29, 2014.

Apply Here: €‹

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Fall Internship - Education & Outreach: AGU

published Jun 25, 2014 4:22pm

Are you looking to enhance your career in a challenging and rewarding position? At AGU, an international non-profit association, you will help to promote the understanding of Earth and space for the benefits of humanity. You will work in a collaborative environment with dedicated professionals who are interested in making a difference.

The Education and Public Outreach Department capitalizes on the intrinsic allure of the Earth and space sciences, and their fundamental relevance to daily life. AGU offers an array of opportunities that expose students, educators, and life-long learners to the freshest, most accurate scientific knowledge and the excitement of discovery.

The Education and Public Outreach Intern will work closely with the Education and Public Outreach Manager and Coordinator as well as other AGU staff. This internship provides an opportunity to learn the behind-the-scenes process of planning education events first-hand and to gain knowledge about AGU's Fall Meeting and current science education issues. It also provides program management experience.

The intern will work with the Education and Public Outreach Manager and Coordinator to prepare content for the education section of the AGU website and ensure that information regarding Fall Meeting education events is kept up to date on AGU's Fall Meeting website. The intern will also work with outside collaborators to communicate arrangements for all Education and Public Outreach related Fall Meeting events as well as with AGU staff and contractors. The intern will write articles for AGU's weekly newspaper Eos and compile the monthly Education Special Interest Group newsletter as needed. The internship also includes administrative tasks, as assigned by the Manager.

We are seeking an undergraduate student, a graduate student, or a recent graduate. Preferred majors include Earth or space sciences or science education. Good written and oral communication skills and organizational skills are a must as are the experience, poise, and interpersonal skills necessary to interact with AGU staff, volunteers, vendors, and members. Must be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Office, Excel), internet browsers, and web search engines. Experience using WordPress is a plus.

The anticipated duration of the internship is 15 August to 12 December 2014 and is a full-time paid position. A cover letter and resume are highly recommended when applying for this position. Please submit your application materials by Friday, July 11, 2014.

Application information available at https://rew12.ultipro.com/AME1056/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*0A48850B11DE8E10