NAGTNews - Vol 14 - No 11 - November 2015

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1. Volunteers Needed for NAGT Booth at AGU

Plan on attending the upcoming AGU meeting December 14-18 in San Francisco? This is a great opportunity to promote our association and meet other geoscience educators.

We are looking for volunteers to staff the NAGT booth Monday, December 14 (afternoon) through Friday, December 18 (morning). Hours of Operation are:

• Monday, 14 December, 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. (Ice Breaker Reception)
• Tuesday-Thursday, 15-17 December, 9:30 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
• Friday, 18 December, 9:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.

If you can spare an hour or two during the meeting, please contact Krista Herbstrith (kherbstr@carleton.edu) in the Executive Director's office. NAGT would greatly appreciate your time and commitment!

2. NAGT Activities at AGU

There are lots of activities going on at the upcoming AGU meeting in San Francisco. You can see all the things that NAGT is involved in on the website: http://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/AGU/2015AGU/index.html. Some highlights include:

• Workshops on Building Teaching Skills for Grad Students, Teaching Geoscience and Society, and Undergrad Research in the Classroom,
• Tons of topical sessions
• Running the booth (#128) in the Vendors Area in Moscone Center North Building - Hall D (Did we mention that you can still be a booth volunteer??)

And lots of other stuff. Check out all the activities and we hope to see and talk with you during the meeting. See you in San Francisco!

3. JGE Theme Issues --- Calls for Papers

1. Interdisciplinary Teaching and Sustainability

The Journal of Geoscience Education solicits manuscripts for a special issue on sustainability. This call recognizes that living sustainably is a process that humanity is still debating and trying to define. Core ideas for philosophies, pedagogies and curricula of sustainability education are not settled but are broadly conceived as interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary. This issue will explore the perspectives, ideas and methods that arise from conversations among the geosciences and other disciplines.

Examples of those who should consider submitting a paper for this issue include:

• geoscience educators who can communicate their vision of sustainability and show how it's reflected in their teaching and courses;
• geoscientists who engage in informal education or work in the public sphere (e.g., park rangers, nonprofit groups, policy consultants) who have developed a vision of sustainability and can show how it guides their work;
• educators in non-geoscience fields who draw inspiration or knowledge from earth systems to inform their teaching.

Commentaries, Curriculum and Instruction, Theoretical and Empirical Research, and Literature Review papers are all encouraged.

Manuscript Preparation and Submission: The manuscript submission deadline is March 15, 2016. Author instructions and descriptions of paper categories go to http://nagt-jge.org/. All submitted manuscripts will need to meet manuscript guidelines and review criteria, and will be externally review.

Theme Issue Editors and Associate Editors: Kristen St. John, Editor-in-Chief, jge@jmu.edu; Caitlin Callahan, Associate Editor, callahca@gvsu.edu; Ellen Metzger, Guest Associate Editor, ellen.metzger@sjsu.edu; David Blockstein, Guest Associate Editor, david@cedd.org

2. Synthesizing Results and Defining Future Directions of Geoscience Education Research

Objective: To compile a collection of articles that describes the evolution, current status, and future directions of Geoscience Education Research (GER), with a focus on undergraduate education and the community of practice among GER workers.

Types of Papers and example topics that fit this theme are listed below. The topics include those identified as important to the GER discipline in the Discipline-Based Education Research report (Singer et al., 2012) and a 2015 NSF-sponsored workshop on geoscience education research (http://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2015/morning_workshops/w3/index.html). Additional reports and resources for background on GER can be found at: http://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops/geoed_research/ger_resources.html.

• Commentaries that are grounded in the literature and propose priorities for promoting and supporting the GER research community.
• Curriculum & Instruction Papers on translating geoscience education research results into practice in multiple courses and/or institutions, or with diverse populations.
• Research Papers describing methods and results of original geoscience education research of broad interest and impact.
• Literature Review Articles
• that synthesize the evolution and state of knowledge on topical areas in GER, such as, but not limited to: geoscience conceptual understanding, developing geoscience expertise, problem solving, quantitative reasoning, temporal and spatial reasoning, use of models and visualizations, geoscience student affective domain and metacognition, geoscience habits of mind, geoscience student access and success, and geoscience professional development of college/university educators.
• that synthesize best practices for research methodologies, such as, but not limited to: how to measure student learning and student perceptions in various contexts.
• that synthesize the ways in which GER results have impacted society.

Manuscript Preparation and Submission: Submitting authors should send an email "letter of intent" to jge@jmu.edu by January 3 2016 indicating the type (e.g., literature review article) and topic of their intended paper. This will allow editors to gauge submission pressure and identify any potential overlap in literature review article topics. Should overlap exist, editors will suggest ways for authors to either combine efforts or divide topics more narrowly. The manuscript submission deadline is August 31 2016. For more information, including author instructions, go to http://nagt-jge.org/. All submitted manuscripts will need to meet author guidelines and JGE review criteria, and will be externally review.

Theme Issue Editors and Associate Editors: Kristen St. John, Editor-in-Chief, jge@jmu.edu; Heather Petcovic, Editor for C&I, heather.petcovic@wmich.edu; Alison Stokes, Editor for Research, alison.stokes@plymouth.ac.uk; Tony Feig, Associate Editor, feig1ad@cmich.edu; Karen McNeal, Associate Editor, ksmcneal@ncsu.edu.

4. Time to Renew Your Membership for 2016

NAGT is deeply thankful for everyone whose commitment to geoscience education leads them to become a member and support what we do. It's now time to start thinking about renewing your membership for 2016 and you can do that online at http://nagt.org/nagt/membership/index.html.

Remember that you can sign up for automatic renewals or multi-year memberships if you want to make it easy to continue to receive the benefits of membership without having to worry about letting them lapse.

5. New NAGT Officers Welcomed at 2015 GSA Annual Meeting

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) welcomed its newest elected officers at the recent 2015 GSA Annual Meeting, November 1-4, in Baltimore, MD. The new officers will serve in their respected positions for one year.

Get more information about the new officers at http://serc.carleton.edu/serc/news/new_nagt_office.html.

6. On the Cutting Edge Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty

July 24-28, 2016 with optional visit to NSF on July 29
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

On the Cutting Edge will again offer its Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty in 2016.

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.

Application Deadline: March 16, 2016

7. Save the Date for next summer's Earth Educators' Rendezvous - July 18-22, 2016

Save the date for the second annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous! The 2015 Rendezvous was a huge success and we look forward to another exciting event next year in Madison, Wisconsin.

This year we will be expanding our audience to welcome a mix of college faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers from all disciplines who are interested in improving their teaching about the Earth. Our program is designed to appeal to everyone from the instructor attending their first Earth education themed meeting, to experienced STEM education researchers, to administrators who want to better support students in their programs. Among many options, participants can learn about new teaching approaches, discover opportunities to get involved in research programs, prepare for an academic career, or discuss how to approach teaching and learning challenges in their classroom. Consider joining the Rendezvous for 2- or 3-day blocks, or for the whole week-long (5-day) event.

The first draft of the 2016 program is available. The morning workshop will be open on a first come, first serve basis (workshop size is limited based on room capacity)- registration will be open when the program is finalized in early January. The first draft of the afternoon mini-workshops is available, and and we welcome your feedback. Afternoon mini workshops are open to all participants registered for that day (not reserved ahead of time).

For additional information:

Website: http://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2016/index.html

Working Group Application Deadline: February 1, 2016

Abstract Deadline: March 1, 2016

Early Registration Deadline: May 2, 2016

8. New SAGE 2YC Resources for Supporting Student Success

The Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) program is pleased to announce the release of a number of new resources aimed at helping 2YC faculty support the success of all students.

Self-regulated learning: Choosing and using the best strategies for the task

https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/self_regulated/index.html

Supporting students with disabilities

https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/disabilities/index.html

Supporting first-generation students at two-year colleges

https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/firstgen/index.html

Using validation to empower students

https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/validation/index.html

These resources join other materials on the website including modules on supporting English-language learners, conducting undergraduate research with students from two-year colleges, supporting geoscience students transferring from 2YCs to 4YCUs, and general strategies for supporting the whole student.

9. Field-based Accessibility Research for Undergraduate Geoscience Majors

Please pass this opportunity to all of your undergraduate students interested in OR majoring in the geosciences. We are looking for two cohorts of students (with and without mobility disabilities) to participate in two years of geoscience field-based research focused on accessibility and communication at field sites in Arizona (May 2016) and Ireland (May 2017).

All travel is paid for and stipends will be provided. Preference will be given to undergraduate geology majors, but depending on how many students with mobility disabilities, there is always a strong chance that we'll need to extend into other field sciences.

More information and a link to the application form can be found at: http://www.TheIAGD.org/GEOPATH.

Thank you!

Christopher L. Atchison, Ph.D.
Executive Director, International Association for Geoscience Diversity

10. AMNH Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program

The American Museum of Natural History is seeking Earth science graduates and professionals who are interested in applying to our Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program - the first urban teacher residency program offered by a museum.

With a focus on preparing new Earth science teachers, the MAT program is a full-time, 15-month fellowship Master's program that takes place at the Museum and in urban partner schools. We are looking for a student body with diverse life and career experience, and the application is open to all candidates meeting the eligibility requirements. All degree candidates will receive free tuition and books, a $30,000 living stipend, and 2 years of funded professional development in their first years of teaching. In return, candidates commit to teaching in a high-need New York State school for four years.

We are currently accepting applications for the class that will matriculate in June 2016. We encourage potential applicants to come to one of our onsite Open Houses on Saturday, November 7, Sunday, December 6 or Sunday, January 10, or our online Informational Webinar on November 17. In addition they can visit the program website at http://www.amnh.org/mat to join the mailing list and get more information. You can contact us directly atmat@amnh.org or (212) 313-7464.

11. National Center for Science Education's Grand Canyon Trip - Teach Scholarships

Every year, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) takes a group of 24 science advocates on a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon to explore its natural wonders and learn more about the science of the canyon and this year we are offering two teacher scholarships for the trip! The two winners will receive airfare, lodging before and after the trip, as well as a rafting trip of a lifetime!

How to apply:

We are looking for teachers who are committed to the accurate and thorough teaching of evolution, climate change, deep time, and the nature of science. Applicants should (or have the potential to) play a leadership role in promoting the teaching of good science within their community.

For more information and to apply, please visit http://ncse.com/about/excursions/teacher-scholarship.

For one teacher's experience on our trip last year, check out NCSE's blog!

If you have any further questions, please contact grandcanyon@ncse.com.

Deadline for applications is January 5, 2016 (midnight, Pacific Standard Time).

12. USGS Announces Job Opening for Youth and Education Science Manager

Enjoy working with youth? NAGT partners with the USGS for our popular Cooperative Summer Field Training Program, Youth and Education in Science Intern Programs.The U.S. Geological Survey has career opportunities that make a difference in both the lives of others and in the environment. Application deadline is November 25.

See the full position description via the USAJobs website - https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/420908700

13. NCSE Announces New Executive Director

November 17, 2015 (Washington, D.C.) – The Board of Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) announced today that Michelle Wyman will succeed Peter Saundry as Executive Director. The appointment follows a comprehensive executive search process that began in June 2015 when Dr. Saundry announced his departure after 22 years leading the organization. Ms. Wyman will begin her tenure on January 4, 2016.

"We are very excited to welcome Michelle to the NCSE team," said Anthony Michaels, Chairman of NCSE's Board of Directors. "This organization has a profound mission - improving the scientific basis of our environmental decisions - and Michelle has the perfect background and capabilities to help us achieve our goals and strive for even higher ones."

Read more on the NCSE Press Release.

14. Tools for Astronomy Teachers

A Few Recent Resources for Those Who Teach or Explain Astronomy:

1) Saturn Talk by Carolyn Porco; Latest in YouTube Silicon Valley Series

The YouTube Channel for the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures now features a recent, visually stunning talk by Dr. Carolyn Porco on ten years of Cassini-Huygens exploration of the Saturn system. She takes us through the many discoveries made about Saturn, its complex ring system, and its intriguing moons (especially Titan, with its thick atmosphere, and Enceladus, with its salt-water geysers.)

The channel includes 42 other illustrated talks, including a personal preview of the New Horizons encounter with Mark Showalter, a Dawn mission review by Marc Rayman, and a discussion of black widow pulsars by Roger Romani. The talks in this series have now had nearly three quarters of a million views from around the world. They are free for any educational use at: http://www.youtube.com/svastronomylectures

2) A Subject Index to "Astronomy Education Review" (2001-2013)

Astronomy Education Review was a journal on astronomy education research and practice, published first by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and then by the American Astronomical Society. It published over 250 papers and articles during its 13-year existence, many of which still remain current and useful. An index to the full contents of the journal, organized by topics that both astronomy education researchers and practitioners would be likely to look under, has now been compiled and published at: http://aas.org/teach/subject-index-papers-astronomy-education-review-2001-2013

3) There's More to Mars Science Fiction than "The Martian"

Many students will have questions about Mars and Mars science fiction after they see the hit movie "The Martian." For more about dust storms on Mars and whether they can "pack the punch" required in the film, there is a helpful article from Mercury, the magazine of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Over the years, many scientists and writers trained in science have written stories and novels about future Mars exploration. For a list of some favorites you and your students might enjoy, see: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282505754_Mars_Science_Fiction_with_Reasonable_Science

4) For Astronomy Outreach Resources, Check the MOOSE

The American Astronomical Society's "Astronomy Ambassadors" program trains early-career astronomers on how to be more effective in outreach to schools, community groups, and the public. A resource guide for doing astronomy outreach has been put together under the title, Menu of Outreach Opportunities for Science Education or MOOSE. It includes exemplary programs, finding aids for organizations that need astronomers, presentation techniques, sources of activities, evaluation ideas, and more. See: http://aas.org/outreach/moose-menu-outreach-opportunities-science-education

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