NAGTNews - Vol 16 - No 2 - February 2017

An archive of past NAGTNews messages is available to members at http://nagt.org/nagt/news/nagtnews.html.
View online supplements for In the Trenches at http://nagt.org/nagt/publications/trenches/index.html.
Like NAGT on Facebook to follow all the goings on of members around the country: https://www.facebook.com/nagt1.
Don't forget to check the website (http://nagt.org) for news on a continual basis.

1. Time to Renew Your Membership for 2017

2016 was an incredible year for NAGT. We are deeply thankful for everyone whose commitment to geoscience education leads them to become a member and support what we do. If you haven't renewed your membership for 2017, there is still time. Renew today at http://nagt.org/nagt/membership/index.html so you don't miss future issues of the NAGTNews!

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.

2. NAGT Seeking Editor for Journal of Geoscience Education

NAGT is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE). After six years of exemplary service, JGE Editor Kristen St. John announced this spring that she would step down in late 2017. Anne Egger, President of NAGT, will lead the search committee.

In overseeing the journal, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for its ability to support robust geoscience education research and its use in all aspects of teaching and learning about the Earth. The Editor takes the lead on maintaining a high-quality peer reviewed publication that responds to the needs and interests of NAGT, the geoscience education research communities, and the dynamic landscape of scientific publishing and communications. We seek an editor who will work with us to increase the impact, stature, influence, reach, and visibility of the journal.

The deadline for expressing interest in the position is March 1, 2017. For more information visit: http://nagt.org/nagt/jge/jge_editor_search

3. Registration is now open for Earth Educators' Rendezvous - July 17-21, 2017

We are excited to announce that the meeting registration is now open and the topics for morning workshops and afternoon events are finalized. In addition to workshops, the Rendezvous will include oral and poster sessions, teaching demonstrations, round table discussions and pre and post workshop field trips. The meeting will bring together activities that support educators in improving their courses, departments or programs; in building a collective capacity to use and conduct education research; and in increasing the overall impact of Earth education. Visit the program schedule to learn more.

Join us in Albuquerque this summer!

• Hosting a working group application deadline: March 3
• Abstract submission deadline: March 3
• Travel stipend application deadline: April 1
• Early registration deadline: May 1

4. Next NGSS Webinar - February 9, 2017

The American Geosciences Institute's Center for Geoscience and Society and NAGT are collaborating with other organizations and member societies to support implementation of the Earth and space science Next Generation Science Standards.

Join us for ​our February webinar!

​​NGSS Curriculum Development: Lessons Learned from the Mi-STAR Program

Thursday, ​January 12, 2017
1:00 PM Pacific | 2:00 PM Mountain | 3:00 PM Central | 4:00 PM Eastern

Designing curriculum and assessment materials aligned with the NGSS takes a great deal of work and expertise, and also offers a great opportunity for learning. This webinar will describe a statewide project to develop an NGSS-aligned integrated middle school science curriculum, called Mi-STAR. Though the Mi-STAR project is designing materials to support NGSS implementation in Michigan, the lessons learned regarding curriculum design, political considerations, and project management will provide insights applicable to many other locations and projects where similar work is being done.

Presenter​s​:
Jackie Huntoon, Michigan Technological University
Ed Robeck, American Geosciences Institute

​Registration deadline: Tuesday, ​February 7

5. Upcoming NAGT Award Deadlines

Scholarships for Field Study - Deadline February 14

Each year, NAGT makes several $750 awards to undergraduate students to facilitate their study of field geoscience. These awards, previously given to students who attend a traditional summer field camp, are now available for students attending field-based courses at any time of year. The intent of the awards is to support students' participation in intensive field courses in any aspect of geoscience (including geophysics, soil science, hydrology, etc.) that focuses on students practicing skills of field observation, data collection, analysis and synthesis. Awardees are selected based on the importance of the field experience in meeting their educational and career goals, the quality of the field aspects of the course, and the importance of the financial award in allowing them to participate in the program. In addition, the committee endeavors to select awardees that expand the diversity of people studying geosciences in the field and a collaboration with the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) funds two additional awards specifically for women.

Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Awards

Outstanding Earth Science Teacher (OEST) awards are given for "exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences at the pre-college level." Any teacher or other K-12 educator who covers a significant amount of Earth science content with their students is eligible. Ten national finalists are selected, one from each NAGT regional section. Some sections also recognize state winners. Individuals may apply themselves or nominate a colleague for the award.

The selection of award winners is conducted at the Section level and each Section sets its own deadline for nomination. A listing of the deadlines and contact people for each Section is listed on the program website. The earliest Section deadline is March 31 for the Pacific Northwest Section with other sections following until the middle of May. So check out your Section's deadline and get your nominations in via the website.

Neil Miner Award

This award is given every year to an individual for exception contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences. The deadline for nominations is April 1, 2017.

James Shea Award

Each year, NAGT presents the Jim Shea Award to an individual for exceptional contributions in the form of writing or editing of Earth science materials (broadly construed) that are of interest to the general public and/or teachers of Earth science. The deadline for nominations is April 15, 2017.

Dorothy Lalonde Stout Professional Development Grants

In honor of Dottie Stout's outstanding work and lifelong dedication to Earth science education, NAGT awards grants supporting Earth science professional development in three categories: Community College Faculty, Community College Student, and K-12 Educator. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2017.

Robert Christman Award

The Robert Christman Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize individuals who have provided long, distinguished service to the Association at the national and/or section level. Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis.

6. News from InTeGrate

Webinar: Addressing Food Security Issues in Your Course

Thursday February 9, 2017
9 am Pacific | 10 am Mountain | 11 am Central | 12 pm Eastern

Issues related to food security showcase the interactions between geoscience, policy, agriculture, and society. Teaching about these topics helps students see the connections between geoscience and their daily lives. This webinar will highlight teaching strategies and examples using an interdisciplinary systems thinking approach to help students consider food security issues. Rebecca Boger, InTeGrate module author, will discuss strategies for addressing food security using technology such as ArcGIS online from "The Wicked Problem of Global Food Security" module. Heather Karsten and Steve Vanek, co-authors of the course "The Future of Food", will discuss materials for teaching about food systems with examples that focus on a systems approach to managing soil quality, and food system impacts on natural systems. The webinar will include 30 minutes of presentations and 25 minutes of discussion. Participants are encouraged to both ask questions of the presenters and discuss their own experiences regarding food security. Registration Deadline: February 7, 2017

Workshop: Teaching About Earth Online

May 30 - June 1, 2017
Penn State University, State College, PA

Teaching online is growing in acceptance and its accessibility creates an opportunity to reach students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. There is a need to develop best practices for teaching about Earth online, as new technological topics, pedagogical approaches, and teaching materials that incorporate active learning and data emerge. This workshop will focus on best practices, collecting resources, and developing materials that can be widely disseminated. It is open to all faculty who have the opportunity to teach Earth Sciences using online education. Application Deadline: April 2, 2017

7. Apply to Host a Traveling Workshop

Is your department overhauling its curriculum? Have new faculty in your department? Is your department involved in strategic planning? Facing changing enrollment or striving to increase diversity? Want to increase the emphasis on teaching science in the context of societal issues?

The InTeGrate Project and NAGT invite you to improve learning about the Earth in your courses, programs, and departments through their Traveling Workshops Programs.

• NAGT - http://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/twp/index.html
• InTeGrate - http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/workshops/twp.html

These workshop programs bring national leaders in Earth and environmental education to your campus or region to share lessons learned in NSF-funded InTeGrate Project.

These programs are suitable for all courses, programs, departments, and organizations that would like to strengthen their capacity for teaching about societal issues in context of the Earth system. Apply to host a workshop that will engage participants in deep, structured discussion and action planning. These workshops can be tailored to have a special emphasis on issues of particular interest to your group such as strengthening course offerings, strategies for supporting diverse students in courses or programs, or program design.

Application deadline: March 15, 2017

8. Workshop for Early Career Faculty

Early Career Geoscience Faculty Workshop: Teaching, Research, and Managing Your Career

July 9-13, 2017 with optional trip to NSF on Friday, July 14
At University of Maryland, College Park, MD
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer2017/index.html

Application deadline: March 22, 2017

Do you have new faculty in your department just starting out in their academic career? Consider recommending this important multi-day workshop where they 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. The workshop is offered by NAGT On the Cutting Edge professional development program for geoscience faculty with support from the National Science Foundation, Geological Society of America and American Geophysical Union. Past participants give high praise for this workshop.

"I've gained so much in terms of both concrete things to implement (lesson activities, strategic planning tools, etc.) and a holistic appreciation for this career. I can totally do this, and this workshop instilled that confidence."

"The workshop totally changed my view of teaching from teacher-oriented to student-oriented. It's no more what I want to teach but what students need to learn or take away from the course. This is the essential point that I will keep in mind when I design course goals, syllabi, in-class activities, assignments, and exams."

9. Member Discussion of Climate Data Sources

With federal websites potentially changing to deemphasize climate change science, a group of NAGT members has begun a discussion of stable sources for climate data. All members are welcome to the discussion via the NAGT online discussion board at http://nagt.org/nagt/about/discussions/climate_data.html.

To post a comment or reply, you will need to log into your NAGT account when prompted.

10. SAGE Musings: the SAGE 2YC Project Blog

The SAGE 2YC project (Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-Year Colleges) has launched a blog, SAGE Musings. The bi-weekly blog posts address topics related to supporting students' academic success, facilitating students' professional pathways in the geosciences, broadening participation in the geosciences, and catalyzing change. Check out the growing collection and share them with your colleagues. Although written for geoscience faculty at two-year colleges, most posts are relevant for any STEM faculty member. Search the collection here: http://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/musings.html

11. IAGD Inclusive Geoscience Education and Research Awards

The International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) is proud to announce the IAGD Inclusive Geoscience Education and Research (IGER) Awards. These two awards for inclusive teaching and research will recognize outstanding efforts in promoting, developing, and/or implementing inclusive instruction & research that encourages active engagement and participation of students and practitioners with disabilities in the geosciences. Recipients of these awards share the vision of the IAGD to fundamentally shift the culture of the geosciences by creating a climate of access and inclusion, celebrating the diverse abilities of all students and geoscientists, and fostering interest and engagement in geoscience academic and career pathways.

These awards are open to Earth science students, faculty and staff at all levels of academia (preK-Grad), as well as geoscience professionals, with or without disabilities, who exemplify what it means to live and work inclusively.

The IAGD will recognize one IGER Award winner for Teaching and one for Research each year selected from the entire pool of nominees.

Nominations are now being accepted. For more information, and to submit a nomination, please visit: http://www.TheIAGD.org/igeraward.

12. UNAVCO Internships

UNAVCO welcomes applications for a variety of paid internship opportunities in Boulder, Colorado during Summer 2017. There are opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students with activities from developing research skills to software engineering to geoscience communication and outreach! Visit the UNAVCO Student Opportunities website for more information.

Geo-Launchpad is a paid summer internship for Colorado community college students.

USIP [UNAVCO Student Internship Program] is a summer internship that offers graduate and upper-level undergraduate students the opportunity to learn various aspects of geodesy research and education (see the UNAVCO employment website for specific internship opportunities).

Applications are due February 15.

13. Undergraduate Summer Science Internship Program Aimed at Diversity Offered in Woods Hole

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We are now accepting applications for the 2017 Partnership Education Program. The announcement is here and the application information is on our website. Please forward and share freely.

Especially please help us spread the word by alerting potential applicants and colleagues who may know of potential applicants. I should emphasize that PEP is an interdisciplinary program that seeks students from all STEM areas – marine and environmental sciences, chemistry, physics, oceanography, biology, geology, mathematics. We also have research mentors available to provide mentoring and projects in engineering, economics, resource management, policy.

Priority in admissions and financial support will be given to students who have applied on or before February 17, 2017.

I am happy to discuss PEP and answer questions for anyone who is interested.

Thank-you for any help you can give in spreading the word about PEP.

George Liles
NOAA NEFSC Director of Academic Programs (acting)

14. NSF International REU Site in Community GIS and Citizen Science

This summer at the University of Central Florida, we are pleased to host the second year of our National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site "Preparing the Next Generation of Scholars through Community GIS and Citizen Science." Our program offers fully funded summer research experiences for at least 8 undergraduate students in Belize for 5 weeks and Orlando for two weeks. The program is open to all U.S. students and runs June 19-August 4, 2017. We are interdisciplinary in nature emphasizing community geography, community GIS, and citizen science through mixed methods, including sketch mapping, mobile mapping applications, focus groups, in-depth interviews, GIS, and spatial analysis. Last year we had student participants from a range of academic backgrounds including environmental science, geography, urban planning, biology, geology, public health, and more. We are very much interested in recruiting a diverse suite of researchers for this summer and I hope you'll encourage students you know to apply. Please see the website for more information on the specifics of our program.

To encourage competitive applications, we're hosting a Facebook Live Event entitled "Secrets to an Awesome Citizen Science GIS REU Application" on Wednesday, February 1 @ 3 pm EST. Join Dr. Hawthorne (REU PI) and Lain Graham (REU Senior Research Coordinator), who will be giving away secrets for a successful application to our National Science Foundation (NSF) #REU Site in Orlando and Belize. Please share with your colleagues and have them join us. #citizensciencegis #ucfreu. Join the discussion at https://www.facebook.com/citizensciencegis.

Dr. Timothy Hawthorne: Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Systems at University of Central Florida
Dr. Christy Visaggi: Co-Principal Investigator, Lecturer and Undergraduate Program Director in Geosciences at Georgia State University

15. Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) recognizes the importance of honoring excellent teaching and promoting strong STEM education. PAEMST, a White House program administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is the highest honor for K-12 mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers. Awardees receive a trip to D.C., a certificate signed by the President, and a $10,000 award from NSF.

The 2016-2017 nomination and application period for 7-12th grade mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers is currently open. Please consider nominating a talented science or mathematics teacher using the PAEMST website today. If you are interested in applying yourself, you can begin an application at http://www.paemst.org. The 2016-2017 nomination deadline is April 1, 2017, and the application deadline is May 1, 2017.

Should you have any questions about the program or the nomination process, please contact info@paemst.org or 855-723-6780.

16. Leadership Institute Opportunity: Advancing Campus Projects in STEM Education

Aug 2-4, 2017
Portland, OR

The ASCN Leadership Institute is designed to support campus change agents in using institutional change strategies to advance STEM change projects to greater scale and sustainability. Campus teams will bring existing projects, envisioned or started, that they need help bringing to scale or longer-term sustainability. Campus teams may be struggling with leadership turnover, lack of resources or infrastructure, team dynamics, shifting project goals and priorities, or other challenges. Institute participants will learn about the national context and drivers for change, theories and frameworks of change and the logistics of managing change projects to advance them to scale and sustainability. Institute participants will be mentored throughout the year by STEM leaders, researchers, and change agents who have experience with reform projects.

Participants will benefit from close mentoring by accomplished change agents who will help shape their project plan during the summer meeting, check in monthly for advice, and make a campus visit for mentoring in context. Participating individuals will increase their knowledge of how to effectively lead change through access to Institute resources, mentors, and other participants. Teams will become more cohesive and see improved success related to their project goals. Participating institutions will build campus leadership capacity for change.

Application Deadline: February 28, 2017

17. Session on Public Communication and Teaching Activities about Volcanoes for the IAVCEI 2017 Scientific Assembly

We're excited to announce a session on public communication and teaching activities about volcanoes for the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior) 2017 Scientific Assembly in Portland, OR (August 14-18, 2017). The session, Start spreading the news: Diverse and effective methods for communicating about volcanoes, will focus on how information about volcanic activity can be conveyed to the public, scientific stakeholders and to students. Presentations will include examples, best practices and projects that effectively share information about volcanic crises, especially through social media and teaching. Additionally, we invite projects that explore the use of volcanology data in the classroom. The full session description is provided below. We invite anyone with interest or experience in communicating and teaching about volcanoes to submit an abstract for the session, which will also include time for discussions about these topics. We look forward to your submissions!

Conveners
Rachel Teasdale, California State University, Chico
Erik Klemetti, Denison University
Wendy Stovall, USGS Volcano Hazards Program
Sally Kuhn Sennert, USGS Volcano Hazards Program
Kaatje van der Hoeven Kraft, Whatcom Community College
Deanne Bird, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland

---

Rock and Mineral Exchange

Available Samples

• Petrology Samples
• ophiolite, Tertiary sedimentary, misc metamorphic

Desired Specimens

• Precambrian chert. Stromatolites.

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.

---

Community Advertisements

Geology instructor, Santa Barbara City College
Posted: Dec 9 2016
SBCC is a nationally recognized community college with an uncommonly robust geology program. We seek a replacement for a retiring geology faculty member who teaches historical geology and co-leads some of our field courses.

Lecturer-School of Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability - Northern Arizona University
Posted: Nov 30 2016
Northern Arizona University's School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability is currently seeking is seeking a full time, non-tenure track Lecturer

Need help getting the word out about your position opening, event, or field trip? Advertise with NAGT!