View online supplements for In the Trenches at http://nagt.org/nagt/publications/trenches/index.html.
In This Issue
News & Announcements
- Rendezvous 2018 Recap and 2019 Location
- Executive Director Search
- Arrivals and Departures at the NAGT Executive Office
- Announcing the Winners of the 2018 Dorothy Stout Awards
- Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
- Tools for the Geoscience Education Researcher
- Undergraduate Teaching Modules for Natural Hazards, Water Resources, and Climate Change
- ADVANCEGeo launches new online resource center to address sexual harassment in the geosciences
- Call for InTeGrate Proposals
Upcoming Webinars
- Recordings of complete InTeGrate 2018 Spring Webinar Series now available
- PolarTREC Live-Stream Event on August 23
Deadlines
- Coastlines and People (CoPe) Scoping Sessions: Apply by August 12
- Abstract Deadline for GSA is August 14
- Register now for the AGU Heads and Chairs Workshop
- AGU 2018 Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition
- National Fossil Day Art Competition--Entries Due October 5
- 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
NAGT Community Kudos
- Kaatje Kraft
NAGT Career Hub
- USGS/NAGT Cooperative Field Training Program
Rock and Mineral Exchange
1. Rendezvous 2018 Recap and 2019 Location
Thank you to everyone who attended the 4th annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Lawrence, Kansas. 235 participants took part in the workshops, presentations, posters, and teaching demos over the course of the week. What a tremendous time of learning, sharing, networking, and collaborating! We hope those in attendance were able to connect with colleagues old and new and left with concrete ideas and inspiration for teaching as well as creative ways to continue to build our community. Check out the Rendezvous 2018 slideshow on the top page of the EER website. Even if you missed this year's Rendezvous, you can still catch up on some of the action on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching the hashtag #EarthER18.
2018 End of Meeting Survey
If you attended the 2018 Rendezvous, Please remember to complete the End of Meeting Survey before you get caught up in "real life" again. Your feedback on how the meeting went is crucial to continuing to improve the event and deliver high-quality experiences to future participants.
Donor Challenge
Thanks to our community's generosity, we raised $4,278 across the duration of the Rendezvous to successfully match and unlock the $4,000 donation from Friends of NAGT to support travel to next year's Rendezvous. We now have a total of $8,278 to provide travel stipends to the conference in 2019! If you have not yet donated to this fund and wish to do so, please use this link.
Suggest 2019 programming: Have an idea for next year's Rendezvous?
Share an Idea with the Rendezvous organizers. The committee will review all suggestions and work to create a balanced program that serves diverse audiences.
Where will next year's Rendezvous be?
Nashville, Tennessee!
The fifth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous will take place in Nashville, TN, from July 15-19, 2019. We are excited to announce that both Tennessee State University, the largest and only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University, an internationally recognized research university with strong partnerships among its 10 schools and neighboring institutions, will be co-hosting the 2019 Earth Educators' Rendezvous.Be the first to learn about important deadlines and program developments by signing up for notifications using this Express Interest Form. The Earth Educators' Rendezvous is committed to selecting host sites across the nation to enable participation by the full spectrum of geoscience educators. We are committed to creating a supportive and rich learning environment and an inclusive and safe atmosphere for all.
2018 Rendezvous Participants: a U.S. geographical breakdown
Tell your friends about EER and help us have representation from every state (and beyond!) for the fifth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous in 2019!
2. NAGT Announces Executive Director Search
Letter from Cathy Manduca, Executive Director of NAGT
Dear NAGT,
In this newsletter you will see the announcement of the search for a new Executive Director. After 11 years in this position, I have decided it is time for me to step down. I have tremendously enjoyed working with you and the organization during that time. We have accomplished a great deal together. NAGT is a healthy, growing and vibrant community known within and beyond the geosciences for the quality of its work and its zest. We have active regional sections and three new divisions enabling us to work locally and in groups with shared focus. We have a palette of professional development programs and online resources to support high quality Earth education and education research including the recently established Earth Educators' Rendezvous. We advocate for Earth education on local to national levels. And we have an long-running set of strong publications, awards and programs. It has been a tremendous opportunity to be involved in all of that. One of the things that I am most proud of is the growth in the leadership of our organization. From workshop leaders, to committee members and chairs, to officers, to members working on campuses, in schools, and in communities, we have a tremendous wealth of strong leaders with a shared vision of quality Earth education and its importance to our society. This is what is allowing NAGT to grow, thrive, and extend its influence. I think it is time for a new person to come up from this community and have a chance to serve as Executive Director. It is time for fresh ideas and new energy in the Executive Office. NAGT plans to continue to contract with SERC to provide services for the Executive Office. This will allow for new leadership without disrupting service. I will continue as the Director of SERC. We anticipate that this transition will be complete in August 2019. Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the support you have given to me and everyone at the Executive Office over the years. Please help us to assemble an accomplished and diverse applicant pool for the new Director position by bringing this opportunity to the attention of colleagues or perhaps consider submitting your own application. I look forward to collaborating with the new Director to ensure a successful transition, and to seeing NAGT move forward in bold and innovative directions. Fondly,Cathy ManducaExecutive Director Search
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.
3. Arrivals and Departures at the NAGT Executive Office
NAGT Assistant Director, Krista Hebrstrith, has taken a new position in Carleton College's Alumni Relations Office. The Executive Office would like to thank Krista for all her work with NAGT members, executive committee, sections, divisions and collaborators. From awards to programs and beyond, she has been invaluable in supporting the work of NAGT. Her work and commitment to our organization will be greatly missed. Best of luck, Krista, we wish you well.
Even more changes are afoot... MJ Davenport, Administrative Assistant in the NAGT Executive Office, is moving with her family to New York. Many of you worked with MJ, especially those involved with the NAGT awards programming. We will miss her strong organizational skills and her much appreciated commitment to the success of NAGT. Thank you, MJ, and best of luck.
NAGT is pleased to welcome Lisa Nirva as new Administrative Assistant in the NAGT Executive Office. Lisa joins SERC following many years as a high school English and ESL teacher, and a high school college planner. She will be supporting our director and staff in a variety of areas. She has a BA from the University of Minnesota in English and Economics and an MA from Marymount University in Humanities. She is an avid traveler, reader and soccer fan.
Going forward, Cathy Manduca will be the primary contact for NAGT committees, Lisa Nirva will be the primary contact for NAGT membership and programs, and Lara Palmquist will be the primary contact for NAGT marketing and advertising.
4. Announcing the Winners of the Dorothy Stout Awards
Dottie Stout was the first female president of NAGT and was active as a strong supporter of Earth science education at all levels. In honor of Dottie's outstanding work and lifelong dedication to Earth science education, NAGT gives the awards to faculty and students at two-year colleges and K-12 teachers in support of the following:
- Participation in Earth science classes or workshops
- Attendance at professional scientific or science education meetings
- Participation in Earth science field trips
- Purchase of Earth science materials for classroom use
The awards of $750 are made annually in three categories: Community College Faculty, Community College Student, and K-12 Educator. Award winners are also given a one-year membership to the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, which includes an online subscription to the Journal of Geoscience Education and the In The Trenches magazine.
Congratulations to the Dorothy Stout Grant Recipients for 2018:
- Russel Kohrs, Lord Fairfax Community College and Massanutten Regional Governor's School, Mount Jackson, VA
- Jill Weaver, Valley View Junior High, Farmersville, OH
- Sara Young, Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora, IL
You can read more about each recipient here.
5. Jumpstart Your Course Planning with Teach the Earth
Rest assured, summer is far from over! But for those of you seeking to get a seamless start on your course planning, 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.
6. Tools for the Geoscience Education Researcher
NAGT is pleased to host an array of resources for the geoscience education research community and recognizes the important feedbacks that scholarly research has on geoscience teaching and learning. Further, NAGT has an entire GER Division committed to the promotion of high quality, scholarly research in geoscience education that improves teaching and learning in K-12, higher education, and informal learning environments. Geoscience education researchers are encouraged to join the GER Division to engage in important conversations, workshops, and connections within this active and growing GER community of practice.
You can read more about recent GER projects in which NAGT has been an important contributing partner here; these include two NSF-funded projects:
- The GER Toolbox offers a rich archive of resources for geoscience education researchers on the topics of Instruments and Surveys, Analysis Tools, Conducting GER Studies Across Institutions, Translating GER Results into Practice, Getting GER Published, and Navigating a Career in GER. Participants at the 2016 Geoscience Education Research Community Planning Workshop contributed resources and ideas on these themes, thereby making this a toolbox that is truly by geoscience education researchers for geoscience education researchers.
- The GER Community Framework aims to improve undergraduate teaching and learning about the Earth by focusing the power of GER on a set of ambitious, high-priority, community-endorsed Grand Challenges. Forty-eight authors contributed to the framework, which is searchable by themes such as Solid Earth Conceptual Understanding, Teacher Education, Spatial and Temporal Reasoning, Instructional Strategies, and more. Each theme has 2 to 5 Grand Challenges that illuminate interconnected paths for future GER and create a guiding framework to harness the power of GER to improve undergraduate teaching and learning about the Earth.
Explore these resources yourself, and learn how you can join the GER community, here. You can also read an article from EOS in which these resources are referenced here.
7. Undergraduate Teaching Modules for Natural Hazards, Water Resources, and Climate Change
The GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) project, a sponsored project of NAGT, has a number of modules that help you engage students in cutting edge geodetic data and methods through the context of addressing important societal challenges such as natural hazards, water resources, and climate change. GETSI is a sister project to InTeGrate. GETSI modules include:
- Surface Process Hazards (Introductory level)
- Changing Ice Mass and Sea Level (Introductory level)
- High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS/GNSS (Majors level; Field Collection)
- Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM (Majors level; Field Collection)
- Imaging Active Tectonics with InSAR and LiDAR data (Majors level)
- Measuring Water Resources with GPS, Gravity, and Traditional Methods (Majors level)
- GPS, Strain, and Earthquakes (Majors level)
If you have already used GETSI modules in your teaching, please take a 30-minute Share Your Experience survey and earn $100 by describing how you implemented the resources.
8. ADVANCEGeo launches new online resource center to address sexual harassment in the geosciences
The National Science Foundation-funded ADVANCEGeo project, which is also a sponsored project of NAGT, has released a collection of online resources for the community on relevant research and tested strategies to respond to sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination in research environments. These public resources can be used to: define and understand harassment, bullying, and discrimination; design codes of conduct, including for field research projects and courses; and identify best strategies for creating inclusive and equitable workplace climates. The online resource center is hosted by the Science Education and Research Center at Carleton College.
ADVANCEGeo project goals include (1) developing and testing bystander intervention training workshops with disciplinary-specific scenarios, which incorporate intersectionality; (2) developing teaching modules that define harassment as scientific misconduct; (3) disseminating training materials via professional societies; and (4) developing a sustainable model that can be transferred to other STEM disciplines. Funded by a 4-year US National Science Foundation ADVANCE Partnership award in 2017, ADVANCEGeo is a collaboration among the Earth Science Women's Network, the Association for Women Geoscientists, and the American Geophysical Union. Partnering institutions include: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Colorado College, Brown University, California State University, Los Angeles, and University of California, Merced and evaluation teams at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Colorado State University STEM Center.
ADVANCEGeo will be leading a workshop on bystander intervention training at the AGU Fall Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12 and contributing to the segment on dealing with bullying during the 2018 AGU Heads and Chairs workshop in Washington, D.C. More information about the ADVANCEGeo resource center is available here.
9. Call for InTeGrate Webinar Proposals
The InTeGrate project runs an approximately 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.
1. Recordings of Complete InTeGrate 2018 Spring Webinar Series Now Available
The InTeGrate 2018 Spring Webinar Series is now complete, and recordings of all eleven webinars are available online. The webinars range in subject from taking a transdisciplinary approach to teaching environmental science; integrating GPS, SfM, and TLS into geoscience field courses; addressing landslide hazards in introductory graduate courses; and more. If you missed these webinars, now is a great time to catch up on the shared expertise and insight available in these resources. And keep an eye out this coming fall, when the InTeGrate webinar series will continue!
2. PolarTREC Live-Stream Event on August 23
Join educator Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo, Dr. Lucas Zoet, and the PolarTREC research team as they broadcast live from the mountains of Switzerland on August 23 at 10 AM CT. The team will discuss their ongoing research on glacier sliding for all audiences (but targeted at students middle school and older). To register, click here.
1. Coastlines and People (CoPe) Scoping Sessions: Apply by Aug 12 to attend workshops Sept. 26-28
Applications to attend Coastlines and People (CoPe) scoping sessions to identify priorities for a research initiative focused on coastal regions are due August 12 and the workshops will be held September 26-28.
Coasts are paramount to our nation's economic prosperity, sustainability and national security. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Geosciences in collaboration with the Directorates for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, Engineering, Education and Human Resources, and Biological Sciences are looking to better comprehend the research priorities related to advancing understanding of the impacts of coastal environmental variability and natural hazards on populated coastal regions. The outcomes from these scoping sessions will inform future research opportunities from NSF to expand and innovate coastal research and include state, federal and local stakeholders. Interdisciplinary research on coastal processes, the built environment, and the people that inhabit coastal regions, serves as an opportunity to engage under-represented groups and build on broadening participation efforts of NSF INCLUDES.
Four simultaneous, three-day scoping sessions will be hosted by the University Cooperation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR ) and facilitated by KnowInnovation on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Workshop sites include San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Atlanta, Georgia with a fourth 'virtual' workshop held on mountain time.
Applicants will be notified by late August. Travel support will be provided for participants invited to attend. More information and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the CoPe scoping workshop website.
2. GSA Abstract Deadline August 14
Before heading off on your summer breaks and adventures, don't forget that the deadline for submitting abstracts to the GSA Fall Meeting is August 14. Extensive information about sessions, workshops, and other events for educators that will take place at this meeting is available on the NAGT website: NAGT Activities at 2018 GSA Annual Meeting.
NAGT Members are a crucial piece of the education community at both AGU and GSA, so submit abstracts to share your work with the rest of the community. Also don't forget to stop by the NAGT booth at each meeting to say hello and meet other members and officers, or better yet volunteer to staff the booths! Staffing the NAGT booth is a great way to connect with others and contribute to your association. Email Lara Palmquist at lpalmquist@carleton.edu if you are interested.
3. 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.
4. AGU 2018 Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition
AGU's Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition invites students to apply and demonstrate how they can creatively present data pertaining to the Earth, solar system, and the universe. Winners will receive the opportunity to present their visually based story on the NASA Hyperwall, travel grants, and complimentary registration to the AGU Fall Meeting. The deadline to apply is August 31.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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!
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, Sept. 8
- 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.
-
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!
Kaatje Kraft of Whatcom Community College was recently awarded the Anna Sue McNeil Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Award from the WA State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. The Anna Sue McNeill Assessment, Teaching and Learning Award is designed to recognize an individual's contributions to assessment, teaching and student learning. Wrote Kaatje of the award: "I have no doubts that my affiliation with NAGT and all the benefits I've gained as an active member is part of what made me nominated for this award."
Congratulations, Kaatje!
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.
