NAGT Activities at the 2007 GSA Annual Meeting

NAGT is pleased to sponsor a variety of symposia and sessions at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America meeting held in Denver Colorado from 28-31 October, 2007. Please submit an abstract and plan to attend the following sessions highlighting key issues of importance to geoscience educators at all levels. You can also come by the NAGT booth (Stall #334) to meet officers and other NAGT members and to learn more about you can be involved in your organization.

Receptions and Events | Pardee Keynote Symposia | Topical Sessions | Organizational Business

Receptions and Events

• Reception: Earth Science Education (Sponsored by GSA ,GSA Geoscience Education Division, NAGT, DLESE, Cutting Edge, IRIS, JOI, EARTHSCOPE) Saturday (10/27/07), 5:00 - 7:00PM, Colorado Convention Center, Hall F Cash bar
  Co-hosted by: The Geological Society of America Education Committee, National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and the GSA Division of Geoscience Education.
  We will be honoring *Ian MacGregor* for his service to the cause of Geoscience Education on the occasion of his retirement as executive director of NAGT. Everyone is welcome!
• NAGT/GSA Geoscience Education Division Luncheon (Ticketed Event) Sunday (10/28/07), 11:30AM - 2:00PM, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 5-7
• Geoscience Education Research Interest Group Tuesday evening from 5:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hyatt Regency Downtown, Mineral Hall B, Level 3
  Hosted by Julie Libarkin and Heather Petcovic, Sponsored by GSA Geoscience Education Division
  Research in geoscience education and related fields has expanded rapidly in recent years, bringing with it a flood of new ideas, approaches, and expectations. Tenure-track positions in geoscience education have opened up in geoscience departments across the country, suggesting that this domain is gaining a foothold as a new sub-discipline of geoscience. While the geoscience education community has been very active at GSA for decades, geoscience education research itself is a relatively new endeavor. This event will help build community by: a) introducing researchers and students to one another; b) providing a forum for exchange of ideas and techniques; c) generating cross-institutional conversations; and d) identifying potential focus areas for the community. One immediate outcome of the event will be an email email list, similar to the ones in physics education, where researchers can post questions and exchange ideas.
  

Pardee Keynote Symposia:

P1. Creating Citizen Scientists: Needs and Opportunities to Engage Students and the Public in the Process of Science. The goal of this session is to highlight techniques that allow students and the general public greater access to the process of science, increasing their understanding of socioscientific issues, ideally leading to their participation in society as citizen scientists (presentations by invitation only).

Show presentations included:

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Topical Sessions:

• T62. Teaching Sedimentary Geology in the Twenty-First Century. This session encourages abstracts that showcase effective methods of teaching sedimentary geology in the classroom, laboratory, and field. This session will also present outcomes from the 2006 workshop "Teaching Sedimentary Geology in the Twenty-First Century." Oral session.
• T67. Understanding Mineral Resources: Educating the Public for Sustainable Mineral Resource Development. The session explores how minerals development is portrayed in public education and the media. It explores ways for professional geologists and educators to work together to define realistic options for sustainable and environmentally sound mining in today's global economy. Oral session.
• T128. Charting the Future of Geological and Environmental Science Undergraduate Programs. Talks will discuss the steps undergraduate geoscience programs are taking to define key variables, make pivotal decisions, and construct models for charting future successful paths for two- and four-year degree programs in an evolving academic world. Oral session.
• T129. Teaching Climate Change and Energy Issues in the Classroom: An Imperative for Educated Citizens and Geoscientists. Presentations will provide geoscience educators essential knowledge and methodologies for effectively communicating salient conclusions and predictions of climate change science and energy policy analysis in the classroom and the public arena. Oral session.
• T135. Early Undergraduate Research Experiences. Research experiences in the first two years of college provide students skill sets needed to succeed in upper-level research. This session highlights classroom to independent research projects in community colleges to research institutions. Poster session.
• T136. Involving Students with Little Science Background in Authentic Research: Challenges and Victories. In this session, two- and four-year college educators will share ideas for fostering research done by introductory students. The small-group and panel discussion format will help participants explore the topic. Oral session.
• T138. Learning in the Field: Effective Strategies for Teaching Undergraduate Geology Outside the Classroom. Presentations are encouraged that explore approaches to teaching geology through field-based learning. Of particular interest are local projects linked to primary course objectives, sequences of projects with a common focus, and stand-alone thematic excursions. Oral session.
• T139. The Future of Geoscience Field Courses. This session will focus on future directions of geoscience field camps. Principal themes will include traditional goals of teaching field geology and mapping, recent technological advances, and modern topics like geomorphology, geophysics, and environmental assessment. Oral session.
• T143. Geoscience and the Community: An Exploration of Ways to Become Involved. The geoscience perspective is often overlooked to the detriment of society. This session will present various ways geoscientists can promote our perspective through participation in the community and government with an emphasis on being proactive. Oral session.

Please visit http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2007/ for more information concerning these sessions and for general information about the GSA Annual meeting. The abstract submission deadline is July 10th, 2007.

Organizational Business

• Executive Committee Meeting (Executive Committee) - Saturday (10/27/07), 8:30-9:30 AM, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 3
• Executive Committee & Council Meeting (Executive Committee, Council, and Section Reps) - Saturday (10/27/07), 9:45 AM - 12:30PM, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 3
• Executive Committee Meeting (Executive Committee & Council) Saturday (10/27/07), 1:30-4:30PM, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 3
• Executive Committee Meeting (Executive Committee) - Sunday (10/28/07), 9:00-11:00AM, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 3
• NAGT Past Presidents' Breakfast (Past, present & future Presidents, Executive Directors, Editors & Treasurers) Monday (10/29/07), 7:15-9:00AM, Hyatt Regency, Granite B
• GSA Geoscience Education Division: General Business (All invited) Monday (10/29/07), 4:00-6:00PM