HR: 16:45h
AN: ED24A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Geoscience Education and Public Outreach AND CRITERION 2: MAKING A BROADER IMPACT
AU: * Marlino, M
EM: marlino@ucar.edu
AF: Digital Library for Earth System Education, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AU: Scotchmoor, J G
EM: jscotch@berkeley.edu
AF: UC Museum of Paleontology, 1101 VLSB #4780, Berkeley, CA 94720-4780 United States
AB: The geosciences influence our daily lives and yet often go unnoticed by the general public. From the moment we listen to the weather report and fill-up our cars for the daily commute, until we return to our homes constructed from natural resources, we rely on years of scientific research. The challenge facing the geosciences is to make explicit to the public not only the criticality of the research whose benefits they enjoy, but also to actively engage them as partners in the research effort, by providing them with sufficient understanding of the scientific enterprise so that they become thoughtful and proactive when making decisions in the polling booth. Today, there is broad recognition within the science and policy community that communication needs to be more effective, more visible, and that the public communication of the scientific enterprise is critical not only to its taxpayer support, but also to maintenance of a skilled workforce and the standard of living expected by many Americans. In 1997, the National Science Board took the first critical step in creating a cultural change in the scientific community by requiring explicit consideration of the broader impacts of research in every research proposal. The so-called Criterion 2 has catalyzed a dramatic shift in expectations within the geoscience community and an incentive for finding ways to encourage the science research community to select education and public outreach as a venue for responding to Criterion 2. In response, a workshop organized by the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) was held on the Berkeley campus May 11-13, 2005. The Geoscience EPO Workshop purposefully narrowed its focus to that of education and public outreach. This workshop was based on the premise that there are proven models and best practices for effective outreach strategies that need to be identified and shared with research scientists. Workshop participants delineated a series of recommendations that would facilitate clarity with respect to Criterion 1, recognition and reward for involvement in EPO activities, and methods for documenting and disseminating institutional models. There was a clear focus on the need for cultural change at many levels -- a change that genuinely motivates and rewards research and education communities to work together. Such collaboration would contribute to a greater appreciation of the scientific enterprise, a broader understanding of the scientific process, and increased scientific understanding at all learning levels.
UR: http://www.dpc.ucar.edu/projects/geosciOutreach/index.html
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
DE: 6699 General or miscellaneous
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005