HR: 08:15h
AN: U11C-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: The Role of the National Science Foundation: Providing Opporunities to Enhance Geoscience Education
AU: * Leinen, M
EM: mleinen@nsf.gov
AF: National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22230 United States
AB: Over the past two or three decades several trends have led to a decrease in the availability of courses in Earth and space sciences at the secondary and undergraduate levels. This is particularly frustrating given the continued need for well-trained Earth and space scientists, the need for greater sophistication in scientific training of our community and the lack of diversity of our scientific community. The National Science Foundation has responded to this challenge in several ways. At the most general level, the second criterion for evaluation of proposals requires the identification of the broader impact of the research. Many scientists choose to address this criterion by creative efforts to integrate research and education. These efforts are already resulting in substantially more focus on educational and diversity issues. At a more specific level, the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation has increased our funding for the education and diversity efforts of the earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences communities. In each of the three divisions of Geosciences - Earth Sciences, Ocean Sciences and Atmospheric Sciences - there are special programs for funding educational efforts. In addition, programs in Geoscience Education and in Opportunities to Enhance the Diversity of the Geosciences, provide funding opportunities for geoscientists of all disciplines to propose innovative ways to meet the challenge of training a new generation of geoscientists.
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
SC: Union [U]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005