ED22A-01
International Polar Year 2007-8: a Global Collaboration Between Scientists and the Community
The International Polar Year 2007-8 is a large international and interdisciplinary coordinated research effort focussed on the polar regions. An estimated 50,000 participants from over 60 countries are involved in research as diverse as human health, remote sensing, ecology, biodiversity, astronomy, reindeer herding, economics, climate modeling, and history. All participants have made a commitment to Education and Outreach. A big-picture view of IPY Education and Outreach activities will be presented including activities on a regional, national, and international level, programmes developed by individual research projects, community activities, and the development of polar networks, such as teachers, artists and young scientists, catalysed by IPY. http://www.ipy.org/
ED22A-02
Antarctic Sediment and Rock Cores: Decoding the Geologic History of Antarctica
Sediment and rock cores are like a history book waiting to be read, and ANDRILL (ANtarctic geologic DRILLing) scientists have developed techniques for decoding the messages locked in the stratigraphic record. Educators accompany the multinational, interdisciplinary science team to Antarctica through their participation in a program known as ARISE (ANDRILL Research Immersion for Science Educators). Capitalizing on the excitement and interest surrounding polar research during the IPY (International Polar Year), the ARISE team collaborates with scientists to develop activities and lessons to transfer the technology of sediment and rock core drilling, and the science involved in decoding the information about past climates stored within them, to non-technical audiences. This talk will present information about a successful model of education and outreach that includes examples of geoscience activities developed for grades 5-12, and discuss methods of teacher training through immersion in scientific research. http://www.andrill.org
ED22A-03
The ANDRILL ARISE Educational Outreach Program: Educators Immersed in Science Research in Antarctica
This presentation is intended to highlight the educational outreach activities of the ANDRILL Research Immersion for Science Educators (ARISE) Program. ARISE is a critical component for dissemination of information on the ANDRILL Program, the scientific process, on-going Antarctic research, geoscience content, and educational materials which help teachers, students, informal education, and the general public focus on the International Polar Year. Six science educators representing the four countries (the United States, New Zealand, Italy, and Germany) participating in the ANDRILL McMurdo Sound Project, were involved in ARISE during the 2006-2007 Antarctic field season. Working alongside scientists in Crary Lab at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, they participated in the research and shared their experiences with a range of audiences across the globe. That sharing is far from over! Each ARISE educator has developed a comprehensive outreach plan to bring curriculum materials, educational presentations/programs, and the International Polar Year to people around the world. From a science and communication outreach perspective, ANDRILL'S ARISE program has been one of the key efforts during IPY to highlight and share the work of scientists in action. This includes professional development of educators and outreach to a broader educational community as a fundamental goal of ANDRILL. Positive outcomes from this integration extend far beyond the field season.
ED22A-04
Making Broader Impacts Through Scientist-Educator Partnerships: Observations from ANDRILL's Research Immersion for Science Educators Program
ANDRILL, the Antarctic geology Drilling project, sponsors an intense Scientist-Educator partnership opportunity: as participants, educators spend two months working with scientists, technicians, and drillers in Antarctica. The program is ANDRILL's Research Immersion for Science Educators Program (ARISE). During the austral summer of 2006, six ARISE participants from four countries worked as part of ANDRILL's McMurdo Ice Shelf project team. During that season, drillers recovered over 1200 m of rock core from beneath 85 m of ice and 850 m of sea water. Scientists, technicians, and educators worked together to process and interpret the core. The intensity, duration, and relative isolation of working in Antarctica fueled learning and inspired new teaching activities. Eight new ARISE participants are working on ANDRILL's Southern McMurdo Sound project in 2007. Building on these Scientist-Educator partnerships, ANDRILL is compiling a collection of educational materials and outreach capabilities that are broadening the impacts of Antarctic geoscience research across diverse communities. Past and current ARISE participants represent a range of grade levels and educational situations; each person makes outreach efforts in their own community, and shares their efforts among the group of educators. The results are reaching students, youth in informal science education venues, science educators, and the public, in the United States and around the world. This presentation will highlight outreach efforts and educational materials produced by ANDRILL staff and ARISE participants, and offer a list of best practices for maximizing impact from Scientist-Educator partnerships. http://www.andrill.org
ED22A-05
Education Partnerships: Museums as Mediators Between Science, Educators and the General Public
The Exploratorium, a museum of science, art and human perception in San Francisco, has been partnering with polar scientists to bring their work to the general public, students and teachers before and during the International Polar Year, 2007-9. Last year, Exploratorium producers connected with scientists on the ANDRILL sediment coring project out of McMurdo, Antarctica in a series of live programs and web postings that were broadcast on the museum floor and on the Internet. This work builds on an NSF-funded project in 2001 that brought four museum educators to Antarctica on a six-week Web expedition and will continue over the next two field seasons in Antarctica and the Arctic field season in summer 2008. Over the next 18 months, the Exploratorium's "Ice Stories" will partner museum media and web producers with polar scientists working in the field to bring their research to the Internet and museum audience via live Webcasts, video clips, blogs, podcasts, and other media platforms. The museum will curate polar field reports from scientists and educators into a continuously updated Web portal on the Exploratorium's award-winning Website and highlight the ongoing research in museum programming, floor demonstrations, and exhibits. There is excellent potential for these partnerships between formal and informal science to be expanded by creating additional links with formal educators in classroom and out-of-classroom settings. http://www.exploratorium.edu/poles
ED22A-06
Teachers, Researchers, and Students Collaborating in Arctic Climate Change Research: The Partnership Between the Svalbard REU and ARCUS PolarTREC programs
Since 2004, the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) "TREC" program (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating, now "PolarTREC") has sent four K-12 teachers to Svalbard, Norway to work alongside researchers and undergraduate students conducting climate change research as part of the Svalbard Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program. The benefits of this scientist/educator/student partnership are many. Researchers benefit from teacher participation as it increases their understanding of student learning and the roles and responsibilities of K-12 teachers. The TREC teacher contributes to the research by making observations, analyzing data, and carrying heavy loads of equipment. In collaborating with K- 12 teachers, undergraduate student participants discover the importance of teamwork in science and the need for effective communication of scientific results to a broad audience. The questions that K-12 teachers ask require the scientists and students in our program to explain their work in terms that non-specialists can understand and appreciate. The K-12 teacher provides a positive career role model and several Svalbard REU undergraduate students have pursued K-12 teaching careers after graduating. TREC teachers benefit from working alongside the researchers and by experiencing the adventures of real scientific research in a remote arctic environment. They return to their schools with a heightened status that allows them to share the excitement and importance of scientific research with their students. Together, all parties contribute to greatly enhance public outreach. With ARCUS logistical support, TREC teachers and researchers do live web conferences from the field, reaching hundreds of students and dozens of school administrators and even local politicians. Teachers maintain web journals, describing the daily activities and progress of the researcher team. Online readers from around the world write in to ask questions, which the TREC teacher answers after consulting the research team. TREC teachers have developed and distributed teaching modules using real questions and data from the research program. Our collaboration is successful in part because the teachers are well prepared by ARCUS in advance of the field experience and the Svalbard REU leaders treat the TREC teacher as a senior member of the research team. Reliable telephone and internet communication from the field site is also important because it greatly facilitates the daily outreach. Our success is measured by the hundreds of K-12 students exposed to arctic climate change research (some of which are now going to college to pursue geoscience studies!) and the mutual desire for continued collaboration between the Svalbard REU Program and the ARCUS PolarTREC Program. http://www.polartrec.com/
ED22A-07
Connections in the Field and Beyond: A Case Study of Successful Teacher Research Experiences at the Poles
Successful and lasting partnerships between scientists and teachers can be established through Teacher Research Experiences (TRE). The documented benefits of the TRE include increased teacher retention in addition to renewed instructional practices in veteran teachers. The reality and excitement of field science is very difficult to convey to students if the teacher has never personally experienced it, and a TRE can transfer this interest into the classroom. With the field research experience as the centerpiece of the TRE relationship, much should be done before, during, and after the TRE to ensure a positive and lasting connection that meets the needs of both the teacher and researcher. This presentation focuses, from a teacher's first-hand perspective, on the critical issues that scientists must consider to ensure successful collaborations with teachers in the field. I have participated in two TRE's and have learned a great deal from both. In 2001, through the National Science Foundation sponsored program Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) I was able to participate in biochemical oceanographic science on-board the Icebreaker Oden in the Arctic Ocean. In 2005, I did biogeochemical research at Pony Lake/McMurdo Station in Antarctica as a participant in Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating (TREC), a program of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS). On both research experiences, I was a working member of the science team. I was responsible for numerous teaching and outreach activities including: uploading daily journals and photos to a website, answering email from students and the public, and managing live communications with schools. Both research experiences were very successful and have resulted in lasting relationships with scientists and other teachers interested in polar science. My participation in these experiences also influenced my teaching by increasing student enthusiasm in the classroom and expanding my curriculum. It has also resulted in numerous public and school presentations. Based on these researcher experiences, I have found that are several key factors for a research experience to be successful. (1) Teachers must be prepared, open, and ready to accept a new and challenging role. (2) Teacher expectations need to be based on reality. If a teacher's expectations are different than the reality, the teacher may not be prepared to deal with a completely different set of circumstances on a daily basis. (3) Teachers should be well versed in the necessary technology skills needed for the field before deployment. This includes understanding how to operate scientific instruments as well as the technology used to convey the experience to the public. (4) Teachers need to be integrated into the science team. Assessment of his or her strengths should be done before the beginning of the actual field experience so that potential problems can be discussed and averted. Teachers also need a carefully developed schedule, however, allowing them to work with the team as well as work on their educational and outreach duties. The TRE can be a rewarding experience for both scientist and teacher, but both must be willing to work to ensure the evolution of a beneficial relationship that has impacts well beyond the field. Expectations and realities need to be discussed throughout the research experience or the experience may be a disappointment for one or both parties and the opportunity for ongoing collaboration may be impeded. Through successful TRE's and effective teacher researcher relationships, we will continue to improve science content for the present and generations of students and teachers to come. http://www.polartrec.com
ED22A-08
Postcards from the Field: Using the Web to Bring Near-Real Time Field Work to the Public
Field work is one of the aspects of a career in the geosciences that can make it so attractive to students and the public. The chance to go to exciting places, and to see amazing things, while making new discoveries is almost too good to be true. The "Postcards from the Field" capability, developed and implemented in the Windows to the Universe website project in 2006, is now providing a new ability to bring this excitement to a large and global audience online. Windows to the Universe is an extremely popular interdisciplinary Earth and space science educational website, with over 20 million visitors per year, including a large following of students and educators. The website is composed of over 7000 interlinked web pages spanning the geosciences, at three levels of sophistication, in English and Spanish. Our Postcards from the Field capability, which was originally developed in support of a major field campaign in Mexico City in 2006 (the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations campaign - MILAGRO), has now been generalized to support submissions from researchers engaged in multiple field campaigns. To date, in addition to postcards submitted during the MILAGRO campaign, we have hosted postcards from researchers and educators studying the life cycle of Adelie penguins in the Antarctic, the East Pacific Rise as a component of the RIDGE2000 program, and storm formation in Europe as a component of the Convective and Orographically- induced Precipitation Study (COPS). We are now expanding our postcard lines to include submissions from researchers engaged in the IPY and educators engaged with the ANDRILL (ANtarctic Geologic DRILLing) Research Immersion for Science Educators program. This presentation will present this new capability, its ease of use, and our vision for how it can be used to bring the excitement of field research to the public, students, and educators online. http://www.windows.ucar.edu