ED31A-0079
Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT) Improves Students' Performance in Classes - My adaptation of JiTT in 4 Geography Courses
By constructing "treatment" and "control" groups from existing grade rolls of courses taught with Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) method and traditional lecturing in recent years, this study demonstrates that JiTT improves student performance in class. First, two groups of students were selected from each of the 4 different courses taught with JiTT such that the "treatment" group regularly completed warm-up exercises and "control" group did not, but both groups had similar 1st exam scores. Statistical t-tests show that the "treatment" group had significantly higher overall course grade (by one letter grade on average) than the "control" group. Second, statistical t-test also indicates that students' relative improvement between the last and the first exams in a general education course using JiTT method is significantly higher than that of the same course using traditional lecturing prior to using JiTT. In addition, qualitative surveys of students demonstrate that the majority of the students thought that doing Warm-Up exercises helped their learning, because Warm-Ups got them thinking about the material before going into lecture and thus made them more aware of and keen to the topics that would be discussed. These consistent results in different courses suggest that JiTT does help improve students' performance.
ED31A-0080
Comparing the Grand Canyon of the East to the Western one
The Grand Canyon of the West (GCW) is an internationally well-known geological world wonder of the South Western United States' Colorado Plateau. The Grand Canyon of the East is a similarly beautiful, less well-known, smaller canyon in the Devonian/Silurian sedimentary rocks of the western part of New York State in the Eastern United States. For the purpose of creating a comparative database to be used in the field, classroom and public education settings, features of New York's canyon, better known as Letchworth State Park (LSP) to Arizona's canyon, were collected, obtained, and recorded. We compared various numbers on rock formations, ages of the units, stream volume, and depth and age of canyon formation, erosion processes and other interesting geological features between the two canyons. The sedimentary rocks of both canyons tell the story of the conditions under which the rocks were laid onto the Earth's surface at the time. This study includes an evaluation of how the two canyons have formed including features we see in the strata. Literature research revealed that LSP is on the order of 10 times smaller than the Grand Canyon in various aspects. Genesee river is up to only 4 m deep while the Colorado River reaches depths of up to 30 m. The Genesee extends 25.3 km within its canyon, paling at the majestic 445.79km of the Colorado within its canyon. The depths of the two canyons also show how small LSP is in comparison to the GCW Letchworth canyon's depth is 0.17 km while GCW is 1.61 km. The width of LSP's canyon is 0.1 km while the Grand Canyons' is 28.97 km at their widest locations. Fieldwork in both canyons allowed for some comparison of the natural waterfall features within the canyons. With help from a laser range finder measurements were taken from the most prominent waterfalls of LSP and the Havasu creek. Rock formations were compared. While the periods of Precambrian to the middle Permian time are found in the GCW, the Silurian/Devonian formations are missing at the GCW. On the other hand, during this period of time, a warm shallow sea was present in WNY, as its shoreline transgressed and regressed over the land, it deposited the Silurian/Devonian rocks we see today. This study contains helpful information about geology, past life, and past environments of the two areas. LSP is often used as a field trip location of Western New York's geology educators having in mind similarities to the much further away Grand Canyon. However, even though it's nickname suggest a promising comparison, LSP turns out to be a beautiful yet tiny baby brother of the Grand Canyon of the West, both in size and age.
ED31A-0081
Modern Earthquake Hazard Assessments in Afghanistan: A USGS Training Course
Afghanistan is located in a tectonically active region at the western extent of the Indo-Asian collision zone, where ongoing deformation has generated rugged mountainous terrain, and where large earthquakes occur frequently. These earthquakes can cause damage, not only from strong ground shaking and surface rupture, but also from liquefaction and extensive landsliding. The M=6.1 earthquake of March 25, 2002 highlighted the vulnerability of Afghan communities to such hazards, and resulted in at least 1000 fatalities. This training course in modern earthquake hazard assessments is an integral part of the international effort to provide technical assistance to Afghanistan using an "end-to-end" approach. This approach involves providing assistance in all stages of hazard assessment, from identifying earthquakes, to disseminating information on mitigation strategies to the public. The purpose of this training course, held December 2-6, 2006 at the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul, was to provide a solid background in the relevant seismological and geological methods for preparing for future earthquakes. With this information, participants may now be expected to educate other members of the Afghan community. In addition, they are better prepared to conduct earthquake hazard assessments and to build the capabilities of the Afghan Geological Survey. The training course was taught using a series of Power Point lectures, with all lectures being presented in English and translated into Dari, one of the two main languages of Afghanistan. The majority of lecture slides were also annotated in both English and Dari. Lectures were provided to the students in both hardcopy and digital formats. As part of the on-going USGS participation in the program, additional training sessions are planned in the subjects of field geology, modern concepts in Earth science, mineral resource assessments and applied geophysics.
ED31A-0082
Russian-American Experience in Science Education and Volcanological Research
After five years experience in bringing American students to meet and learn with Russian students in Kamchatka and bringing Russian students to meet and learn with American students in Alaska, it is possible to make some generalizations about the problems and benefits this growing program. Some 200 students, including many from other countries besides the United States and Russian Federation, have now had this experience. The context of their collaboration is the International Volcanological Field School, sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kamchatka State University, and the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and also a comparison of Mount St Helens, Bezymianny, and Shiveluch volcanoes under the National Science Foundation's Partnerships in International Research in Education, with important support from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Far East Division. Elements of these two projects are adaptation to unfamiliar, harsh, and remote environments; intensive courses in Russian language, history, geography, and culture; and sharing of research and education experiences among students. The challenges faced by the program are: · Slow and complex visa processes. · Demise of a direct airline connection, necessitating round-the-world travel to go 3000 km. · Adequately communicating to students beforehand the need for physical fitness, mental fortitude in uncomfortable conditions, and patience when bad weather limits mobility. Benefits of the projects have been: · Experiences that students report to be career- and life-changing. · Much more positive perceptions of Russia and Russian people by American students and of America and Americans by Russian students. · Introduction to the "expedition style" volcanology necessary in challenging environments. · Development of long-lasting collaborations and friendships in the context of international science. Students often comment that hearing about what their peers have done or are doing in research at their home institutions was a high point of the experience. We believe that these kinds of experiences for students are essential if high-latitude volcanology is to continue, and that they also contribute to good will and understanding between our respective countries.
ED31A-0083
The Plate Boundary Observatory Student Field Assistant Program in Southern California
Each summer, UNAVCO hires students as part of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Student Field Assistant Program. PBO, the geodetic component of the NSF-funded EarthScope project, involves the reconnaissance, permitting, installation, documentation, and maintenance of 880 permanent GPS stations in five years. During the summer 2007, nine students from around the US and Puerto Rico were hired to assist PBO engineers during the busy summer field season. From June to September, students worked closely with PBO field engineers to install and maintain permanent GPS stations in all regions of PBO, including Alaska. The PBO Student Field Assistant Program provides students with professional hands-on field experience as well as continuing education in the geosciences. It also gives students a glimpse into the increasing technologies available to the science community, the scope of geophysical research utilizing these technologies, and the field techniques necessary to complete this research. Students in the PBO Field Assistant Program are involved in all aspects of GPS support, including in-warehouse preparation and in-field installations and maintenance. Students are taught practical skills such as drilling, wiring, welding, hardware configuration, documentation, and proper field safety procedures needed to construct permanent GPS stations. These real world experiences provide the students with technical and professional skills that are not always available to them in a classroom, and will benefit them greatly in their future studies and careers. The 2007 summer field season in Southern California consisted of over 35 GPS permanent station installations. To date, the Southern California region of PBO has installed over 190 GPS stations. This poster presentation will highlight the experiences gained by the Southern California student field assistants, while supporting PBO- Southern California GPS installations in the Mohave Desert and the Inyo National Forest. http://www.unavco.org
ED31A-0084
UNAVCO Plate Boundary Observatory 2007 Student Field Assistant Program in the Alaska Region
The UNAVCO, Inc. Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Student Field Assistant Program strives to engage students in further study and careers in the Earth Sciences. Student Field Assistants from a variety of educational backgrounds ranging from high school graduates to master's level students spend a three to five month field season working in tandem with UNAVCO regional Field Engineers. The students work closely with senior staff to reconnaissance, install, and maintain a network of 875 permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) stations in one of the five PBO regions covering the western United States, including Alaska. Practical skills, such as power tool use, drilling, welding, firearms training, and proper field safety procedures, are taught and expected of the students. Installation and maintenance of new and existing GPS stations composes the bulk of the student's responsibilities and duties. When not in the field, students prepare gear and arrange logistics for site installations and maintenance as well as enter metadata and complete installation reports from recently constructed sites. An understanding of the operations of the GPS receivers and the scientific benefit of the network allows for an appreciation and great attention to detail during installation of the sites. Student assistance in the Alaska region during 2007 PBO AK field season was critical to the successful installation of 36 new GPS stations throughout Alaska. Significant benchmarks of the field season included installing six logistically difficult stations in Prince William Sounds, completing the Denali Fault GPS network, four new tiltmeters on Akutan Volcano, completing all installs on the Seward Peninsula as well as several new GPS stations throughout the western interior of the state. Alaska is a prominent area for much movement and deformation as the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate resulting in an area of high volcanic activity and heightened crustal deformation. The GPS network that is being constructed aims to better understand much of these earth processes and their effects. To date, the Alaska Region has recently completed its 4th field season and has installed 106 out of a planned 140 stations. During Year 5 of the PBO project, the Alaska PBO regional office will complete the installation of all remaining 34 planned GPS stations including 12 stations on Unimak Island. The 2008 field season will be the last year in the installation phase and will incorporate maintenance of some of the first GPS stations installed in the network during the first and second years of the five year project. http://pbo.unavco.org/
ED31A-0085
Bringing Geology to a Community: The Benefits of USing Interpretive Signs in a Self-Guided Tour
Geology is often missing in education settings. However, this science is key to understanding natural history and ecology. Without some knowledge of geologic processes, it is extremely difficult to comprehend how ecosystems work or how fragile an environment can be. To fully grasp these concepts, an interested person needs more than abstract concepts and self-contained examples. He or she needs to be exposed to the use of a domain's conceptual tools in authentic activity. Likewise, to understand natural processes, it is absolutely imperative to observe them in action. It is difficult to understand coastal processes, such as waves interacting with a beach, by reading a book. It is much easier to understand these concepts by learning about them and interacting with them simultaneously. Through an NSF-funded fellowship on informal education, the author has developed a self-guided walking tour that is designed to introduce geologic processes to school groups, families, and individuals. The guide, which is based at Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz, CA, a popular destination for both locals and visitors, uses inquiry and directed questioning. The beach boasts excellent examples of coastal processes and has an exciting and dynamic history. Pilot observations indicate that participants have had rewarding experiences using the guide, that they are excited to share their new knowledge, and that they have successfully been able to apply what they have learned about coastal processes at Seabright to other beaches. http://www.pmc.ucsc.edu/~bcrowley/Seabright.html
ED31A-0086
Learning about the dynamic Sun through sounds
Can we hear the Sun or its solar wind? Not in the sense that they make sound. But we can take the particle, magnetic field, electric field, and image data and turn it into sound to demonstrate what the data tells us. We will present work on turning data from the two-satellite NASA mission called STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) into sounds and music (sonification). STEREO has two satellites orbiting the Sun near Earth's orbit to study the dynamic eruptions of mass from the outermost atmosphere of the Sun, the Corona. These eruptions are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). One sonification project aims to inspire musicians, museum patrons, and the public to learn more about CMEs by downloading STEREO data and using it in the software to make music. We will demonstrate the software and discuss the way in which it was developed. A second project aims to produce a museum exhibit using STEREO imagery and sounds from STEREO data. We will discuss a "walk across the Sun" created for this exhibit so people can hear the features on solar images. For example, we will show how pixel intensity translates into pitches from selectable scales with selectable musical scale size and octave locations. We will also share our successes and lessons learned. These two projects stem from the STEREO-IMPACT (In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients) E/PO program and a grant from the IDEAS (The Initiative to Develop Education through Astronomy and Space Science (IDEAS) Grant Program. http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/impact
ED31A-0087
Colorado Lights: Exploring the Sun-Earth Connection through Art and Writing
Over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that science can be an important way to excite children about reading, writing and the arts. The natural beauty that science represents inspires students to both think about the world around them and strive to find the words and images that communicate their excitement. Colorado Lights is a new program that provides a set of five activities for students in Grades 3 through 5 to explore the beauty, science and mythology of the aurora creatively through art and writing. This standards-based, flexible ‘plug-and-play' program is based on the latest research on bringing science into the literacy and art classroom. It can be used as a complete sequence of lessons or can be used as guidelines for teachers to develop their own activities. http://lasp.colorado.edu/education
ED31A-0088
Fabrication Techniques for In-Class Demonstrations
Over the past two years our group has fabricated over fourteen hands-on, in-class demonstrations (ICD's). These ICD's have been used in classes ranging from introductory geology, seismology, and oceanography to senior level geophysics. Almost all of these ICD's require the same basic design and fabrication sequence. Here, I will discuss this sequence in detail, providing various tips and techniques used during the fabrication process. In addition, I will have a number of our demonstrations on hand at my AGU presentation, including the oscillation-induced liquefaction demonstration, the magnetic globe, and the rebounding strike-slip fault.
ED31A-0089
The Use of Color as a Third Dimension on Maps
As experts, we are trained to understand color schemes used in visualizations in our respective scientific fields. As experts we also forget how complicated graphics can be when viewed for the first time. Previous studies have shown that three-dimensional diagrams can produce a cognitive overload when rendered on a two-dimensional surface, so the same might apply to graphics that use color as a third dimension. This study was conducted to investigate the use of color as a third dimension. We looked at the use of color as a scale height on a basic topographic map, as well as the use of color as temperature. Fifty-four undergraduates from two different physics courses and REU programs during the spring and summer semesters in 2007 were given surveys regarding the use of color. Of these 54 students, eight students were chosen to participate in interviews designed to investigate, in more detail, the responses provided by the students in the hopes to discover where confusions occur. It was found that students have an embedded color scheme for temperatures of red representing hot and blue representing cold as a product of societal influences, which was expected, but there was no embedded color scheme when color was applied to height. We found that students did not have a preference when viewing a topographic map with different color schemes, but did prefer the color scheme of the figure that they viewed first. We observed that the students did have an embedded notion of what the topographic figure was representing, and tried to fit the color scheme shown to match their idea. During the interviews we also found that even the slightest deviations from a specific color scheme gives rise to confusion. These results, therefore, show the importance of detail consistency when using visualizations in a lecture where the population is composed of novices.
ED31A-0090
The dry-erase cube: an educational tool in structural geology for making three-dimensional visualization easy
Many students are challenged by the three-dimensional problems they have to solve in geoscience courses such as structural geology and geological mapping. A simple cube constructed from white dry- (or wet-) erase material provides a solution to these problems. Maps, cross sections and block diagrams can be drawn and seen in three dimensions, before the students construct the two-dimensional projections. An individual dry-erase cube can be used as a three-dimensional model for a block diagram. One concept that appears to confuse students is that of apparent dips, which are essential in the construction of cross sections and block diagrams. Plotting these angles on block diagrams is especially difficult, because angles in block diagrams are distorted by their projections. The dry-erase cube provides an intermediate step. Students can first draw the actual apparent dip on the cube and subsequently think about how to construct the same angle on the projection of the block on paper. This can be made especially easy if the edges of the cube have the same length as the edges of an isometric block diagram on paper, so that the edges of the cube can simply be lined up with the edges of the block diagram. Multiple dry-erase cubes can serve as a three-dimensional model for showing the relationship between maps and their associated cross sections. Furthermore, multiple levels of maps, and parallel and perpendicular cross sections can be constructed. The cubes are also an aid in the understanding of stereographic projections, because structural data can be made visible as real planes and lines before they are plotted. Besides application in geoscience courses, the dry-erase cubes would also be a useful tool for anyone teaching or dealing with geometries and block diagrams, e.g. engineering and math departments, engineering companies, the petroleum industry, mining companies, hydrologists and K-12 teachers.
ED31A-0091
Classroom multispectral imaging using inexpensive digital cameras.
The proliferation of increasingly cheap digital cameras in recent years means that it has become easier to exploit the broad wavelength sensitivity of their CCDs (360 – 1100 nm) for classroom-based teaching. With the right tools, it is possible to open children's eyes to the invisible world of UVA and near-IR radiation either side of our narrow visual band. The camera-filter combinations I describe can be used to explore the world of animal vision, looking for invisible markings on flowers, or in bird plumage, for example. In combination with a basic spectroscope (such as the Project-STAR handheld plastic spectrometer, $25), it is possible to investigate the range of human vision and camera sensitivity, and to explore the atomic and molecular absorption lines from the solar and terrestrial atmospheres. My principal use of the cameras has been to teach multispectral imaging of the kind used to determine remotely the composition of planetary surfaces. A range of camera options, from $50 circuit-board mounted CCDs up to $900 semi-pro infrared camera kits (including mobile phones along the way), and various UV-vis-IR filter options will be presented. Examples of multispectral images taken with these systems are used to illustrate the range of classroom topics that can be covered. Particular attention is given to learning about spectral reflectance curves and comparing images from Earth and Mars taken using the same filter combination that it used on the Mars Rovers.
ED31A-0092
Storms in Space: Bringing NASA Earth-Sun Science Educational Resources to Hearing- Impaired Students.
Using assistive technology, children with hearing loss can actively participate in the hearing world. However, to develop the necessary skills, hearing-impaired students need to be immersed in a language-rich environment which compensates for the lack of "incidental" learning that typifies the language acquisition of their peers with typical hearing. For any subject matter taught in class, this means that the conceptual and language framework of the topic has to be provided in addition to regular class materials. In a collaboration between the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children and the Southwest Research Institute, we are exploring how NASA-developed educational resources covering Space Science topics can be incorporated successfully in blended classrooms containing children with hearing loss and those with typical hearing in grades 3-5. Utilizing the extensive routine language monitoring performed at Sunshine Cottage, student progress is directly monitored during the year as well as from year to year. This allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of the resources used. Since all instruction at Sunshine Cottage is auditory-oral, our experiences in using those materials can be fed back directly into mainstream classrooms of the same grade levels.
ED31A-0093
An Implementing Strategy for Improving Wildland Fire Environmental Literacy
Wildland fire is any planned or unplanned fire which occurs in wildland ecosystems. Wildland fires affect millions of acres annually in the U.S. An average of 5.4 million acres a year were burned in the U.S. between 1995 and 2004, approximately 142 percent of the average burned area between 1984 and 1994. In 2005 alone, Federal agencies spent nearly $1 billion on fire suppression and state and local agencies contributed millions more. Many Americans prefer to live and vacation in relatively remote surroundings, (i.e., woods and rangelands). These choices offer many benefits, but they also present significant risks. Most of North America is fire-prone and every day developed areas and home sites are extending further into natural wildlands, which increases the chances of catastrophic fire. In addition, an abundance of accumulated biomass in forests and rangelands and persistent drought conditions are contributing to larger, costlier wildland fires. To effectively prevent, manage, suppress, respond to, and recover from wildland fires, fire managers, and other communities which are impacted by wildland fires (e.g., the business community; healthcare providers; federal, state, and local policymakers; the media; the public, etc.) need timely, accurate, and detailed wildland fire weather and climate information to support their decision-making activities. But what are the wildland fire weather and climate data, products, and information, as well as information dissemination technologies, needed to reach out and promote wildland fire environmental literacy in these communities? The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) conducted a comprehensive review and assessment of weather and climate needs of providers and users in their wildland fire and fuels management activities. The assessment has nine focus areas, one of which is environmental literacy (e.g., education, training, outreach, partnering, and collaboration). The OFCM model for promoting wildland fire environmental literacy, the model's component parts, as well as an implementing strategy to execute the model will be presented. That is, the presentation will lay out the framework and methodology which the OFCM used to systematically define the wildland fire weather and climate education and outreach needs through interdepartmental collaboration within the OFCM coordinating infrastructure. A key element of the methodology is to improve the overall understanding and use of wildland fire forecast and warning climate and weather products and to exploit current and emerging technologies to improve the dissemination of customer-tailored forecast and warning information and products to stakeholders and users. Thus, the framework and methodology define the method used to determine the target public, private, and academic sector audiences. The methodology also identifies the means for determining the optimal channels, formats, and content for informing end users in time for effective action to be taken.
ED31A-0094
"Primers" on Research Techniques Used in Geomicrobiology for Students and Novices from Microbial Life Educational Resources
Microbial Life Educational Resources (MLER) provides web-based resources and services that support learning about the diversity, ecology and evolution of the (geo)microbial world for students, K-12 teachers, university faculty, as well as for the general public. One of the main goals of MLER is to facilitate integration of modern research techniques and results and effective instructional practices. Two new collections of on-line resources include 1) TechniqueSheets which are 'primers' on analytical techniques commonly used in field and laboratory studies, and 2) focused case studies that demonstrate the use of these techniques in research projects supported by NSF's Microbial Observatory program. TechniqueSheets provide educators and students with essential information about common field and laboratory techniques with image-rich contemporary examples of the employment of these methods in the biogeosciences and microbial life realms. A wide variety of techniques are described including environmental sampling, biogeochemical methods, genomic methods, and microscopy. Every technique includes a general description of what the technique is and how it works, background theory, instrumentation, typical applications and limitations, sampling and sample preparation protocols, data collection, reduction, and representation; interpretations, links to the scientific literature, and collections of related teaching activities. Web-based profiles of the Microbial Observatory projects provide students with case-based learning environments that a) define the "big scientific questions," b) introduce the research teams, c) demonstrate modern research strategies and methodologies, and d) present the key scientific findings. These case studies span a variety of locations from microbial life in the extreme environments of Yellowstone National Park to the diversity of marine sponges in Florida to microbial diversity in Antarctic lakes. The goal of these websites is to help students and other novice-learners to be "critical consumers" of scientific data, to understand how the data were obtained and interpreted, to be able to ask the next important question, to be able to communicate with colleagues in related disciplines, to be able to attend a departmental seminar or read a journal article and be able to comprehend the evidence and interpretations, and ultimately, to provide the foundations that will allow students to design and implement their own research projects employing these techniques. This project was supported by NSF grants 0333402 and 0333363. http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/index.html
ED31A-0095
Calcium Oxalate Crystals as an Indicator of Plant Stress in Conifers at two elevations on Mount Moosilauke, NH
The research presented was conducted as part of Watershed Watch, a two-week hands-on summer program for undeclared entry-level undergraduates, designed to recruit and retain students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The research was conducted on needles of red spruce (Picea rubens) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) at the University of New Hampshire. The presence of calcium oxalate crystals (CaOx) in the cell walls of spruce mesophyll cells has been reported as an indicator of environmental stress. To assess this, first and third year needles of both species were collected from Mt. Moosilauke (Woodstock, NH) at two elevations (790m and 960m). Needles were analyzed using reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Estimates of chlorophyll and water were made using the Red Edge Inflection Point and the Moisture Stress Index. These were compared to SEM images of needle sections to visually correlate the amount of CaOx with the reflectance indices. Balsam fir from 790m have a higher occurrence of CaOx in their first and third year needles than from the 960m site, while spectroscopy results indicated less stress (i.e., higher chlorophyll and more water) at the lower site. This does not support a correlation between CaOx and stress factors in balsam fir. In red spruce, those needles with fewest CaOx had higher estimates of chlorophyll and water, supporting the correlation. Based on these results, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between CaOx and plant stress in different species of conifers.
ED31A-0096
Minority Retention and Success through Professional Development Initiatives"
There are several programs at the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and junior faculty levels all around the United States that are designed and implemented to improve the participation of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). One of such programs, The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science Professional Development Program (MS PHD'S PDP) is a community of talented minorities from across the Earth system science and engineering disciplines that fosters a nurturing environment for undergraduate and graduate students. Since it's inception in 2003, its mission to facilitate increased and sustained participation in the STEM fields has gained a tremendous amount of support and participation. Despite the need for more support, the program has continued to grow and aide in increasing the academic retention of minority students. Past participants of this program have successfully completed their degree programs and have obtained positions both in academia and at governmental agencies. Receiving approximately 70 applications per year, the MS PHD'S program has succeeded in providing professional development programs that have promoted a great support system through participation in distinguished conferences, constant interaction/communication with meeting mentors as well as MS PHD mentors, and a family of peers. Since formal evaluations and academic tracking are critical components to assessing the effectiveness of the MS PHD'S program, it has been revealed that by participation in the MS PHD'S PDP program minority participation and retention in the STEM fields has grown.
ED31A-0097
Broader Impact Actualized: Collaborative Efforts that Facilitate Successful Movement of Underrepresented Students Through the Pipeline
The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science Initiative \(MS PHD'S)\ was established by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained participation in Earth system science community. Based on successful experiences of students within the SOARS program, the MS PHD'S 2003 pilot project incorporated a team mentoring structure. Student interaction with multiple mentors resulted in exposure to multiple learning perspectives and increased one-on-one, mentee/mentor interaction. Since program inception, eleven \(11)\ minority Earth system scientists have served as Program mentors and eighty-two (82) minority and non-minority scientists have served as Meeting Mentors to MS PHD'S student participants A total of ninety-nine \(99)\ undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented populations have participated in the MS PHD'S program. Twenty-five undergraduate and graduate students participated in the MS PHD'S pilot program in 2003 as Cohort I. During FY 04-05, Cohort II consisted of twenty-seven students and twenty-three students formed Cohort III. FY 06-07, twenty-four (24) students formed Cohort IV. Of the ninety-nine \(99)\ student participants, fifty-four \(54)\ MS PHD'S student participants self-identified as African American, twenty-seven \(27)\ as Puerto Rican, six \(6)\ as Hispanic/Mexican American, eight \(8)\ as Native American and one \(1)\ each as African, Asian, Pacific Islander and Multi-Ethnic. During the five \(5)\ year span of MS PHD'S programming, fourteen \(14)\ student participants completed BS degrees, ten (10) completed MS degrees and seven \(7\ completed the Doctoral degrees. How did MS PHD'S establish meaningful engagement of the science community to enhance diversity within the Earth system science community? This case study reveals replicable processes and constructs to enhance the quality of meaningful collaboration and engagement. In addition, the study addresses frequently asked questions \ (FAQ's)\ on outreach, recruitment, engagement, retention and success of students from underrepresented populations within diversity-focused programs. http://msphds.usf.edu
ED31A-0098
Reading, Writing & Rings: Science Literacy for K-4 Students
Scientific discovery is the impetus for the K-4 Education program, "Reading, Writing & Rings." This program is unique because its focus is to engage elementary students in reading and writing to strengthen these basic academic skills through scientific content. As science has been increasingly overtaken by the language arts in elementary classrooms, the Cassini Education Program has taken advantage of a new cross-disciplinary approach to use language arts as a vehicle for increasing scientific content in the classroom. By utilizing the planet Saturn and the Cassini-Huygens mission as a model in both primary reading and writing students in these grade levels, young students can explore science material while at the same time learning these basic academic skills. Content includes reading, thinking, and hands-on activities. Developed in partnership with the Cassini-Huygens Education and Public Outreach Program, the Bay Area Writing Project/California Writing Project, Foundations in Reading Through Science & Technology (FIRST), and the Caltech Pre-College Science Initiative (CAPSI), and classroom educators, "Reading, Writing & Rings" blends the excitement of space exploration with reading and writing. All materials are teacher developed, aligned with national science and language education standards, and are available from the Cassini-Huygens website: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/edu-k4.cfm Materials are divided into two grade level units. One unit is designed for students in grades 1 and 2 while the other unit focuses on students in grades 3 and 4. Each includes a series of lessons that take students on a path of exploration of Saturn using reading and writing prompts. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/edu-k4.cfm
ED31A-0099
Cassini Scientist for a Day -- Bringing the Excitement of a Real Mission into the Classroom
The Cassini Mission's "Scientist for a Day" program allows students the opportunity to be in scientists' shoes, evaluate various options and learn how to make decisions based on scientific value. Students are given three or more possible imaging targets of Saturn, its rings and its moons. They research these targets and decide which one will bring the best scientific results. They then defend their choice in a 500- word essay. The essay with the best scientific argument for a chosen target wins the contest. In this last edition, Cassini took the images on Nov. 30, 2007. A few days later, winners (and as many other students as possible) were invited to discuss the results with Cassini scientists via videoconferences. Entries were judged by a committee composed of Cassini scientists, Cassini mission planners, Cassini Outreach and JPL Education Specialists. The contest has been held on a smaller scale three times. The last edition was open to all U.S. schools. Students were divided in two groups, grades 5 to 8 and grades 9 to 12. The next edition of the contest will be held in May 2008. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/edu-scientist.cfm