ED41B-0251 0800h
The Benefits and Challenges of Education and Public Outreach Efforts Associated With Scientific Research Programs
During the past decade or so, policies of funding agencies like NSF and NASA have resulted in a dramatic increase of education and public outreach (EPO) programs embedded in scientific research environments. From this phenomenon has risen increased scientist involvement in education & public outreach and a new genre of bridge-builders and leaders in science education--professionals we might call "scientist-educators" or "educator-scientists" (i.e. those who have been building educational capacity at scientific conferences like AGU). This paper summarizes the results of a small, pilot research project begun at the AGU Fall 2003 meeting in a session entitled Benefits & Challenges of Education & Public Outreach Programs Associated with Scientific Research Programs. The author was a co-convenor of the session with David Alexander, Jim Thieman, and Frank Ireton. It was the biggest education session out of 24 approved sessions--at the time the largest number ever for an AGU meeting. Our session's invitees and contributors were scientists and educator-scientists representing multiple AGU space and Earth science disciplines, and including a mix of large, medium, and small EPO programs and projects. The session's presenters and participants were surveyed for their top three benefits and top three challenges in scientist-educator partnerships. During the past year these data have been augmented by contributions from scientists and educators in a 1-day COSEE workshop at Rutgers University and by an open discussion at the AGU Spring 2004 meeting in Montreal. The summary of these results will be a part of a larger set of papers and resources intended to support the integration of exemplary EPO programs with scientific research programs and to provide advice to the novice EPO lead.
ED41B-0252 0800h
Transformation of a Mission Scientist to an E/PO Lead
I will talk about how my career was transformed from a mission scientist to a science educator and the experiences of being an E/PO Lead for almost 5 years. The Space Science Missions I am (were) leading, CHIPS, (FAST), RHESSI, STEREO/IMPACT, (SPIDR), THEMIS and most recently selected WISE, came in all different sizes and themes and brought in their own challenges. I will address the following challenges: What lessons did I learn during these years, what were the ups and downs of the life in the Education and Outreach Field of the NASA? What was expected of me in this position, how would I meet the NASA E/PO requirements? What is my relation with the mission PIs, the science teams? How does one build an education team that is National in scope and provide the best E/PO possible for the Mission? How does one prepare to handle the uncertainty of E/PO funding? How to write two different E/PO proposals for competing missions at the same time? I will conclude with showcasing the THEMIS E/PO Plan which received favorable ratings in the Mission critical design review.
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/ncraig/
ED41B-0253 0800h
Learning with Teachers; A Scientist's Perspective
Over the past six years, as an Assistant Professor and now as an Associate Professor, I have engaged in educational outreach activities with K-12 teachers and their students. In this presentation I will talk about the successes and failures that I have had as a scientist engaged in K-12 educational outreach, including teaching the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) distance learning course, teaching inquiry-based science to pre-service teachers through the NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) program, GLOBE, school visits, and research projects with teachers and students. I will reflect on the potential impact this has had on my career, negative and positive. I will present ways that I have been able to engage in educational outreach while remaining a productive scientist, publishing research papers, etc. Obtaining grant funding to support a team of educational experts to assist me perform outreach has been critical to my groups success. However, reporting for small educational grants from state agencies can often be overwhelming. The bottom line is that I find working with teachers and students rewarding and believe that it is a critical part of me being a scientist. Through the process of working with teachers I have learned pedagogy that has helped me be a better teacher in the university classroom.
http://remotesensing.utoledo.edu/edu/Education.html
ED41B-0254 0800h
From Research Scientist to Public Outreach: A Personal Journey
Over the past six years I have made the transition from research oceanographer to an educator and public outreach specialist. The transition has been rewarding but difficult. On the way I had to learn the vocabulary and concepts of education (e.g. authentic assessment), effective web-page styles, and the difference between science and education--they are very different. I also met many enthusiastic and caring teachers who greatly eased my transition to educator. Some lessons learned. First, partner with experts. Successful outreach is a team effort. I was luck to have the opportunity to work closely with a great professor of education, Robert James, a wonderful middle-school teacher and Presidential Awardee, Margaret Hammer, and talented students, Jon Reisch and Don Johnson, from our School of Architecture Visualization Laboratory, who combined art and technology. Second, if you are a scientist, realize that scientists are too critical. We look for the one right answer, and for the flaws in data and theory. Educators look for the many ways to present ideas, all equally valid, and they value the worth of all students. So radical are the differences between the worlds of science and human affairs that their demands are sometimes in conflict. Philander: Our Affair With El Nino, p.5. Second, the web is a very efficient way of reaching many people. Thus, web skills are essential. Third, I am learning to be humble. There is much I need to learn. The skills necessary to be a successful research scientist are not sufficient for being a successful educator. Fourth, assess, assess, and assess. Don't assume that what you create serves its purpose. Get feedback from educators, students, and scientists of all levels of experience.
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/index.html
ED41B-0255 0800h
Planning a New Education and Outreach Program Based on Past Experiences
In 2004, UNAVCO, a geodetic research consortium, celebrated its 20th birthday and hired its first Education and Outreach Coordinator. UNAVCO has informally reached out to various constituents such as geodetic researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and K-12 teachers through web-based mapping tools, short courses, and one-to-one training on research equipment. A strategically planned and implemented Education and Outreach Program will, by definition, depend on the organization's leadership and on the experience of the people leading such a program. Based on 39 years of combined experience, here are some lessons-learned that will inform UNAVCO's efforts. E & O should focus on what is special and unique to our organization. UNAVCO supports high precision, GPS, geodetic research as its primary mission. Define our audience. UNAVCO serves the research scientists at the member institutions. Do we have a broader goal of helping in the education of undergraduates? Is our work relevant in middle and secondary school? Include the audience in planning what we will do. A two-way dialogue to determine the most effective education and outreach products must balance what scientists think the audience needs and having the audience learn about a subject to help in making decisions. Involve the scientists and decision-makers in the process to develop ownership. Having people `buy in' from the beginning is important for participation, advocacy, and finding long term resources. Decide on quality and quantity. Is it important to serve large numbers of people? Would a small program that focuses on a few individuals over a long period of time serve the organization's goals better? What do we need from an E & O program? Being explicit about what an organization needs from E & O helps define what activities it will do. Does UNAVCO need visibility with members? Does the membership need help with `broader impacts'? Does UNAVCO see itself serving its members or being a `good citizen' in the science community by recruiting and educating a diverse group of future geodesy researchers? Plan a program and then allocate resources toward the plan. No organization has enough resources (people, money, science) to do everything. There is a common misperception that outreach is easy and cheap. When doing E & O, put enough money into the budgets to support the planned work. Science drives an E & O program but must be designed to meet the needs of the chosen audiences. Science is fascinating to scientists, but perhaps not to a communications freshman, or a secondary student whose primary interest is cars, or the teacher whose state is going evaluate her teaching on students' test scores. What captivates and gives people the desire to learn? Collaboration is important but is not easy. Collaboration builds upon different strengths and extends resources. However, professions and individuals commonly have different ways of working, different languages, and different reward systems. An E & O program must establish `ways of working' to facilitate collaboration and communication. Many scientists acknowledge the value of E & O, but it often loses out to other priorities. The increased number of scientists who are now interested in E & O is a direct correlation with funding agencies' demand that there be some well articulated, broader impacts of science. Good E & O is difficult and is not just a `pick-`up activity.
ED41B-0256 0800h
Sun-Earth Day: Growth and Impact of NASA E/PO Program
Over the past six years, the NASA Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum has sponsored and coordinated education public outreach events to highlight NASA Sun-Earth Connection research and discoveries. Our strategy involves using celestial phenomena, such as total solar eclipses and the Transit of Venus to celebrate Sun-Earth Day, a popular Education and Public Outreach international program. Sun-Earth Day also focuses attention on Equinoxes and Solstices to engage K-12 schools and the general public in space science activities, demonstrations, and interactions with space scientists. In collaboration with partners that include the Exploratorium, Maryland Science Center, NASA Connect, Sun-Earth Connection missions, Ideum, and others, we produce webcasts, other multi-media, and print resources for use by school and informal educators nation-wide. We provide training and professional development to K-12 educators, museum personnel, amateur astronomers, Girl Scout leaders, etc., so they can implement their own outreach programs taking advantage of our resources. A coordinated approach promotes multiple programs occurring each year under a common theme. We will report lessons learned from several years of experience, and strategies for growth and sustainability. We will also share our plans for "Ancient Observatories - Timeless Knowledge" our theme for Sun-Earth Day 2005, which will feature solar alignments at ancient sites that mark the equinoxes and/or solstices. The video and webcast programming will feature several sites including: Chaco Canyon (New Mexico), Hovenweep (Utah), and Chichen Itza (Mexico). Many of these sites present unique opportunities to develop authentic cultural connections to Native Americans, highlighting the importance of the Sun across the ages.
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov
ED41B-0257 0800h
Scientists and Education: The Process of Developing Formal Educational Outreach for the NASA CINDI Instrument Package.
NASA requires one to two percent of the overall budget (not including launch costs) to be allocated to Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) for missions and instruments. Science teams have enthusiasm for their investigations but generally lack the preparation and knowledge necessary to convey this enthusiasm into a form that is useful in formal education applications. Additionally, there are a multitude of challenges to the creation and delivery of quality educational outreach products and programs. For example, necessity for field testing of curricula, state and national standards, high stakes testing, limited classroom time and increasing demands on the nation's classroom teachers all must be taken into consideration in order that the products and programs will make a difference in the classroom. We are using the NASA-sponsored instrument program CINDI (Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamics Investigation), which is scheduled to fly on the Air Force's C/NOFS spacecraft, to study the development and implementation of a formal education program required by NASA. The educational outreach for CINDI (an ionospheric explorer) is especially challenging because of the high level and difficult to visualize science concepts of the investigation. Our study includes analysis of the process required by scientists and their educator partners to think about how to make the science behind the mission interesting, tangible and relevant to the K-14 classroom.
ED41B-0258 0800h
The National Space Science and Technology Center's Education and Public Outreach Program
The objective of the National Space Science and Technology Center's (NSSTC) Education and Public Outreach program (EPO) is to support K-20 education by coalescing academic, government, and business constituents awareness, implementing best business/education practices, and providing stewardship over funds and programs that promote a symbiotic relationship among these entities, specifically in the area of K-20 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. NSSTC EPO Program's long-term objective is to showcase its effective community-based integrated stakeholder model in support of STEM education and to expand its influence across the Southeast region for scaling ultimately across the United States. The Education and Public Outreach program (EPO) is coordinated by a supporting arm of the NSSTC Administrative Council called the EPO Council (EPOC). The EPOC is funded through federal, state, and private grants, donations, and in-kind contributions. It is comprised of representatives of NSSTC Research Centers, both educators and scientists from the Alabama Space Science and Technology Alliance (SSTA) member institutions, the Alabama Space Grant Consortium and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Education Office. Through its affiliation with MSFC and the SSTA - a consortium of Alabama's research universities that comprise the NSSTC, EPO fosters the education and development of the next generation of Alabama scientists and engineers by coordinating activities at the K-20 level in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Education, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, and Alabama's businesses and industries. The EPO program's primary objective is to be Alabama's premiere organization in uniting academia, government, and private industry by way of providing its support to the State and Federal Departments of Education involved in systemic STEM education reform, workforce development, and innovative uses of technology. The NSSTC EPO is poised to be a leader in this field because of its direct support to agency's accountable for America's educational systems, and for its synergistic relationships across the integrated stakeholder community. This includes Alabama's NASA facility, USRA, the SSTA's seven research universities, businesses and industries, and the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Education Coalition. In addition to traditional outreach methodologies, the EPO uses the unique resources of the NSSTC to assist in dissolving the boundaries in education among academia, government, and industry and to foster a more collaborative environment in support of STEM education reform.
http://www.nsstc.org
ED41B-0259 0800h
Implementing a Goal-Driven Education and Public Outreach Program
The Phoenix Mars Mission, scheduled for launch in 2007, is the first in NASA's "Scout Program." Phoenix is specifically designed to measure volatile (especially water) and complex organic molecules in the arctic plains of Mars. An integral component of the Phoenix Mission is its Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program. Just as the mission will further our scientific and technological understanding by exploring the artic plains of Mars, the Phoenix EPO program endeavors to inspire, excite, encourage, and nurture the exploration of questions from students and the public about Mars, the Solar System, and space exploration. In this way, the Phoenix EPO program is designed to augment the overall mission, where the goals of the EPO program directly flow from the mission objectives and are intended to (1) pioneer innovative or (2) enhance existing outstanding educational and outreach materials. The Phoenix EPO goals are also aligned with policies from NASA's Office of Space Science, the Mars Public Engagement Plan, and national education reform efforts. To ensure program goals are being met, independent evaluation is a key element of the Phoenix EPO effort. By having goals at the center of its EPO program, the Phoenix Mission strives toward providing a high-value contribution to NASA's educational enterprise and the nation's scientific literacy.
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu