A Low Cost Affordable Science Inquiry-Based Curricula for Elementary and Middle School Age Youth
Porche L. Spence, North Carolina A & T State University; Tonya Gerald-Goins, North Carolina Central University; Kimberly Weems, Ph.D., North Carolina Central University; Caesar Jackson, Ph.D., North Carolina Central University; Gregory Goins, North Carolina A & T State University
The Diverse and Integrative STEM Continua Using Socio-environmental Systems In and Out of Neighborhoods (DISCUSSION) network, is an educational alliance, led by two historical black colleges and universities (North ...

The Advantages of Unstructured Time: Insight from Academic Field Trips
Eric Goldfarb, The University of Texas at Austin; Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
Academic field programs are an essential part of geoscience education. An often overlooked benefit of field trips is time not devoted to study. On a typical trip, students, faculty, and teaching assistants spend ...

Applying Models of Diversity to Improve Geoscience Curricula and Programs
Eric Riggs, Humboldt State University
Increasing diversity, access and success of students and faculty in the geosciences has been a sustained priority of the geoscience education community over recent decades. The collected experiences of these ...

Promoting Student Understanding of the Earth's Climate through Model-based Learning in Secondary Geo-Science Classrooms
Devarati Bhattacharya, Central Washington University; Kimberly Carroll Steward, University of Nebraska at Lincoln; Cory Forbes, The University of Texas at Arlington; Mark Chandler, Auburn University Main Campus
Learning about Earth's climate system and global climate change (GCC) is critical and has gained impetus with the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). One approach ...

Integrate Ocean Observing Initiative (OOI) Data into Research and Teaching: Results from Workshops for Early Career Scientists
Janice McDonnell, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Ellen Altermatt, Carleton College; Sage Lichtenwalner, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Scott Glenn, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Michael Crowley, Rutgers University-New Brunswick; Lianna Vaccari, Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) has constructed the observational and computational infrastructure needed to provide sustained measurements of complex ...

The Sustainability Scholars Program: Early Successes from the Pilot Year
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Kayla Harris, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Peter Ziegler, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Curtis Friedel, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Donna Westfall-Rudd, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Tiffany Drape, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ
The Sustainability Scholars Program is a structured undergraduate academic experience focused on issues of sustainability in the food, agricultural, natural resources and/or human sciences (FANH). Experiential ...

A Pilot Study to Assess Chemistry Education in the Geosciences
Erika Zocher, Northern Illinois University; Nicole LaDue, Northern Illinois University
It is well established that chemistry is an integral discipline underlying many scientific concepts. However, chemistry also presents challenges and misconceptions that act as barriers for many students (Birk & ...

Lessons learned from OnRamps Earth Wind and Fire, a dual-enrollment geoscience course
Joel Johnson, The University of Texas at Austin; Alison Mote; Bryce Henderson, The University of Texas at Austin; Enrique Reyes, Northside ISD - San Antonio; Jennifer Porter, The University of Texas at Austin
The proportion of Hispanic U.S. geoscientists lags far behind the proportion of Hispanic U.S. citizens. Students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups may not be attracted to geosciences for many reasons, ...

Heads and Chairs: Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education
Sharon Mosher, The University of Texas at Austin; Jeffrey Ryan, University of South Florida; Ginny Peterson, Grand Valley State University; Sara Harris, University of British Columbia
This workshop is intended to help department heads, chairs, and undergraduate program directors with addressing challenges in their curricula and/or degree programs aimed at better preparing their students for ...

A Narrative Approach to Building Computational Capacity in Professional Masters Students
Karen Smith, University of Toronto; Conor Anderson, University of Toronto
The goal of a professional Masters program is to help students rapidly transition from undergraduate learners to work-ready professionals. This presents a unique challenge for instructors to balance conceptual ...