Early Career Geoscience Faculty Workshop Program

Workshop program. All times on the program are on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); please convert the times accordingly for your time zone.
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Before the Workshop

Participant Workspace with Session Files
(Limited Access) »

Participants will explore materials related to these sessions, asynchronously, before the workshop.

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Monday, July 27

9:30-10:00am Preview and Announcements

10-11:40am Course and Lesson Design (full group) - Anantha Aiyyer and Martin Wong

11:40am-12pm Break

12-1pm Teaching Strategies: Concurrent Sessions I

During concurrent session I, participants will choose a session from the list below:

  • Engaging Students in Large Classes - Josh Galster and Ben Laabs

We will discuss the benefits of using interactive activities in a lecture class, as well as several other ways to engage students, such as personal response systems, multimedia clips, in-class demonstrations, course website tools and connecting the topics to students' lives. We will demonstrate some short activities that actively engage a diverse student group and that can easily be incorporated into lecture classes of any size. And we will spend some time brainstorming about ways to incorporate these strategies in your own classroom.

  • Interdisciplinary and Team Taught Courses - Jennifer Anderson and Joan Ramage

Geosciences research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. In this session, we will explore various ways to model and practice interdisciplinarity in the classroom, from initiating conversations with colleagues about overlapping interests to fully integrated and team taught courses. We will discuss challenges and solutions, both intellectual and logistical and explore successful practices.

  • Open Educational Resources - Gretchen Miller and Carol Ormand

Open Educational Resources (OERs) for college-level geoscience classes are becoming increasingly abundant and have numerous advantages for students and faculty. OERs include open textbooks, open online classes, instructional videos, and a variety of teaching and learning activities. The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) website hosts a vast array of OERs for geoscience teaching and more. This session discusses the value of OERs in terms of pedagogy, customization, and ease of integration, and provides time to explore how OERs may be used in your own class(es).

  • Student Writing and Learning - Anantha Aiyyer and Hendratta Ali

We will share strategies for designing and evaluating student writing assignments to support learning at all levels. Strategies include small-scale, low-stakes writing activities that can be readily incorporated into courses, longer assignments that support learning objectives within the sciences, and the use of online discussion tools.

1-1:30pm Break

1:30-2:30pm Teaching Online (full group) - Josh Galster and Gretchen Miller

2:30-2:45pm Poster Instructions and Daily Roadcheck (full group)

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Tuesday, July 28

9:45-10:00 Preview and Announcements

10-11am Working Effectively with Research Students (full group) - Anantha Aiyyer and Josh Galster

11:00-11:15am Break

11:15am-12:15pm Strategies for Research and Scholarship: Concurrent Sessions II

During concurrent session II, participants will choose a session from the list below:

  • Research with Undergraduates - Jennifer Anderson and Martin Wong

In this session, we explore various models for designing undergraduate projects, working with undergraduates, and preserving group data/knowledge in the face of relatively high student turnover; we also discuss strategies for "chunking" projects in portions suitable for undergraduates at various levels of experience.

  • Recruiting Graduate Students - Anantha Aiyyer and Joan Ramage

How do you recruit the best students AND retain them? The methods used by universities to recruit students have changed dramatically in the last few years. The students you are recruiting are being barraged by information from the universities that they are talking to. Learn how you can effectively recruit these students and work to retain them at your institution.

  • Educational Research on Teaching: Integrating your Research and Teaching - Hendratta Ali and Carol Ormand

Conducting research on the process of learning geoscience can be illuminating and rewarding, leading to improvements in geoscience teaching. This session will present current research on learning and effective teaching practices. It will then examine how to apply that research into your own learning environment.

  • Research with MS and PhD Students - Josh Galster and Sarah Penniston-Dorland

In this session we will explore everything from brainstorming and mentoring to writing with MS and PhD students. We will discuss addressing both the needs of your research program and the needs, experience, and abilities of your students. Practical aspects such as defining projects that can be done in a reasonable timeframe and funding students will also be discussed.

12:15-12:45pm Break

12:45-1:45pm Connections, Extensions, Opportunities: Concurrent Sessions III

During concurrent session III, participants will choose a session from the list below:

  • Time Management - Gretchen Miller and Martin Wong

We are all faced with competing demands for our attention. This session will discuss some proven strategies to prioritize how you spend your time, focus your attention, and balance your commitments.

  • Bringing Data/Research into the Classroom - Jennifer Anderson and Joan Ramage

This session will focus on approaches to provide students valuable research experience within the context of a formal class, for both introductory and upper-division levels. We will discuss advantages for incorporating research, successful strategies for doing so, and examples of research projects in a variety of classes at all levels.

  • Starting New Research Projects and Building Collaborations - Ben Laabs and Sarah Penniston-Dorland

You have finished your dissertation or post-doctoral projects and you want to use the resources at your current institution and establish links outside your current institution to grow in new directions. This session will explore ways that you can build upon your existing strengths to move your career forward.

1:45-2pm Break

2-3pm Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom and Beyond (full group) - Hendratta Ali and Gretchen Miller

3pm Daily Roadcheck

3:30-4pm NSF plenary session - welcoming remarks from Scott Borg (NSF Geosciences Directorate)

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Wednesday, July 29

9:45-10:00 Preview and Announcements

10-11:25am Creating a Strategic Plan (full group) - Josh Galster and Joan Ramage

11:25-11:45am Break

11:45am-1pm Writing Proposals and Getting Funded: Concurrent Sessions IV

  • Writing Your First NSF-Style Proposal - Ben Laabs and Sarah Penniston-Dorland

This session will focus on basics and nuts and bolts for your first 'large' proposal (NSF, but also relevant to other agencies).

  • Dealing with Rejections and Revisions - Anantha Aiyyer and Martin Wong

Having proposals, journal papers, and other works we've poured our hearts into rejected is unfortunately part of this job. We will discuss and share strategies on how to move forward after a rejection: what can be learned, how to cope, and when maybe to strategically move on.

  • Writing Proposals and Getting Funded at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution - Hendratta Ali and Jennifer Anderson

Writing research proposals at institutions that primarily serve undergraduates (PUIs) poses a unique set of challenges and opportunities. In this session, we will explore strategies for crafting successful proposals at such institutions.

1:00-1:30 Break

1:30-3:00 Moving Your Research and Teaching Forward: Concurrent Sessions V

Participants will attend one session from the list below, based upon their submission of either a PROPOSAL SUMMARY or TEACHING ACTIVITY:

  • Improving Research Proposals Through Review of Your Proposal Summaries - Martin Wong and others

For this session you need to have submitted a proposal summary by June 17.

  • Improving Teaching Activities and Assignments Through Review of Your Assignment - Hendratta Ali and Gretchen Miller

For this session you need to have submitted a class activity or assignment by June 17. This activity can be one that is still in development stage or one that has been already used in the classroom for which you want feedback.

3:00 Daily Roadcheck

3:30-4:30 Financial Planning for your Future (optional)

This session will focus on the best practices and crucial steps you need to take to build a strong financial foundation. We will discuss the importance of goal setting; getting the most out of your savings both inside and outside of work; maximization of the tax-control triangle; avoiding common investment pitfalls and the significance of 'values' investing.

The session will be led by Geoff Galster, CFP. Geoff, a financial advisor with seventeen years of experience, works with the Alcumus Financial Group in Silver Spring, MD where they focus on holistic financial planning and asset management. https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/team/alcumus-financial-group

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Thursday, July 30

9:45-10:00 Preview and Announcements

10-11:15am Poster Session

11:15-11:30am Break

11:30am-12:00pm Building a Network of Support (full group) - Josh Galster and Sarah Penniston-Dorland

12:00-12:30pm Break

12:30-2:45pm Strategic Planning (full group)

2:45-3:00pm Break

3:00-3:45pm Lessons Learned, Concluding Remarks, and Workshop Evaluation (full group) - Josh Galster, Ben Laabs and Sarah Penniston-Dorland

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Tuesday and Wednesday, August 4 and 5

Optional Virtual visit to the National Science Foundation