Overview
This workshop will bring together geoscience educators, researchers, and leaders in related fields of public health, policy, and medicine to explore contemporary issues related to teaching geology and human health.
The goal of the workshop is to explore current instructional practices, and to make plans towards the widespread implementation of topics related to geology and human health in undergraduate geoscience courses.
The program will include sharing of expertise in a variety of formats, including:
- Formal presentations, demonstrations and posters addressing research results, teaching experiences, and issues in design/development of instructional materials on geology and human health
- Opportunities for formal and informal discussion
- Development of an action plan for future work.
The workshop will:
- support communications among participants via email lists and web services
- begin to develop collections of instructional resources
- disseminate workshop activities and outcomes via the webpage.
This workshop is one of the 2003 On the Cutting Edge "emerging themes" offerings which are designed to move critical ideas and concepts into the main-stream of geoscience education. Participants are sought who are leaders in the field and are committed to participating in follow-on activities. For further information about emerging theme workshops, potential follow-on activities, and action plans investigate our general description of these workshops or examples from last year's Biocomplexity and Web Design workshops.
Application and Selection Criteria
The on-line application form must be submitted by December 15, 2003, and successful applicants will be notified by early January 2004.
The workshop size is limited to 30 participants. The final list of participants will be established with the goal of assembling a group representing leadership in research and teaching about geology and human health and related fields (e.g. epidemiology, risk assessment), and representing a spectrum of institutional settings, teaching experiences, and a diversity of participants. Preference is given to applicants who hold faculty positions at two or four year institutions. For more information visit general information for workshop participants.
Dates
The workshop will begin with dinner on Wednesday evening, May 12 at Chico Hot Springs and will end Saturday evening May 15th after an all-day field trip to the Butte-Silver Bow Superfund site. Participants must attend all sessions. Participants should plan to travel to Bozeman MT on Wed May 12th, arriving before 4:00 PM. We will shuttle you to Chico Hot Springs. Plan to travel home on Sunday, May 16th. Read more details about logistics.Venue
The workshop will be held at Chico Hot Springs , Pray MT, which is about an hour's drive from Bozeman, MT. Chico Hot Springs is nestled in the scenic Paradise Valley, and is located just 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, in the foothills of the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountain range. The main lodge building was built in 1900 and newer rooms and conference facilities have been constructed recently. The resort features two pools fed by water from natural geothermal mineral springs. Trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking and horseback riding surround the resort. There will be some free time during the workshop to allow for swimming and exploring the surroundings. Bring a swimming suit!Workshop Costs and Stipends
The operational costs of the workshop as well as room, board, and workshop materials are covered by a grant from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE-0127310). Participants or their home institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop. In cases of unusual hardship, we will be able to offer a few small stipends to help defray travel costs. For more information about travel funds please visit general information for workshop participants.Expectations
Participants are expected to:- prepare in advance for workshop discussions via readings, writings, discussion or other activities developed by workshop leaders
- contribute to resource collections prior to and following the workshop
- participate fully in the entire workshop
- be leaders in follow-on activities leading to broad implementation.