We outline here the vision for CZEN with respect to Outreach and Education.
We plan to begin our outreach efforts in the formative stages of CZEN, rather than treating these activities as add-ons,by inviting several faculty members from predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and historically black colleges and universities(HBCUs) and K-12 teachers to planning conferences. It is our intention to locate some sites in areas where both faculty and students from undergraduate institutions, underrepresented groups in the sciences, and K-12 teachers can make extensive use of our facilities. Public school teachers from elementary grades, middle schools and high schools will be asked to discuss, formulate, and suggest possibilities for outreach programming linked to CZEN sites. Educators from targeted HBCUs, including, but not limited to, Maryland Eastern Shores University, Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, Florida A & M University, Alabama A & M University, North Carolina A & T University, Clark Atlanta University, and Tennessee State University, from the University of Puerto Rico, and from PUIs, including several liberal arts colleges, will be invited to the planning conferences to help us select network sites that will maximize opportunities for minority and PUI faculty and students, and K-12 teachers. In sum, we wish to insure that CZEN promotes science literacy, access to field-based research coupled to experiential learning, and interdisciplinary research opportunities to as wide a range of constituencies as possible, with particular emphasis on underrepresented groups.
Outlined below is the Vision for Outreach and Education for CZEN
K-12 Educator Program and Professional Development. Educators from schools located near CZEN sites will be invited to participate in research projects, workshops and science outreach programs. Teachers may wish to become involved in instrument installation, environmental monitoring, sample collection, and laboratory analysis. Funding for teacher appointments as summer research assistants will be included as components of NSF research grants tied to the CZEN network, and as supplements to other funded research projects (e.g., Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)). Teacher support will include participation stipends, travel and subsistence awards. We expect that teachers who complete these programs will incorporate what they’ve learned into teaching modules that will include student visits to a nearby CZEN field site. We will also encourage CZEN-associated institutions to offer a series of daylong, Saturday workshops throughout the academic year on a variety of CZEN-relevant science topics for K-12 teachers. Attendance stipends for teachers, materials and supplies for the workshops, and materials and supplies for teachers to bring back to the classroom, will be covered by NSF funds. When appropriate, continuing education credits will be made available through CZEN-affiliated universities.
Supplemental support will be provided to CZEN-affiliated institutions to partner with K-12 schools and educators to develop teaching modules. These modules will introduce important concepts of soils and critical zone processes, such as erosion, weathering, nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, roots and the rhizosphere, bacterial and invertebrate populations, etc., into the curriculum. They will highlight the integrated nature of critical zone processes, including couplings between the biological, physical, and chemical components of the soil system.
CZEN-affiliated colleges and universities will be encouraged to build and maintain relationships with the K-12 community of teachers and students. The inclusion of CZEN field sites in EHR/NSF Math and Science Partnership (MSP) proposals/grants with area school districts will be strongly encouraged. K-12 teachers will be encouraged to establish lasting relationships with CZEN scientists and to act as liaisons between high school students and university faculty as their students consider college options upon graduation from high school. Our outreach goals are to enhance the professional development of K-12 teachers who teach science, to encourage high school students to consider science as a course of study in college and as a career, and to promote science literacy for all citizens.
Undergraduate Research. CZEN will establish an undergraduate summer internship program to encourage undergraduate research. Two types of opportunities will be offered: individual supplements to researchers that allow undergraduate participation in CZEN research, and site supplements to support 4-5 students who will work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams on a group research project. These opportunities will be advertised nationally and competitively awarded. Applications from individuals from the HBCU institutions affiliated with the WSSC (possible affiliates listed above) and from other underrepresented groups will be strongly encouraged.
A select group of faculty from those institutions associated with CZEN will be asked to take on the task of applying to the NSF for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site grant. It is our hope that our CZEN sites will provide the opportunity for undergraduates to work side by side with graduate students and postdocs on a fascinating array of interdisciplinary research projects. Faculty from PUIs and HBCUs affiliated with WSSC will be encouraged to submit Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Collaborative and Cross-disciplinary (C-RUI) grant proposals for research at CZEN sites. Also, a special effort will be made to provide WSSC field sites for use by all NSF/EHR funded education programs such as LSAMP that impact a wide population of minority students throughout the nation in the sciences. Faculty at undergraduate institutions also will be encouraged to apply for Research Opportunity Awards (ROA) to link to research projects funded through major research institutions.
CZEN Grants-in-Aid. CZEN will solicit proposals on an annual basis from graduate students who wish to perform fieldwork at CZEN sites or analytical/experimental work relevant to CZEN objectives. Awards will include a summer stipend and an allowance for field and/or laboratory expenses. Typical awards are expected to be in the range of $5-7K per student. Applications will be solicited in the fall, with awards announced in the spring. An awards committee will be appointed by the executive committee and charged with the solicitation and selection of awards.
