AASG members provide basic earth science information to their constituents and conduct educational outreach.  Educational activities have always been a vital part of many State Survey missions, because our "customers" include all of the citizens of our states, of all ages and in all walks of life. In many states, the research involves partnerships with students and academic groups, plus translating scientific research for the public.  A recent program of the AASG in cooperation with the National Science Foundation is the mentored student field research program which funds undergraduates pursuing field-mapping projects under the tutelage of an experienced professional geologist. In practice, the outreach activities are diverse.  State Surveys lead field trips and visit schools, nature centers, and other organizations throughout the year.  AASG members co-sponsor the annual Earth Science Week celebration, which features activities for students and the general public. For example, in Vermont, the Geologist-in-the-Parks programs provide opportunities for students to meet geologists in a field setting.  Other surveys feature poster contests, museum tours, quarry tours, and special events. The Association of American State Geologists (AASG) is an organization of the chief executives of the state geological surveys in 50 states and Puerto Rico. The responsibilities of the various state surveys differ from state to state, depending upon the enabling legislation and the traditions under which the survey evolved. Almost all function as a basic information source for their state governments' executive, legislative, judicial branches and citizens.

Discovering Educational Resources through DLESE
Thomas Boyd and Mary Marlino, tboyd@mines.edu and marlino@ucar.edu, (303) 273-3522, DLESE Program Center, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO  80307-3000

A core goal of the Digital Library for Earth System Education, DLESE, is to serve as a catalyst for systemic change in geoscience education. At the DLESE Program Center we are helping to contribute to this goal by providing discovery interfaces and services that bridge the gap between educational needs and how resources and collections are described and indexed. Currently, DLESE supports discovery of cataloged resources using keywords, grade level, and educational resource type (map, visualization, activity, lab, etc.) descriptors. Discovery is provided through both basic and advanced search interfaces and a novel graphical browsing interface. Numerous usability studies and other formative evaluations suggest that this basic service is useful to educators; these studies also identify how the service could better support the educational reform agenda. In the future, DLESE discovery services will be extended to enable discovery using National Science Education Standards, geography standards, Earth System Science (ESS) vocabulary, and via geospatial constraints. These additions will allow users, for instance, to select a particular education standard and find resources that support it.  Or, will allow for discovery via a crosscutting Earth system theme, such as the role of water in the earth system. Finally, we intend to extend the discovery system to support the educational use of Earth data and data analysis tools. Use of data in the classroom has the potential to convey the excitement of science to learners (and to educators), and to promote general scientific inquiry skills. Data by itself, however, has little value. Analysis and visualizations tools, appropriate to specific K-16 learning contexts, are needed. Teachers want and expect these tools to be bundled with data in meaningful packages. While the DLESE Program Center is charged with implementing services that aid users in discovering relevant resources, you have the opportunity to help shape the DLESE collection of resources and guide future development. To become involved, for more information, or to test drive our current discovery services you are invited to visit DLESE at http://www.dlese.org.

Investigating Earth Systems: A New Inquiry Driven, Standards-Based Middle School Earth Science Curriculum
Caitlin Callahan and Matthew Smith,  cnc@agiweb.org and mcs@agiweb.org, 703-379-2480 (ext. 220), American Geological Institute, 4220 King St., Alexandria, VA 22302-1502

Investigating Earth Systems (IES) is a new, standards-based, Earth Science curriculum for the middle school grades developed by the American Geological Institute in association with It's About Time Publishing. Field tested and content reviewed, IES is part of AGI's ongoing efforts to implement effective Earth Science education reform. The IES series comprises nine modules: Soil, Rocks and Landforms, Oceans, Water as a Resource, Climate and Weather, Dynamic Planet, Materials and Minerals, Energy Resources, and Fossils. Inquiry and the interrelation of Earth systems form the backbone of all Investigating Earth System activities.   Often taught as a linear sequence of events called "the scientific method," inquiry underlies all scientific processes and can take many different forms.  Many students instinctively use inquiry when they solve problems.  Like scientists, students form questions to investigate after looking at what is observable or known. They predict the most likely answer to a question. They base this prediction on what they know to be true. However, unlike professional scientists, students may not devote much thought to these processes. In order to be objective, students must use instinct along to conduct their inquiry, but consciously design and execute an investigation that addresses their question.  This is a skill that students practice throughout each IES module. In addition, all IES modules encourage students to think about the Earth as a system.  Upon completing each investigation, students relate what they have learned to the Earth Systems.  Integrating the processes of the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere opens up a new way of looking at the world.  Understanding that the Earth is dynamic and that it affects living things, often in unexpected ways, engages students and makes the topics relevant. IES was funded through grants from the National Science Foundation (ESI9353035), Chevron Corporation, and the AGI Foundation. Further information about IES is available at http://www.agiweb.org/ies/

GIS 4 MT
Jeff Crews and Charlotte Lauerman, jcrews@eoscenter.com and clauerman@eoscenter.com, (406) 273-2644, EOS Education Project, James E. Todd Building, University of Montana, Missoula, MT

The Earth Observing System (EOS) Education Project (www.eoscenter.com) disseminates Earth imagery, develops interdisciplinary programs, and deploys advanced technologies to the global K-16 education community. The EOS Education Project combines Web-based technologies and educator workshops for the interpretation, utilization and relevancy of geospatial information. We investigate how geo-information enhances our exploration and understanding of the diverse and changing landscapes of the world. The EOS Education Project pursues three primary outreach components: 1) The EOS Education Project utilizes emerging technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as well as map, image, and document services, to deliver geospatial and multimedia information directly into the classroom.  EOS provides the first of its kind, statewide ArcView site license for all K-12 public schools in Montana (GIS 4 MT).  EOS provides on-line teacher development programs in the form of cohort-based classes in relevant technologies such as GIS and hosts on-line learning communities; 2) The EOS Education Project develops outreach programs combining teacher in-service and pre-service workshops in Earth system science curricula and emerging technologies. These local, regional, and national workshops are supported by expanding Web-based programs in the utilization of EOS imagery, interactive digital lesson plans and classroom activities; and 3) The EOS Education Project provides thematic education programs (Lewis and Clark), public keynote addresses, and a variety of additional media such as the EOS Oracle to increase public awareness about NASA's extensive educational resources. The EOS Education Project has assembled a talented team of education, technology, and resource specialists to serve the growing needs of the education community. We have secured strategic alliances within the private and public sectors to advance state-of-art solutions for geographic information dissemination. The EOS Education Project remains dedicated to Earth education development across local, regional, and global boundaries. 

Earth System Science Education Alliance: Inquiry-Based, Online Learning Communities
Claudia Dauksys, claudia_dauksys@strategies.org, 703-312-0827, IGES, 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 901, Arlington, VA, 22209

The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is a partnership between the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the Center for Educational Technologies (CET) at Wheeling Jesuit University, through funding from NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. ESSEA is supporting universities, colleges, and science education organizations in offering Earth system science online graduate courses that have been developed within the CET at Wheeling Jesuit University. The courses have been successfully implemented for both in-service and pre-service teacher education. An annual announcement by ESSEA solicits proposals from US teams interested in offering the courses.  Currently 12 institutions from across the US are offering the courses, with plans to select and fund 8 new organizations in February 2002.  This presentation will provide an overview of the ESSEA program and information on how to participate in ESSEA.

Activities and Programs of the National Earth Science Teachers Association
Howard Dimmick, dimmick@stoneham.mec.edu, 781-279-3815, Stoneham Public Schools, 149 Franklin Street, Stoneham, MA 02180, USA; M. Frank Ireton, frank_Ireton@sesda.com, 301-867-2034, SSAI/SESDA, 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD, 20906, USA; Carl Katsu, katsucf@yahoo.com, 717-642-8228, Fairfield School District, 4840 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, PA 17320, USA.

The National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) was chartered in April 1982 to promote, extend and support Earth science education. NESTA membership is open to anyone with an interest in Earth science Education. At the present time NESTA membership stands at about 900 members, with members located in 50 states and territories and with some foreign membership. The Earth Scientist, NESTA’s journal is a quarterly publication with a special spring issue, Summer School Opportunities for Teachers. Each issue of The Earth Scientist contains a topical theme along with association news, reviews, and teaching tips. The summer school issue is a compilation of a geo-science department survey reporting summer school opportunities. In addition to journal publications NESTA markets annotated slide sets that have been developed by NESTA members. At the 2002 National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) annual meeting in San Diego the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) will join with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), the American Geological Institute (AGI), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to sponsor several events for Earth and space science teachers attending the convention. NESTA and NAGT will host a guided learning field trip prior to the meeting. A special breakfast will kick off an Earth and space science resource day with a talk by Soames Summerhays, President of Summerhays Films and Producer/Director of the IMAX film, Ocean Oasis. The breakfast will be followed by a NESTA sponsored Share-a-thon, three science lectures presented by AGU members, and will end with an NESTA rock raffle and membership meeting. Membership in NESTA is $15.00 per year/$28.00 for two years/$40.00 for three years. For information about NESTA contact: Dr. M. Frank Watt Ireton, NESTA Executive Advisor, Telephone: 301-867-2034. E-mail: frank_ireton@sesda.com. NESTA’s website address is: http://www.nestanet.org.

Modeling Inquiry in GLOBE Train-the-Trainer Workshops
Melissa Feldberg, mfeldberg@globe.gov, 202-501-5084, The GLOBE Program, 1800 G St. NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC  20006

The GLOBE Program is an international science and education program that trains teachers and students to take research-quality environmental measurements.   The goals of the GLOBE Program are to enhance the environmental awareness of individuals worldwide, to increase scientific understanding of Earth, and to improve student achievement in science and mathematics. A critical component of science education, as prescribed by the National Science Education Standards, is students’ participation in inquiry-based learning. This approach to learning science requires students to acquire a set of fundamental abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry. These include identifying questions, designing and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and mathematics, formulating explanations, and communicating research results. The GLOBE Program provides teachers with the materials, resources, and professional development to help them teach science using an inquiry-based approach. GLOBE train-the-trainer workshops now integrate inquiry-based learning into the fabric of instruction. This approach involves the delivery of GLOBE science content and protocol training within the context of the scientific method. Training sessions take participants through the entire inquiry process. Working in the field, we stimulate trainers to train GLOBE by starting from the asking of initial questions through to the communication of results. Trainers following this methodology should be able to better prepare teachers to involve their students in inquiry-based scientific research using GLOBE protocols and the GLOBE data archive with their students.

NOVA (NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics)
L Michael Freeman, Ph.D., NOVA University Program Director, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Alabama, Box 870280, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0280, mike.freeman@ua.edu, 205-348-7304 

NOVA is funded by NASA Headquarters and implemented by a lead consortium comprised of the University of Alabama, the University of Idaho and Fayetteville State University (NC).  NOVA's vision is to "facilitate change in higher education to enhance the science, mathematics and technology literacy of preservice teachers." University and college science, engineering, technology, mathematics and education faculty who are dedicated to improving teacher preparation are invited to participate.  By integrating disciplines, using inquiry learning and utilizing NASA's Strategic Enterprises (such as Earth Science), NOVA provides faculty with the skills needed to implement change in their courses.NOVA disseminates a national preservice model that is aligned with national standards and benchmarks for education in mathematics, science and technology; utilizes research, activities and data sets from NASA's Strategic Enterprises; and requires collaboration between schools of education and science, mathematics, engineering or technology to develop innovative approaches to teacher preparation for enhanced student learning.
The NOVA Network now consists of 79 universities and colleges across the nation

Center for Learning and Teaching in the West (CLTW)
Edward E. Geary and Andrew C. Warnock, egeary@csmate.colostate.edu, warnock@csmate.colostate.edu, (970) 491-1700, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, Colorado State University, B301 Natural and Environmental Sciences Building, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1802

CLT-West is a consortium of five universities (Colorado State University, Montana State University, Portland State University, University of Montana, University of Northern Colorado) collaborating with tribal colleges and public school systems in Montana, Colorado, and Oregon. The Center is bringing together the varied expertise of scientists, mathematicians, and educators to address current challenges in understanding and improving student learning and achievement in science and mathematics, from middle school through college. Work will include research and related activities, focused on studying and addressing the wide ranges of achievement observed in high needs populations in urban and rural settings. The Center will support research activities, a doctoral graduate curriculum, inservice professional development, and preservice teacher preparation, much of it delivered through distance technology. The goal is to develop and support a new generation of educational leaders who will use their knowledge of mathematics, science, and pedagogy to improve teaching and learning.  We encourage earth and space science educators and organizations to partner with CLT West and other centers across the country to promote the revolution in earth and space science education. This project was funded as part of a major initiative by the National Science Foundation to increase the number of highly qualified science and mathematics teachers.

Digital Water Education Library (DWEL)
Edward E. Geary and Andrew C. Warnock, egeary@csmate.colostate.edu, warnock@csmate.colostate.edu, (970) 491-1700, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, Colorado State University, B301 Natural and Environmental Sciences Building, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1802

The Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education (CSMATE) at Colorado State University in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and the Center for Lifelong Learning and Design at the University of Colorado at Boulder are developing an exemplary collection of digital K-12 materials and resources built around the theme of "Water in the Earth System". Our purpose in creating this Digital Water Education Library (DWEL) is to enhance the ability of K-12 teachers, students, and parents to easily find, access, and use high-quality, standards-based water resources in their classrooms, at home, and in informal learning environments. The primary goals of the DWEL project are to: Create a collection of approximately 500 "exemplary" K-12 water resources (scientific, economic, and policy) that can be used to investigate and learn about important water concepts, processes, and issues; develop and test a model for the adaptation, enhancement, inclusion, and support of existing curriculum resources in the Digital Library for Earth Science Education (DLESE); and conduct research on collaborative collection processes critical to building high-quality, user-friendly K-12 collections. To achieve these goals, exemplary water resources, and the associated tools and services needed to easily use these resources are being identified, reviewed, and cataloged by a variety of scientists and educators. K-12 teachers will lead this development effort. In creating the DWEL K-12 Collection, we are working closely with a number of organizations including: federal and state government agencies, professional scientific and education societies, academic institutions and centers, and other National SMETE Digital Library projects such as the one at Cornell. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation's National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL) program.

EarthScope E&O: Opportunities, Collaboration and Building Upon Existing Efforts
Michelle Hall-Wallace and Terry C. Wallace, Hall@geo.arizona.edu, wallace@geo.arizona.edu, 520-621-9993; 520-621-4849, Southern Arizona Seismic Observatory, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 1040 East 4th Street, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0077

EarthScope is a major research experiment to apply modern observational, analytical and telecommunications technologies to investigate the structure and evolution of the North American continent and the physical processes controlling earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The multifaceted research initiative will include (1) modern digital seismic arrays, installed across the continent, capable of producing three-dimensional images of the North American continental crust and mantle; (2) global positioning satellite receivers, strainmeters and new satellite radar imagery that will measure and map the smallest movements along faults, magma movement inside active volcanoes and the wide areas of deformation associated with plate tectonic motion; and (3) an observatory deep within the San Andreas Fault that will provide direct measurements of the physical state and mechanical behavior of one of the world’s most active faults. This ten year, continental scale experiment will require a focused education and outreach program the builds on existing programs and incorporates the broad earth science community. To facilitate community participation, we are developing an interactive website that can serve as the front-line of a national scale E&O program providing resources to scientists, policy makers, educators, students and the public (http://dax.geo.arizona.edu/earthscope/). The site will provide access to resources that educate a broad audience about the activities, discoveries, and societal impact of EarthScope. These resources will include (1) public relations information such as news items, notes on program activities, fact sheets, and presentation materials; (2) educational resources about our dynamic continent and the tools we use to discover it. These will be appropriate for the classroom, newsroom and boardroom; and (3) access to real-time data seismic data streams and visualization tools for the public. From these web resources we may also create print materials for public relations, K-16 educators and scientists. These resources will provide a seamless interface to the multiple components of EarthScope for audiences ranging from policy makers, public, K-16 educators and the Earth science community.

You Be the Scientist with Satellite Imagery in EZ/EC Communities
Dr. Linda B. Hayden and Mrs. Aileen Seshun, lhayden@umfort.cs.ecsu.edu, (252) 335-3696, Elizabeth City State University,  Box 672 ECSU, 1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC, 27909

You Be The Scientist With Satellite Imagery in EZ/EC Communities is designed as a student enrichment project for 6 targeted middle schools located in the economic empowerment zone communities of Portsmouth, Virginia and Halifax, North Carolina.  The student enrichment component is designed to support extra curricular science activities structured to maximize awareness of and utilization of GOES satellite data to meet core Earth Science learning objectives and to develop marketable skills in the area of computer technology.  The visualization (Satellite Imagery) project has several components each of which enhance the student's understanding of fundamental remote sensing concepts. The goals of the YBTS with Satellite Imagery in EZ/EC Communities program include: 1) Providing teachers and students with an understanding of satellite imagery concepts; 2) Sharing with students information on careers critical to NASA's overall mission; and 3) Sharing with students and educators information related to NASA's earth science enterprise.  Implementing this project is Elizabeth City State University, at which the MU-SPIN Office of Goddard Space Flight Center has established a Network Resources and Training Site.  ECSU brings satellite imagery to middle schools in its region in an effort to enhance the study of mathematics and science by underrepresented minority students. The program is designed to aggressively strengthen the current Earth System Science outreach to minority middle school students by GSFC and the ECSU-NRTS.

Mathematics of The Great Dismal Swamp
Dr. Linda Hayden, lhayden@umfort.cs.ecsu.edu, (252)335-3696, Elizabeth City State University, Box 672 ECSU, 1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC, 27909

The primary focus of this project is to develop mathematics educational products for students in grades pre-K through grade 12 based on the current Dismal Swamp research projects at Elizabeth City State University.  This project was designed to build on the curiosity and enthusiasm of children as it relates to the study of mathematics. Appropriate mathematical experiences were designed to challenge young children to explore ideas related to data analysis and probability, measurement, mathematical connections, algebraic concepts, and numerical operations.   The mathematics lessons developed have been produced on a book cover and a lithograph and submitted to NASA's Earth Science product review committee. The first in this series of book covers focuses on water table levels in The Great Dismal Swamp.  The book cover relates the role that The Great Dismal Swamp plays in the food chain.  Product also relates the outcomes of The Great Dismal Swamp Boardwalk Hydrology Project at Elizabeth City State University to determine the quality of the water in the Great Dismal Swamp and to understand how and why the water quality changes.   This report  offers the data collected and tries to explain the changes that take place with the swamp’s water throughout the year in regards to water table pulsing, pH, nitrate nitrogen, phosphate, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen.  The second educational product is a lithograph.  On the back of the lithograph is a lesson on measurement and snakes.

The “Awesome Aquifer Adventure” – a museum exhibit fostering broader public awareness about groundwater issues
Robert Libutti; Todd Kincaid; Timothy Hazlett, libuttir@mail.lafayette.edu; kincaid@hazlett-kincaid.com; hazlett@hazlett-kincaid.com, (717) 859-1413, Hazlett-Kincaid, Inc., 204 South 7th Street, Akron, Pennsylvania, 17501

The Awesome Aquifer Adventure is a museum or learning center exhibit that uses a multimedia approach to introduce the world of groundwater to children and adults alike.  The exhibit is comprised of five components: wall-mounted posters, a groundwater flow simulator, a continuous-loop video, examples of field equipment, and an interactive written and computer animated exercise. The posters describe the basic concepts underlying: the hydrologic cycle, aquifer and well function, point and non-point source groundwater contamination, and groundwater remediation strategies in a clear and easy to understand format. 
The groundwater flow simulator circulates water through simulated confined and unconfined porous media aquifers and a fractured bedrock aquifer.  It can be used either as a stand-alone model of a working aquifer or, with the use of multiple dyes, an instructor can demonstrate flow paths and velocities and the spread of groundwater contamination. An exciting video of cave diving through some of the world’s largest underwater caves has been assembled to show the dramatic beauty that flowing groundwater can produce. Another section exhibits the “tools of the trade,” which is a collection of equipment used by hydrogeologists in the field.  The whole exhibit is tied together by the “Abe’s Gas Station” activity which inspires visitors to use the knowledge gained in the exhibit to work through an interactive computer game about a leaking underground storage tank. The exhibit is currently at the Reading Public Museum in Reading, PA and will remain there until March 2002.  With the assistance of the museum curator we have given multiple interactive public presentations to various groups and received very positive feedback. Our goal is to have the Awesome Aquifer Adventure travel to other museums in order to educate as many minds as possible. 

Diversity in the Geosciences: Expanding Opportunities in Earth System Science for Students with Disabilities
Sharon Locke, slocke@usm.maine.edu, 207-228-8265, University of Southern Maine, CAS Dean, 96 Falmouth Street, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, Maine 04104-9300

Through an innovative partnership the Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern Maine are working to foster the inclusion of all students, including students with disabilities, in earth system science programs. The partnership brings together scientists, science education faculty, secondary science teachers, special education teachers and faculty, and high school students with disabilities around a common goal of improving the participation of students with disabilities in science. The project has three complementary parts, designed to raise awareness of earth system science as a career among students with disabilities, and to provide teachers with the training and tools they need to effectively include all students in earth system science classes. The keystone activity is a summer science institute in coastal Maine for high school students with disabilities and high school science teachers. Students and teachers work together on research projects focusing on the impacts of sea-level rise on estuarine systems, and concurrently develop accommodations for the field and laboratory activities that incorporate universal design principles and are appropriate for students with disabilities. Visiting scientists with disabilities provide insights on the challenges and rewards of their careers. During the school year, students are supported through an electronic mentoring network, and a team of six experienced science teachers and two special education teachers develop additional accommodations for commonly used classroom activities. The accommodations and strategies for teaching earth sciences inclusively will be published as an Earth System Science “IdeaBook,” which will be available to all educators through the Digital Library for Earth System Education. 

Linking Science and Education Colleges thorough the Integrated Earth System Approach: Establishment of University of Minnesota’s Science and Education College K-12 Consortium
Russanne Low, rlow@cce.umn.edu, 612-625-2505, University of Minnesota, 310 Pillsbury Dr SE, Minneapolis, MN  55455

The consortium of science and education colleges at the University of Minnesota, Science CentrUM was created in year 2000 with the explicit purpose of promoting excellence in K-12 science education. While our mandate is to promote all areas of science and engineering, Earth system science serves as a platform to enable multidisciplinary collaboration across departments and colleges, and is serving as the focal point of collaborative efforts between consortium members. Currently we offer graduate courses for teachers in Earth system science through NASA’s Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA), a program where science graduate students co-teach global change curricula in the classroom with elementary classroom teachers. An Earth system course for pre-service teachers is in development. High school--undergraduate courses are now in development through the University’s Post-Secondary Option Program, College in the Schools. Our office also attends Minnesota and Wisconsin science teacher workshops and offers access to global change and ESS curricula. While there are numerous post-secondary institutions in Minnesota providing professional development for teachers, the University’s recognition as a major research institution also defines its role as a provider of professional development. Programs stress graduate coursework that can prepare teachers for summer internships for science teachers with faculty. The development of ongoing established relationships between science teachers and research laboratories is being explored. Access to Earth system science courses for in-service teachers is promoted by several programmatic initiatives of the U. of Minnesota. Summer research experiences for teachers, research projects by secondary classrooms tracking local environmental change, and involvement of graduate student scientists as mentors of the ESSEA courses are components of a broader program that is building a multidisciplinary science-based learning community in Minnesota. Global change, by virtue of its economic relevance and environmental urgency, engages students in science inquiry. Global change is emerging as a political issue as countries with fewer resources are less able to buffer their economic systems from hardships resulting from climatic change. The ESS and global change emphasis facilitates in-depth classroom examination of the social ramifications of science and technology as required by the State’s science standards. ESSEA is the flagship program of Science CentrUM, a consortium of science and education colleges at the University of Minnesota promoting excellence in science education through content-based professional development for K-12 educators.

CALIPSO Satellite-Based Research Mission Outreach Program:  K-12 Students Use Sun Photometers to Assist Scientists in Validating Atmospheric Data
Dianne Q. Robinson, PhD, Professor and Director HU Interdisciplinary Science Center, Barbara H. Maggi, Outreach Director, Center for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) 23 Tyler Street, Hampton University, Hampton VA  23668, (757) 727-5869 barbara.maggi@hamptonu.edu, (757) 727-5869 

Hampton University, a historically black university, is leading the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) portion of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite-based research mission.  Currently scheduled for launch in 2004, CALIPSO will use LIDAR (LIght Detection and Ranging), to study earth's atmosphere. The CALIPSO Outreach program works with scientists, teachers, and students to better understand the effects of clouds and aerosols on earth's atmosphere. This program actively involves students nationwide in NASA research by having them obtain sun photometer measurements from their schools and homes for comparison with data collected by the CALIPSO mission.  Students collect data from their classroom ground observations and report the data via the Internet.  Scientists will use the data from the CALIPSO research and the student ground-truthing observations to improve predications about climatic change. The two-band passive remote sensing sun photometer is designed for student use as a stand-alone instrument to study atmospheric turbidity or in conjunction with satellite data to provide ground-truthing.  The instrument will collect measurements of column optical depth from the ground level. These measurements will not only give the students an appreciation for atmospheric turbidity, but will also provide quantitative correlative information to the CALIPSO mission on ground-level optical depth. Student data obtained in this manner will be sufficiently accurate for scientists to use as ground- truthing.  Thus, students will have the opportunity to be involved with a NASA satellite-based research mission. 

Global TIE: Teaching Astronomy through Direct Observation
L. Mayo, (Raytheon ITSS), Planetary Scientist, Code 630, Goddard Space Flight Center, G. Clark (NASA JPL), S. Hoban (U. of MD Baltimore County), T.T. Melsheimer (Meridian Controls, LTO)

The NASA-sponsored Telescopes In Education (TIE) project (http://tie.jpl.nasa.gov) has been wildly successful in engaging the K-12 education community in real-time, hands-on, interactive astronomy activities. Hundreds of schools in the US, Australia, Canada, England, and Japan have participated in the TIE program, remotely controlling the 24-inch telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory from their classrooms. In recent years, several (approximately 20 to date) other telescopes have been, or are in the process of being, outfitted for remote use as TIE affiliates. Global TIE integrates these telescopes seamlessly into one virtual observatory and provides the services required to operate this facility, including a scheduling service, tools for data manipulation, an online proposal review environment, an online Virtual TIE Student journal for publication of results, and access to related educational materials provided by the TIE community. Global TIE seeks to establish a network of research grade telescopes, no longer useful to the professional astronomical community, that can be made accessible to schools all across the country through existing IT technologies and applications. These telescopes will provide unparalleled research and educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of K-12 and college students and turns underutilized observatory facilities into valuable, state-of-the-art teaching centers. Through this network and utilizing professional development certification training programs in astronomy being developed by the TIE team, teachers in K-12 (and beyond) can teach astrophysics, planetary science, solar physics, cosmology, and other space science subjects through real time, hands on observations and data analysis in the classroom, during the school day.

Community Based Astronomy: Bringing Families and Communities Together
L. Mayo, (Raytheon ITSS), Planetary Scientist, Code 630, Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomy in K-12 formal education is still largely underrepresented as a science. Yet, it is arguably one of the most engaging and entertaining of the physical sciences. Many school systems have been slow to adopt curriculum frameworks that include astronomy. Even when astronomy is required either as a distinct subject or hidden within the category of "Earth science", many teachers spend little time on it in their classrooms since they have no formal training in this subject. A community based, informal astronomy education model that incorporates resources from government agencies, industry, local colleges, science centers and planetariums, families, civic groups, schools, and amateur astronomy clubs can provide a solution and be highly effective in creating sustained learning environments in this discipline as well as fostering an atmosphere of general acceptance and promotion of astronomy by whole communities. In addition, the opportunity exists to reinforce the teaching of astronomy in schools through the involvement of these groups in an informal education setting. This paper will discuss a Community Based Astronomy program that has been implemented in Montgomery County, Maryland. The tie-in to formal education through both schools and systemic reform initiatives will be presented. In addition, detailed guidelines for running astronomy clubs in conjunction with family astronomy nights will be provided.

Coordinating Secondary Earth Science List serves through DLESE
Thomas McGuire, cavecreekdigital@qwest.net, (480) 575-1705, or (914) 245-2259), Cave Creek Digital, 38846 North Spur Cross Road, Cave Creek, Arizona 85331

Secondary Earth science teachers often exist in isolation with little or no chance to share ideas and resources. This is especially true in small and rural schools where the person delivering Earth science may not even be trained in the field. The Internet brings us new tools to foster professional communication and provide professional support for all teachers. In 1995 the organization of New York Earth science teachers (E.S.P.R.I.T.) working in conjunction with the State Education Department started a listserv for statewide communications. That group has grown to about 500 teachers who regularly share ideas and expertise with their peers. The New York listserv has become an excellent example of how useful this mode of communication can be and how teachers can be professionally active without leaving their own communities. Similar list serves and on-line newsletters are available in North Carolina, Nebraska, Arizona and Massachusetts. Several individuals and organizations also provide free on-line mailings to Earth science teachers. In addition, the Digital Library for Earth Systems Education (DLESE) sponsors a national geoscience education listserv and a variety of specialized on-line groups. The Earth Science Education Digital Network (ESEDN) is a DLESE project to provide centralized and readily accessible information about these on-line systems of communication and professional supports for pre-college teachers. ESEDN is intended to help both the networks and teaches grow professionally and become more effective.

GeoSciEd IV, Calgary, Canada 2003; An Extraordinary Geo-educational Meeting.
Alan V. Morgan, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2L 3G1, avmorgan@uwaterloo.ca

The fourth International Geoscience Education Organization meeting will be in Calgary, Alberta, August 10 - 14, 2003. Previously held in Australia (2000), Hawai'i (1997), and England (1993), the meetings bring together an eclectic mix of geoscience educators. They include school teachers (all grades involving geology), university and government personnel, industry and consulting practitioners and museum / public outreach participants. The meetings provide ideas for "hands on" geoscience in both classroom settings and field environments, and analytical follow-up on "what worked best and why". Sessions have both oral and poster sessions, with participants in the latter being allowed a brief oral-presentation time. Field trips are integral, although field trip leaders' philosophies have differed between "show and tell" excursions to analytical evaluations of specific stops by all participants. Calgary's participants will find an interesting mix of archeology, dinosaurs, glacial geology and processes, environmental geology, stratigraphy, paleontology, and economic geology (oil, natural gas and coal). These are one-day-only excursions, returning to Calgary each night and will be pre-conference (commencing on August 8 to August 10) and post-conference (commencing on August 15 to August 17). Several involve at least one of three World Heritage sites. There will be a mid-conference field trip held August 13 to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology at Drumheller, 90 miles east of Calgary. Drumheller lies within the world famous "badlands" of the Red Deer valley, where thousands of skeletal remains of late Cretaceous dinosaurs have been exhumed in recent years. We hope to visit a nearby site where dinosaur remains can be seen in field position. GeoSciEd IV will be of interest to all geoscientists involved in teaching and outreach. The Organizing Committee encourages you to think of this as a possible venue in August of 2003. The website is under development but is located at: www.geoscied.org

Geoscape Grand River, Ontario: Geological outreach and education within a River Basin.
Alan V. Morgan, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2L 3G1, avmorgan@uwaterloo.ca

The "Geoscape" concept was first developed by Bob Turner and John Clague in 1995 in "Geoscape Vancouver", a colourful poster designed to increase public awareness of geological issues in the City of Vancouver environs. Explanations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and other geological phenomena were presented with scientific accuracy and simple language. Teachers prepared exercises, notes, overheads and slides associated with the poster. In the last few years "Geoscapes" have been produced and planned for many Canadian cities. A different Geoscape is proposed for the Grand River Basin west of Toronto. Almost 300 km in length, the Grand flows from the region south of Georgian Bay to Lake Erie, encompassing an area of 6,700 km2. The Grand River Geoscape (GRG) presents challenges that are quite significant. However, because GRG is watershed-based, it joins rural and urban populations (800,000 people live within the basin) and it will provide educators with geological links between two different sociological structures. Ten themes provide the basic structure of GRG. Solid and surficial geology, Quaternary organisms and past climate change, extractive industries, groundwater supplies, waste disposal and recycling, the tributaries of the Grand River, natural hazards within the basin (flooding), human modification of the watershed and future climate change. Groups that have contributed, and/or will contribute, to the project include teachers and students, the Grand River Conservation Authority; governments throughout the watershed; museums, consulting companies and many volunteers. Funding comes from the Ontario Ministry of Education Science and Technology, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Grand River Conservation Authority. The project has a preliminary web site that will be upgraded and modernized as the different modules become viable entities in themselves. The presentation explores several of these modules and illustrates how this can be an appropriate engine to drive many geological education themes within any school system.

EarthComm: A New Inquiry Driven, Standards-Based High School Earth Science Curriculum
Matthew Smith and Caitlin Callahan, mcs@agiweb.org, cnc@agiweb.org, 703-379-2480, American Geological Institute, 4220 King St., Alexandria, VA 22302-1502

The American Geological Institute (AGI) has recently produced a new high school Earth Science curriculum in association with Its About Time Publishing. This curriculum, entitled EarthComm, Earth System Science in the Community, consists of five modules. Each module can be used independently, or the five can be combined in any order to form a more comprehensive curriculum. EarthComm is guided in design and approach by the National Science Education Standards (1995), AGI’s Earth Science Content Guidelines Grades K-12, and other major science education curriculum and reform programs. Additional funding for the development and implementation of EarthComm has been provided by the AGI foundation and its corporate contributors. EarthComm provides a comprehensive secondary-level educational program in the Earth Sciences that includes student learning materials, teacher resources (both materials and teacher-support networks), and assessment tools for a hands-on, inquiry-driven, instructional program.  EarthComm does not cover as many topics as the traditional Earth Science textbook. It emphasizes important concepts, understandings, and abilities that all students can use to make wise decisions, think critically, and understand and appreciate the earth system. The goals of the EarthComm program are to: 1) teach students the principles and practices of Earth science and to demonstrate the relevance of Earth science to their life and environment; 2) approach Earth Science through the problem-solving, community-based model in which the teacher plays the role of facilitator; 3) establish an expanded learning environment which incorporates field work, technological access to data, and traditional classroom and laboratory activities; 4) support the development of communities of learners by establishing student teams and by building a greater regional and national community through telecommunication access; and 5) utilize local and regional issues and concerns to stimulate problem-solving activities and to foster a sense of Earth stewardship by students in their communities. EarthComm was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (ESI 9452789) and AGI Foundation. Further information is available at http://www.agiweb.org/earthcomm/

Classroom Participation in Authentic Research as an Integral Component of National Earth Science Education Reform
Harnik, Paul G.; Ross, Robert M.; Allmon, Warren D.; Sherpa, James M., Nester, Peter L., pgh3@cornell.edu, rmr16@cornell.edu, 607 273 6623, Paleontological Research Institution, 1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, NY 14850

The National Science Education Standards strongly recommend that students experience open-ended inquiry through classroom participation in authentic scientific research. A few nationally significant student-scientist partnerships (SSPs) emerged in the 1990s, but even these reach relatively few students; data collected mostly remains underutilized, and the pedagogical impact is poorly known. Authentic research experiences will become a nationally significant part of Earth science educational reform only when both scientific and educational communities are satisfied and aware that student-scientist partnerships are highly beneficial to their respective endeavors. For large scale implementation of SSP projects to occur, development must happen in the following three areas: (1), models to assess whether data quality is sufficient to answer research questions of interest; (2) models of formative evaluation to document any educational impacts that SSPs have beyond other available hands-on activities, and (3) protocols for informal science education providers to act as liaison administrators of projects (e.g., Ledley 2001). The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) has been testing two SSP models. One SSP involves closer collaboration with a PRI paleontologist educator (the “Devonian Seas Project”) and reaches relatively local audiences, while the other project reaches students nationally but involves little direct interaction with PRI staff (the “Mastodon Matrix Project”). The Devonian Seas Project involves collection of data to document paleoecological and evolutionary change in marine faunas from the Devonian of Central New York. The project will involve approximately 200 fourth through ninth grade classrooms in Syracuse and Utica, NY over 2 school years. The Mastodon Matrix Project involves participants from hundreds of classrooms sorting and interpreting a sample of fossil-rich sediments from mastodon excavations undertaken by PRI and Cornell. Prototypes of both projects over the past two years have involved outside evaluation and data quality assessment. PRI SSPs are now entering more formalized classroom implementation and data collection. 

Shared Air: A Program for Collaborative Exploration of our Atmospheric Environment
Perry J. Samson, Samson@umich.edu, 734-763-6213, University of Michigan, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic & Space Sciences, 1539 Space Research Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2143

One significant way in which middle and high school students can learn about the earth sciences is to collect, share and interpret data that is used in earth science research. The Shared Air program has been developed to provide a unique opportunity for students to explore their atmospheric environment through collaborative studies of how the characteristics and quality of air change as it moves from one locale to another. Students make observations of weather (winds, clouds, humidity, temperature, etc.) and air quality (visibility at a minimum, pollen counts, other local air quality measures if available) and record these on electronic forms.  The forms plus auxiliary comments are attached to “virtual balloons” that are “released” by the class to be transported by the observed winds to downwind locations where other students may review their observations and comments, add their own and analyze changes from day to day.  Meanwhile the class that sends the balloons can track where they go and communicate with classes downwind.  This platform provides a forum for discussion of how air is shared and how the actions and conditions of one community can influence the air quality, weather and even health in another.  The system also can serve as a forum for informed discussion of whether health-related biological material may be transmitted by the winds. 

NASA-funded Signals of Spring
Glen Schuster, gschuster@signalsofspring.net, 914.332.8566, U.S. Satellite Laboratory, 505 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591

Signals of Spring is an “inquiry-centered” project that trains and engages teachers and students in an authentic, collaborative exploration of bird and marine animal migrations.  The project makes use of real-time NASA earth imagery, GIS and remote sensing technology to track the springtime movements of birds and marine animals such as Bald Eagles, Osprey, Sandhill Cranes, Red-tailed hawks, whales and Loggerhead sea turtles. Using the grade-appropriate curriculum materials developed by the Laboratory, teachers are able to use the annual migration ritual with students to study and explain real phenomena.  At the same time, students learn many underlying science, technology and geography concepts that meet Standards and Benchmarks of the AAAS. Teachers separate students into expert teams to study and apply topics as varied as topography, wetlands, species, weather, vegetation, bathymetry, sea surface, and phytoplankton, as they relate to the animal species they are tracking. The student teams share their research in classroom presentations and justify an animal’s movement online, through interactive analysis journals maintained on the Laboratory’s server.   A unique feature of Signals of Spring is the opportunity students are provided to interact with wildlife and earth scientists who randomly review and pose questions to the students online.  Students can also pose questions to the scientists.  Subsequently, students can edit journal entries to reflect further consideration. The project may be taught in one year or over multiple years so that students gain a deeper understanding of the interdependency of animals and their world. In-service and new, online training is available for middle and high school teachers.

Collaborative Curriculum Development with Carolina Biological Supply Company
Alan Scott, alan.scott@carolina.com, 336-538-6318, Carolina Biological Supply Company, 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC  27215

Exciting new curriculums are being produced at Carolina Biological Supply Company with the help of our partners and affiliates.  We would like to share some of the work that we are doing with our partners including the Jason Foundation, the National Science Resource Center, Baylor College of Medicine and more!   Come by and learn about the exciting programs being produced with these partners as well as others. Also, learn how you and/or your organization could work with Carolina to provide exciting new curriculum materials for educators.

Supporting the Revolution: An Inquiry-based Graduate Program in Earth/Space Science for K–12 Educators
William Slattery, william.slattery@wright.edu, 937-775-3455, Wright State University Department of Geological Sciences and Teacher Education, 260 Brehm Lab, Dayton, Ohio 45435

In the past decade many states have legislated higher academic standards for K-12 students and teachers as well as high stakes testing in several academic areas, including science for K-12 students.  For example, in Ohio the Department of Education adopted the content and framework of the National Science Education Standards as a framework for the Ohio Proficiency tests in science.  For the first time, Earth/Space science became a required subject at all grade levels in Ohio schools.  However, many K-12 educators do not have a strong preparation in the sciences, especially Earth/Space science, in their own academic backgrounds, and therefore have difficulty preparing their students for the high stakes testing program. Consequently, Wright State University's Department of Geological Sciences has experienced a dramatic increase in K-12 teacher enrollment in its Master of Science in Teaching (Earth Science) program.  K-12 teacher enrollment has risen from one participant in the 1994-1995 academic year to over sixty full time participants at the beginning of the 2001-2002 academic year. The Master of Science in Teaching (Earth Science) program combines science and pedagogy.  The suggested curriculum is based on the NSTA guidelines for the preparation of K-12 science teachers.  Classes are offered evenings and on-line during the academic year, and as concentrated field based experiences during the summer months.  A substantial independent classroom action research project is a program requirement.  Ongoing assessment of Master of Science in Teaching (Earth Science) graduates suggest that the program has increased their science content knowledge and has enhanced their confidence in facilitating inquiry based science for their K-12 students.

Efforts to Promote Earth Science Education by the American Meteorological Society (1991-2001)
David R Smith, Ira W. Geer, drsmith@usna.edu, 410-293-6553, United States Naval Academy (representing the American Meteorological Society), Oceanography Department, 572M Holloway Road, Annapolis, MD 21402

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has actively promoted Earth Science education for a decade.  While its efforts have been primarily in the areas of weather and climate, it has also been active in physical oceanography, and now in Earth Systems Science.   Programs span the educational spectrum from kindergarten to introductory undergraduate levels, with development of both resource materials and teacher enhancement.  The poster will provide a synopsis of AMS educational activities and how they have supported Earth Science education. The Council of the American Meteorological Society initiated the education program in 1991.  With a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), AMS established its first program, a teacher enhancement program called Project ATMOSPHERE.  In addition to a summer workshop for teachers and development of educational resource materials for meteorology, a national network of Atmospheric Education Resource Agents was established.  These teachers provide peer training for other teachers in their respective states.  In 1994, a second teacher enhancement program was established.  The Maury Project, modeled after Project ATMOSPHERE, focused on the physical foundations of oceanography.  A cadre of peer trainers was also formed to assist with teaching a variety of topics in oceanography. In 1995, AMS initiated a distance-learning course in meteorology for teachers called DataStreme.   Instruction and numerous weather products are delivered over the Internet.  Over 5800 teachers have completed this program working through as many as 91 local implementation teams across the country.  A similar program, called Online Weather, was developed to provide online instruction to students at undergraduate institutions.  Over schools have licensed in this semester-long course, which delivers instructional materials including near real-time weather products appropriate   Currently, there is a focus to promote the study of the atmospheric sciences at minority-serving institutions in an effort to increase diversity by reaching under represented groups. The most recent initiative is the Water in the Earth System program.  This distance-learning course is modeled after DataStreme and provides teacher enhancement focusing on the water cycle and water processes from an Earth System’s perspective.  This program is expected to reach several thousand K-12 teachers over the next few years providing valuable instructional resource material over the Internet through 35 local implementation teams. AMS education programs have made a significant contribution to Earth Science education over the past ten years.  They have conducted courses, in residence and electronically, developed instructional materials, and delivered numerous scientific products suitable for the classroom.  In addition, and perhaps most importantly, AMS has established an infrastructure, partnering K-12 teachers with scientists at government agencies and universities.  This infrastructure provides a firm foundation upon which Earth Science education can grow and prosper. 

The Landsat 7 Education and Outreach Strategy
Stephanie Stockman, Jeannette Allen and Frank Niepold III, stockman@core2.gsfc.nasa.gov, 301-614-6457, Science Systems and Applications, Inc. NASA/GSFC, Code 921, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD  20781

Landsat 7 is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) program, a long-term coordinated research effort dedicated to studying how our global environment is changing. It is the latest in a series of satellites that have provided a continuous set of calibrated Earth science data to users worldwide since the early 1970s. Since its launch in April, 1999 Landsat 7 has been providing images of the land surface and surrounding coastal regions that are utilized in a wide range of Earth system science (ESS) applications including: monitoring global deforestation, estimating soil moisture, monitoring wildfire damage, and assessing land use change over time. The goal of the Landsat 7 education program is to bring these applications of Landsat 7 data (and Landsat data in general) to K-16 classrooms. To achieve this goal we have developed an educational strategy that relies on collaboration with pre-existing ESS education programs as well as initiating new projects. The key components of the Landsat 7 education strategy are: 1) Identification of current Landsat-based education products and programs that can be utilized to teach ESS content at various grade levels. 2) Coordination of these programs to provide Landsat 7 data to enhance existing education projects. 3) Identify the "missing pieces" for K-16 audience and target new program development in these areas (either by content and/or grade level). 4) Creation of a training and dissemination network through NASA and other ESS organizations.

The EOS Aura Education and Public Outreach Strategy
Stephanie Stockman, Ernest Hillsenrath, Jeannette Allen, stockman@core2.gsfc.nasa.gov, 301-614-6457, Science Systems and Applications, Inc. NASA/GSFC, Code 921, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20781

One of the challenges faced by NASA satellite missions is the creation and distribution educational and public outreach (EPO) material with a limited amount funding. This poster will detail the approach developed to support EOS Aura, a four-instrument atmospheric chemistry satellite that will launch in 2003. The mission focuses on collecting data to help answer three major science questions: Is the Earth's ozone layer recovering? Is air quality getting worse? How is Earth's climate changing? The Aura project has created several strategic partnerships within the formal and informal education communities that facilitate the development and dissemination of materials to foster the understanding of the Aura mission and its major science questions. Partners and programs include the American Chemical Society ChemMatters magazine, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History "Forces of Change" program, and the GLOBE Program. Each of the Aura EPO collaborations is built around pre-existing programs within the partner organizations. The partner organizations bring formal and informal education expertise, pre-existing education products, networks of educators, and large target audiences to the Aura EPO program. The Aura mission provides funding, science and technological expertise, materials created for the mission such as physical models and scientific visualizations, as well as access to NASA's nationwide education network. The goal is to leverage limited EPO resources to reach educators, students and the public through a variety of mechanisms. 

TerraDynamica.org:  A Web and Field-based Exploration of how the Sciences Relate to One Another in Nature.
Andrew C. Warnock, warnock@csmate.colostate.edu, (970) 491-2845, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, Colorado State University, B301 Natural and Environmental Sciences Building, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1802

Earth scientists have made significant progress in promoting the view of the earth as a complex system.  It has become clear that to comprehend this complex system, one must have a strong background in all of the sciences.  Unfortunately, most disciplines of science are still well segregated making it quite difficult for the student to learn the physical relationships that cross the traditional academic boundaries.  The goal of the TerraDynamica web site is to bring together students interested in different disciplines of science and challenge them to think about physical relationships in nature. The site contains a collection of six field-based projects that each produce results which vary regionally.  The projects include determining the prevailing wind direction from trees sculpted by the wind, measuring the pH of rain water and groundwater, measuring gravity very accurately using a calibrated pendulum, identifying common trees, measuring the declination and inclination of the geomagnetic field, and identifying rocks.  There is an emphasis on field notes and topographic location maps, which make these exercises, seem more exciting and relevant to the student.  By sharing regionally variable data from different scientific disciplines, the students are challenged to discover scientific relationships and principles on their own. To facilitate the discovery process, we have created a virtual map room and a virtual view of a real field area located somewhere in North America.  It is the student's job to explore the field area virtually, collect clues, and then refer to the maps in the map room to narrow down the possible location of this "lost" field area.  This will encourage the student to compare and contrast the mapped data.  Short video clips will further help them discover links. The web site will be open to the public in Summer 2002.  You may preview the site at http://www.terradynamica.org

Science Assessments for Learners and Teachers (SALT)
Andrew C. Warnock and Edward E. Geary, warnock@csmate.colostate.edu, egeary@csmate.colostate.edu, (970) 491-2845, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, Colorado State University, B301 Natural and Environmental Sciences Building, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1802

With the growing emphasis on assessment in education there is an urgent need for high quality test questions that are designed to challenge students to use deductive reasoning and the scientific method.  These types of questions often involve graphical images and can be very time consuming and difficult for a teacher to develop.  With SALT, we set out to provide teachers with easy access to a broad spectrum of exemplary field-tested assessment items.  We are currently mining assessment items from existing sources, however, in the process we hope to identify gaps in the available resources that could lead to opportunities to develop new items.  Quality assurance will be based on an expert review process as well as direct input from teachers in the field.  An item rating system based on reviewer and teacher comments will accompany the classroom performance statistics. The collection will be searchable via the Internet at no cost.  Educators can Browse by Category and/or search by Keyword and National Science Standard.  All queries can be limited to a specific grade interval or question type.  Search results are presented in the browser so that the user can copy and paste into their word processor, or there is the option to download a fully editable Word or RTF file.  Also in development is an exam creation tool which will allow teachers to select multiple questions, save them as a single file, and then open them in a word processor for editing and further customization. The prototype web site can be found at http://www.csmate.colostate.edu/demo

Improving Teacher Content Knowledge of Regional Geology as an Important Component of Earth Science Education Eeform
Ross, Robert M.; Picconi, Jane E., rmr16@cornell.edu, jea25@cornell.edu, 607-273-6623, Paleontological Research Institution, 1259 Trumansburg Road , Ithaca, NY  14850

The National Science Education Standards stress the importance of providing concrete real-world examples relevant to students’ lives and communities. In Earth science this means not only teachers noting the existence of specific rocks or landforms within a region, but helping students make sense of the spatial relationships among rocks, fossils, landforms and natural resources through understanding of key regional historical tectonic and climatic events. This need is especially critical with the development of national inquiry-based curricula such as AGI’s EarthComm and IES, which incorporate activities that benefit substantially from teacher content knowledge of local and regional geology. The many who teach Earth science out-of-field tend to feel unqualified to lead inquiry-based discussions of textbook concepts applied to the world outside the classroom. Surveys of Earth science teachers at workshops and science teacher conventions indicate that the vast majority of teachers do value teaching with reference to regional geology, but many feel inadequately prepared to do so; for example, at the recent National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Convention in St. Louis (2001), a PRI survey found that 61% of teachers incorporated regional and local geology into their curricula only sometimes, rarely, or not at all. 

Existing professional development resources tend to be focused on individual states or smaller areas, are too detailed for over committed teachers, or are not written with secondary school curricula and science educational standards in mind. There are very few regional syntheses of knowledge available for teachers that present the geology and geological history of a multi-state region in a clear, concise, and approachable manner. As a response to this need, the Paleontological Research Institution is in the process of creating a national series of seven “teacher-friendly” regional geology guides.  The first, for the Northeastern U.S., is available in print copy and on the Internet at http://www.priweb.org/ed/TFGuide/tfg_main.htm

Incorporating Real-Time Earthquakes into General Education Natural Hazards Courses
Jaime Whitlock, whitlock@geodyn.psu.edu, 814-867-7427, Penn State Geodynamics Group, 542 Deike Bldg., Penn State Geosciences, University Park, PA 16802
Natural hazard courses are playing an increasingly important role in college and university earth science curricula. Students' intrinsic curiosity about the subject and the potential to make the course relevant to the interests of both science and non-science students make natural hazards courses popular additions to a department's offerings. However, one vital aspect of "real-life" natural hazard management that has not translated well into the classroom is the real-time nature of both events and response. Although a variety of web sites provide near real-time postings of natural hazards, students essentially learn of the event after the fact. As a result, the "time factor" and personal responsibility associated with natural hazard response is lost to the students. We have integrated the real-time aspects of earthquake response by implementing a modification of the USGS Earthworm Database Management System (E-DBMS), which catalogs current global seismic activity. It provides earthquake professionals with real-time email/cell phone alerts of global seismic activity and access to the data for review/revision purposes. We have established an Earthworm server at Penn State that receives national and global seismic network data and, in turn, transmits the alerts to "on-duty" students via cell phones. These students are responsible to react to the alarm real-time, consulting other classmates and accessing the E-DBMS server and other links to glean information that they then use to make decisions. Students wrestle with the complications in interpreting natural hazard data, evaluating whether a response is needed, and problems such as those associated with communication between media and the public. Although earthquakes are targeted at present, similar DBMS systems are envisioned for other natural hazards like flooding, volcanoes, and severe weather. We are testing this system as a prototype intended to be expanded to provide web-based access to classes at both the middle/high school and college/university levels.