Making the Case for GeoSTEM Education

Transcription

1 Volume XXVIII, Issue 4 Page 25 Makig the Case for GeoSTEM Educatio By Joh D. Moore, Peter Dorofy, Missy Holzer ad Jeelle Hopkis Photo take from High Altitude BallooSat Project with Drexel Uiversity Source: Drexel Uiversity Space Laboratory Abstract As the atioal Sciece-Techology-Egieerig-Mathematics (STEM) policy makers work through reports, fidigs, forums, workshops, etc., there emerges a opportuity to preset the strog case of why ad how the role of the Geoscieces commuity ca ad should be at the forefrot of these discussios. Curretly existig withi the Geoscieces scietific ad educatioal commuity are policies, frameworks, guidace, iovative techology, ad uique iterdiscipliary Earth System data sets that will establish a pathway to the role of the Geoscieces i the classroom, i the 21 st Cetury workforce, ad i society. The questio may be raised, Why GeoSTEM? But the real questio should be Why ot? There is strog support for the Sciece-Techology-Egieerig-Techology (STEM) Educatio Iitiative, i the Uited States. Perhaps it is because the impact of STEM moves beyod the traditioal compartmetalizatio of topics withi the educatioal commuity ito other areas of iterest such as 21 st Cetury Workforce Developmet, ad Career ad Techical Educatio (CTE). STEM has bee idetified as a major cotributig factor liked to our future atioal ecoomy ad security. Therefore, the stakes are high educatio, ecoomy, atioal security. As a atio, we eed to get this right. There are several recet ad sigificat publicatios that provide isight o key issues related to STEM educatio. They are: Prepare ad Ispire: K-12 Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Math Educatio for America s Future (Presidet s Coucil of Advisors for Sciece ad Techology, 2010), Successful K-12 STEM Educatio: Idetifyig Effective Approaches i Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Mathematics (Natioal Academy of Scieces, 2011), A Visio for K-12 Educatio i the Scieces ad Egieerig (NAS K-12 Sciece Framework, 2011), Preparig the Next Geeratio of STEM Iovators: Idetifyig ad Developig our Natio s Huma Capital (Natioal Sciece Board, 2010), ad Buildig a Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Math Educatio Ageda (Natioal Goveror s Associatio, 2011). After readig through these documets ad publicatios, atioal priorities ad potetial strategies begi to emerge. Why GeoSTEM? Why Now? Over the past several years the Geoscieces have domiated the ews cycle. As we face future atural ad huma geerated hazards ad disasters such as the Gulf Oil Spill, ot to metio issues

2 Page 26 The Earth Scietist cofrotig society such as Climate Chage, Sustaiability ad Eergy, the Geoscieces have a critical role i the public awareess, safety, ad atioal security of our atio. I the past year we have experieced volcaic eruptios, earthquakes, tsuamis, hurricaes, toradoes, wildfires, severe drought ad floodig, outbreaks of severe weather. Hurricae Sady with its devastatig impacts o Jersey shore, New York City, ad ilad as far as Chicago, is but the most recet example of the urget eed ad use of Geospatial ad Evirometal Itelligece, ad yet it is becomig icreasig more difficult to fid opportuities i K-12 educatio for studets to egage i such relevat ad related studies. Figure 1. Because of Hurricae Sady, Log Beach Islad o the Jersey Shore experieced massive loss of beach ad dues. Note where the house pait eds o the piligs, represetig the pre-sady sad elevatio/depth. I the roadways, there were reports of up to 4 feet of displaced sad. Photo by permissio of Robert P. Wato Figure 2: Geospatial Techologies studets coduct LadSat Image Aalysis usig Image J Source: Joh Moore What implicatios will this have o the 21 st Cetury workforce? To address this issue, some teachers are preparig their studets by usig satellite ad remote sesig techologies to icorporate imagery, data, ad real time observatios ito the classroom. Geographic Iformatio Systems cotet is beig taught as a techical skill, ad is used to develop Geospatial Thikig i problem solvig. As evideced by these examples, the Geoscieces Educatio Commuity has a opportuity to iform ad ifluece policy makers i the developmet of emergig atioal STEM Educatio Iitiatives due to its iterdiscipliary ature. The Geoscieces Educatioal Commuity has provided leadership through establishig several powerful frameworks to meet these challeges. I October 2009, the Natioal Sciece Foudatio s Advisory Committee for the Geoscieces (AC GEO) published the GEO Visio Report, which outlies a visio, goals, challeges, recommedatios ad a call to actio for the geoscieces commuity at large. As stated i the report, the Geo Visio is to: foster a sustaiable future through a better uderstadig of our complex ad chagig plaet. I 2010 the Natioal Sciece Foudatio s Geosciece Educatio ad Diversity Strategic Framework was released. The Forward captures the discussio: As the secod decade of the 21st cetury ufolds, the geoscieces commuity stads at a importat threshold. Rapid advaces i our uderstadig of Earth s complex, iter-coected systems have led us to recogize that the well-beig of huma society is tightly coupled with the behavior ad evolutio of Earth Systems. Icreasigly, huma activities play a ifluetial role i the behavior of these systems, particularly those related to climate, evirometal quality, ad atural resources. Sigificat challeges will cofrot a growig populatio i the comig decades as the impacts of global climate chage, sea level rise, ocea acidificatio, dimiished fresh water ad other atural resources, ad atural hazards are realized. Thus, the scietific questios beig explored by geoscietists address issues that are amog the most importat facig the atio. The Federal agecies, supported by scietific societies ad orgaizatios, have produced ad published several literacy documets. The Literacies, short ad to the poit, yet extremely robust i terms of cotet, establish a baselie of uderlyig priciples ad cocepts that they feel all Americas should uderstad. They iclude Essetial Priciples ad Fudametal Cocepts for Atmospheric

3 Volume XXVIII, Issue 4 Page 27 Literacy, Ocea Literacy: The Essetial Priciples of Ocea Scieces, Climate Literacy: The Essetials Priciples of Climate Sciece, Earth Sciece Literacy Priciples: The Big Ideas ad Supportig Cocepts of Earth Sciece ad Eergy Literacy: Essetial Priciples ad Fudametal Cocepts for Eergy Educatio. These literacy documets represet frameworks from which to build, ad the guidace required for developig GeoSTEM focused policy documets. Embrace the Age of Big Data Amazig earth observig programs have bee developed sice the lauch of Sputik i The Earth Observig System, which has a fleet of satellites gatherig data ad images from space, to Natioal Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), a cotietal-scale ecological observatio system for examiig critical ecological issues, to Earthscope, a 10 year program desiged to gather seismic data from across North America, to US Itegrated Ocea Observig System (IOOS), a vital tool for trackig, predictig, maagig, ad adaptig to chages i our ocea, coastal ad Great Lakes eviromet, Big Data about the earth is becomig more ad more available for classroom use. Dr. Joh Holdre, Assistat to Presidet Obama ad Director of the White House Office of Sciece ad Techology Policy, i a statemet addressig the issue of Big Data reported, I the same way that the past Federal ivestmets i the iformatio-techology R&D led to dramatic advaces i supercomputig ad the creatio of the iteret, the iitiative we are lauchig today promises to trasform our ability to use Big Data for scietific discovery, evirometal ad biomedical research, educatio, ad atioal security. I 2010, the Natioal Sciece Foudatio Directorate for Geoscieces uveiled its EarthCube Iitiative. EarthCube is the Geosciece Cyberifrastructure prototype for NSF s Cyberifrastructure Framework for 21st Cetury (CIF21) created i a effort to build a uified cyberifrastructure framework for the geoscieces. CIF21 is NSF s flagship effort for Big Data for the followig reasos; (1) Cyberifrastructure (CI) is part of the research fabric of Geoscieces, (2) Geoscietists are sophisticated CI users ad creators, (3) NSF ad other agecies support substatial ifrastructure ad research that will form the foudatio of Earth Cube, ad (4) the Commuity is coected by the sciece as well as collegial relatioships. From Big Data to GeoSTEM a picture of a ew classroom laboratory emerges: The Remote Sesig Laboratory Moitorig the Earth as a System. The Geoscieces commuity explores the iterdiscipliary scieces while studyig the iteractios of the Oceas Earth Atmosphere Space thus meetig oe of the criteria of STEM ad clearly justifyig the creatio of GeoSTEM. Figure 3. Natioal Sciece Foudatio Earth Cube Source: NSF Directorate for Geoscieces The Next Geeratio Sciece Stadards recogizes the accessibility of Big Data for classroom use. This documet states that vast amouts of ew data, especially from satellites, together with moder coceptual models, are revealig the complexity of the iteractig systems that cotrol the ever-chagig surface. Ad may of the coclusios draw from this sciece, alog with some of the evidece from which they are draw, are accessible to today s studets (A Framework for K-12 Sciece Educatio, pg. 170). GeoSTEM approaches, bridge from simple professioal use of Big Data, to classroom use of Big Data. Implemetig GeoSTEM: The GeoSTEM Master Teacher Corps The Presidet s Coucil of Advisors for Sciece ad Techology, ad more recetly Presidet Obama himself, called for the developmet of a atioal STEM Master Teacher Corps. The Geoscieces commuity, through may existig programs i teacher professioal developmet, ca through the creatio of a GeoSTEM Master Teacher Corps have the potetial of developig teacher cotet ad leadership that exists withi the curret commuity. These GeoSTEM Master

4 Page 28 The Earth Scietist Teachers by brigig cuttig edge cotet, itroducig associated techologies, ad studet opportuities i America s future workforce, will ehace the Geosciece Pipelie. The Geosciece Pipelie, a K-12 educatioal ad workforce developmet approach, ca also create opportuities for ehacig diversity withi that pipelie as a major compoet of the strategy. It is about icorporatig what the Uited States of America does best, establishig a pathway for iovatio. GeoSTEM offers studets the opportuity to participate i STEM, ot just lear about it. GeoSTEM Master Teachers ca guide studets alog the pathway toward their future. A ogoig GeoSTEM educatioal edeavor to egage teachers ad studets i a iovative study of Plaet Earth from both earthboud ad space bore perspectives usig state-of-the-art techologies ad educatioal resources is required. The Istitute for Earth Observatios at the Palmyra Cove Nature Park ad Evirometal Discovery Ceter i New Jersey has a work i progress, idetifyig the characteristics ad potetial requiremets of a GeoSTEM Master Teacher ad provides opportuities for teachers to acquire professioal developmet ad collaborate with oe aother i developig best practices ad teacher leadership. A GeoSTEM Master Teachers Corp should possess a documeted workig kowledge ad/ or experiece(s) i the followig areas: 1. STEM Policy, Geoscieces Iitiatives ad Educatioal Frameworks 2. Established atioal ad iteratioal programs with direct classroom applicatios 3. Advaced cotet i the Geoscieces ad/or Remote Sesig fields 4. Evidece of Leadership The GeoSTEM Master Teacher should be able to provide evidece that he/she: expads the study of our plaet through the use of remote sesig ad geospatial techologies such as usig real time data builds upo established Geosciece related field studies, observatios, ad measuremets provides leadership for developig STEM (Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Mathematics) applicatios i the classroom explores Geosciece career pathways for readiess i the 21st cetury workforce Figure 4. CubeSat Prepared for experimetal operatioal test o NASA s Zero G Flight. Source: Joh Moore documets professioal developmet for teachers through a series of topics that develop cotet, classroom applicatios, ad leadership. What Might GeoSTEM Look Like i the Classroom? Twety-five years ago a teacher ad a small group of studets outside of West Chester, PA, bega a project to build a satellite receivig statio at their school to capture Polar Orbitig Satellite Imagery for use i their classroom. Fast forward to 2012, studets desig ad develop CubeSats, ao-satellites 10cm o each edge, which are lauched ito space as secodary payloads. Oe such project, Buildig, Lauchig, Utilizig, ad Educatig usig CubeSats, BLUECUBE (Moore, J. ad Simmos, K.), is steppig studets through ot oly the Egieerig process, but the Geosciece applicatios of the data as well. Accordig to Moore ad Simmos, We propose alterig curret educatioal practices by usig CubeSats as a disruptive techology. Just as curret scietific research reflects a ew era of multidiscipliary studies,

5 Volume XXVIII, Issue 4 Page 29 so should the preparatio of studets reflect crosscuttig experieces, kowledge, ad critical thikig skills. CubeSats allow educators ad studets to experiece authetic sciece, coduct relevat research, ad acquire marketable skills for the 21st Cetury workforce. Research shows that studets are better egaged by hads o istructio ad lear through experiece. Project Based Learig ad Systems Egieerig allow studets to apply the scietific ad egieerig methods to real world problem solvig. Expadig o prove past laboratory ivestigatios, field work, ad ivestigatig the earth as a system, studets have the opportuity to study the plaet from the top-dow, ad the bottom-up, applyig the Space to Earth: Earth to Space (SEES) Model (Moore, J). A recet app release called SatCam (Uiversity of Wiscosi s Space Sciece ad Egieerig Ceter) demostrates this process to perfectio. Trackig earth orbitig satellites based o a GPS readig from you ipad or iphoe, the app otifies the user of impedig satellite passes, prompts the user to take a vertical view picture, horizotal (ladscape), ad meteorological observatios. Figure 5 (left). BLUECUBE GeoSTEM Iitiative Project Source: BLUECUBE Project Figure 6 (right). Peter Dorofy, Joh Moore, ad Drexel Uiversity s Space Laboratory studets collaborate with Professor Ji Kag Ph.D. i a High Altitude Balloo (HAB) Lauch Project. Source: Joh Moore Oce the observatios are submitted, the satellite image with your marked locatio is icluded i your observatio record. Therefore, studets are makig observatios from the bottom-up ad Figure 7 (left). SatCam Image of Califoria Coastlie ear Los Ageles Source: Space Sciece ad Egieerig Ceter at the Uiversity of Wiscosi-Madiso Figure 8 (right). SatCam Image of New Jersey Source: Space Sciece ad Egieerig Ceter at the Uiversity of Wiscosi-Madiso

6 Page 30 The Earth Scietist receivig the top-dow image. The otio that studets ca participate i scietific discovery outside the classroom, aywhere ad aytime, gives a studet the opportuity to explore the plaet ad develop persoal iterests aroud the plaet, eve at a iteratioal level, ad exemplifies proposed strategies i both Sciece ad STEM Educatio. Figure 9. Drexel Uiversity HAB BallooSat Imagery take over Easter Pesylvaia Source: Drexel Uiversity Space Laboratory A Visio for the Future Plaet Earth will be moitored, observed, ad studied as a Earth System, i real or ear real time. Policy-makers, decisiomakers, scietists, teachers, studets, ad citizes will ot oly participate i the process, but come to use such iformatio ad data routiely i their daily lives. 3-D data visualizatios, virtual field trips, ad iteractive imagery from space all will cotribute to the doig of real sciece i real time. Policy- Makers have liked STEM Educatio to our future ecoomy ad atioal security, the GeoSTEM commuity ca deliver added value through leveragig curret ad future Geosciece-related resources that moitor our plaet ad protect the life ad property of our citizes. Refereces Executive Office of the Presidet, Office of Sciece Techology Policy, Holdre, J. (2012), Big Data Research ad Developmet Iitiative. Executive Office of the Presidet, Presidet s Coucil of Advisors o Sciece ad Techology. (2010), Prepare ad Ispire: K-12 Educatio i Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Math (STEM) for America s Future. Moore, J.D., Simmos, K.E. (2012), Satellites ad Educatio Coferece, Califoria State Uiversity LA, A New Era of Observatios: To Observe the Earth ad Visualize the Future. Natioal Academy of Scieces, (2011), A Visio for K-12 Educatio i the Scieces ad Egieerig. Natioal Academy of Scieces, (2011), Successful K-12 STEM Educatio: Idetifyig Effective Approaches i Sciece, Techology, Egieerig, ad Mathematics. Natioal Goveror s Associatio, (2011), Buildig a Sciece, Techology. Egieerig ad Mathematics Educatio Ageda. Natioal Research Coucil, (2011), A Framework for K-12 Sciece Educatio: Practices, Crosscuttig Cocepts, ad Core Ideas. Natioal Sciece Board, (2010), Preparig the Next Geeratio of STEM Iovators: Idetifyig ad developig our Natio s Huma Capital. Natioal Sciece Foudatio, Advisory Committee for the Geoscieces, (2009), GEO Visio. Natioal Sciece Foudatio, Directorate for Geoscieces, (2010), Geosciece Educatio ad Diversity Strategic Framework Natioal Sciece Foudatio, Directorate for Geoscieces, (2011), Dear Colleague Letter: The Earth Cube Towards a Natioal Data Ifrastructure for Earth Systems Sciece. Palmyra Cove Nature Park ad Evirometal Discovery Ceter, Istitute for Earth Observatios, www. palmyracove.org