ENGAGE Workshop
Arlington, Virginia, United States

The final workshop report is NOW AVAILABLE (at right)

Overview

Significant advances in both the geosciences and in STEM education have taken place in recent years, such that early-career professionals face a different and evolving landscape of what we teach, how we teach, and how we communicate the broader impacts of our research. Adding urgency to the task is the projection of an increased need for geoscientists and professionals with an understanding of geoscience, due to anticipated retirements from the baby-boomer generation and job growth in geoscience-related careers. In response, the National Science Foundation is funding a workshop to bring together early-career researchers to explore collaborative approaches that leverage advances in both geoscience disciplines and in geoscience education.

This workshop is designed to catalyze relationships, understandings, and collaborations between early career disciplinary researchers in the earth, atmospheric, ocean, and polar sciences and scientific discipline based education researchers (DBERs) in the geosciences. These relationships are critical for two reasons: (1) to address the foundational educational research needed on how people learn geoscience content and develop into expert geoscientists, and (2) to facilitate early career geoscientists in enhancing the broader impacts of their geoscience research. The workshop is designed to grow mutually beneficial research collaborations amongst early career investigators that will build upon the extant literature reviewed in the National Research Council report, Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering (NRC, 2012).

The workshop will include a combination of plenary talks, panelist presentations, discussions and time for networking and collaboration. Early career geoscience researchers and DBERs will each bring important expertise to the workshop.  The geoscience researchers can provide content specific instructional challenges and classroom/student access, while DBERs bring a knowledge of methodologies to study those challenges.  Both groups will have the opportunity to develop new collaborations, with geoscience researchers gaining an understanding of the DBER process, and ideas for broadening the impact of their research, while DBERs will gain a better understanding of content challenges in the geosciences.

Workshop Goals

  1. Engage both geoscience and geoscience education communities in the identification of future synergistic research directions, and establish a list of action items.
  2. Nurture and prepare future leaders in the geoscience community to advance geoscience research and education.
  3. Promote cross-disciplinary awareness and relationships among early-career researchers in geoscience and geoscience education.
  4. Develop and share strategies for the design of competitive Broader Impacts components of proposals submitted to the Directorate of Geosciences and/or improve the quality of geoscience education related proposals submitted to the Directorate for Education and Human Resources.

Eligibility

This workshop is open to 40 people by application, with a focus on early career researchers ranging from senior graduate students through pre-tenure faculty. Participation is limited, by the funding agency, to individuals associated with U.S. institutions. Travel and workshop costs will be covered for all selected participants.  The workshop will begin on Sunday evening and end at noon on Tuesday.

 

Workshop Convenors

Nicole LaDue, Northern Illinois University

Andreas Andersson, Scripps Oceanographic Institution

Jeremy Bassis, University of Michigan

Michael Hubenthal, IRIS

Kaatje Kraft, Whatcom Community College

Peter Lea, Bowdoin College

Shelley Pressley, Washington State University

Beverly Stambaugh, NSF Liaison

Danielle Sumy, IRIS/Early Career Investigators Liaison

John Taber, IRIS

 

For more information, please contact Nicole LaDue 

 

Reference

National Research Council. Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2012

ENGAGE Workshop Travel Policy

Dear Participants:

IRIS is pleased to have you participate in the ENGAGE Workshop on January 18-20, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia.   The meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn Arlington (http://www.hiarlington.com/).  Please carefully review the following information pertaining to travel policies and documentation required to submit for expense reimbursement. 

Expense Reimbursement Guidelines

The attached travel report should be completed, signed, and submitted to admin@iris.edu (or via mail) within 30 days of travel completion.  Questions regarding travel policies / documentation should be directed to admin@iris.edu.  Other questions regarding travel support should be directed to Mary Baranowski at Maryb@iris.edu. 

Lodging

Lodging will be direct billed to IRIS and a reservation will be made on your behalf. 

Lodging of up to two nights will be paid directly by IRIS.  Please confirm your arrival and departure dates no later than Friday, December 19 to Maryb@iris.edu.  

Additional lodging will not be reimbursable.  Travelers are responsible for presenting a credit card at check-in to cover any nightly incidentals.

Airfare

Airfare support is offered up to $600 for economy / coach level seating (or equivalent) on a U.S. flag air carrier.  The hotel is 8 miles from Reagan National Airport and 20 miles from Dulles International Airport.
Documentation required – receipt identifying amount requested for reimbursement, seating class or class code, and flight itinerary.  For seating class exceptions or foreign air carrier usage, please review the IRIS Travel Policies and Procedures available for download at http://dev.iris.edu/hq/about_iris/travel_tips. 

If departing from, or returning to a different airport as part of additional, non-IRIS travel, also include a printout of the estimate for the flight cost as if it were roundtrip from and to your home city.

Car Rental

Car rental and associated gas costs are supported for economy or standard/midsize vehicles only when more advantageous to IRIS than other commercial transportation options. 
Documentation required – receipt(s) with itemized charges and identification personal-use days, if any

Buses / Shuttles / Other Transportation

Bus / shuttle / taxi service will be reimbursed between Dulles/Reagan and Holiday Inn Arlington, as well as from your departing/home airport.

When possible, shared rides are preferred.  Please contact Maryb@iris.edu with your itinerary if you prefer a shared ride. 

The Holiday Inn is also accessible by metro from Reagan National Airport via the following route:

- Blue Line towards Largo Town Center.  Exit at Metro Center
- From the Metro Center Station, take the Orange Line in the direction of Vienna and exit at Ballston.

Documentation required – receipts.

Personal Vehicle Use

For personal vehicles used in lieu of air / rail transportation, please review the IRIS Travel Policies and Procedures available for download at http://dev.iris.edu/hq/about_iris/travel_tips.  Documentation required – mileage total with starting and ending destinations, receipts for toll charges (if applicable), and a copy of a quote for the comparable airfare cost.  The reimbursable mileage cost cannot exceed $500.

Meals

Catered meals will be provided for this meeting beginning with dinner on Sunday and ending with lunch on Tuesday.  Other meal costs will not be reimbursable.

Agenda

Day 1 – Sunday, January 18th

5:30pm Introduction and Welcome

  • NSF Remarks: Lina Patino
  • Ignite Session: Organizers and Presenters

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Ice-breaker Activity: Views on the Nature of Science

8:00pm Homework: Outreach, Education, or Evaluation Case Studies

Day 2 – Monday, January 19th

7:00am Breakfast

8:00am Participant Ignite Session

8:10am Review Agenda

8:30am Discussion: Outreach, Education, or Evaluation Case Studies

9:30am Participant Ignite Session

9:40am Break

10:00am Panel: Status of Geoscience Education Research

  • Panelists: Kaatje Kraft, Nicole LaDue, Caitlin Callahan, Emily Ward, and Katherine Ryker

11:00am Self-reflection

  • What would you like to get out of this workshop?
  • What would you like to do next in your education activities?

11:15am Discipline Group Discussion

  • What are the challenges and opportunities within your field?

12:00pm Lunch

12:30pm Resource Provider Presentations and Resource Fair

1:30pm Participant Ignite Session

1:45pm  Keynote Speaker: Heather Petcovic

2:45pm Potential Collaborative Research Topics

4:00pm Break

4:15pm Panel: Successful Geoscience Education Projects

  • Panelists: Jenefer Husman, Carol Ormand, Andreas Andersson

 5:30pm Gallery Walk: Potential Projects

 6:15pm Dinner

 7:30pm Project Groups or Individual Planning Session

 8:00pm Homework: Community Needs

Day 3 – Tuesday, January 20th

 7:00am Breakfast

 8:00am Plan for Today

 8:30am Project Groups

 9:30am Break

 9:45am Ignite Session: Group Projects (3 min/group)

 10:15am Project Groups

 11:00am Synopsis and Potential Next Steps

 12:00pm Lunch with NSF Program Officers

 1:00pm Evaluation

 1:30pm Participants Leave

Notice:
The application period for this workshop closed at Fri, November 07, 2014 - 6:59:00 PM.

Notice:
The abstract submission period for this workshop closed at .

Notice:
The whitepaper submission period for this workshop closed at .

Notice:
The webinar registration period for this workshop closed at .

A list of attendees is not yet available.

Notice:
The scholarship application period for this workshop closed at .

Important Dates
  • Applications:
    Oct 6th – Nov 7th
  • Workshop dates:
    Jan 18th – 20th
  • Workshop Reports
    Workshop Location