Constructing Partnerships with Arctic Research to further Education, Outreach and Scientific Literacy Renee D. Crain Assistant Program Officer Arctic Research and Education

Spending Perspective  National Science Foundation $5 billion/year, fraction for E&O  Department of Education $71.5 billion/year, 3% federal budget  Nation-wide total spent on Education $909 billion/year, state, local, private

NSF’s Mission in Education  Programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research potential,  Science and engineering education programs at all levels and in all fields of science and engineering  Address issues of equal opportunity in science and engineering

Education Continuum K-12 UndergradGraduate Public Post Doc

What Do You Know?  What do we remember?  What do we think is important?  How does something gain importance?

What Education Research Tells Us  Knowing (what, where) and Doing (how, why)  Constructivist Learning –Each student has a history and builds on their existing notions and experience –Learning continues throughout life –“Desirable Difficulty”  Inquiry-based, Hands-on Learning  Place-based Education  Extension of Place to Understand New Places

Bringing Together NSF’s Roles Broader Impacts Research in Education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Arctic Research Sites

Arctic Sciences Section  Arctic Natural Sciences  Arctic Social Sciences  Arctic System Science  Arctic Research and Education  Arctic Research Support and Logistics  Arctic Research and Policy  Arctic Cyberinfrastructure

Arctic Research and Education Provide support to projects that:  Increase diversity in (polar) sciences, including northern Indigenous people  Develop resources with and for K-12 science teachers and students  Attract and retain students in STEM fields  Promote science literacy and polar research  Develop long-term collaboratives in education

OPP Partnerships  Education and Human Resources, EHR –Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education –Informal Science Education  Long-Term Ecological Research, BIO  Environmental Research and Education, ERE  GeoSciences Education, GEO  Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, OLPA  Cooperative Agreements: ANSC, BASC, ARCUS  USFWS, NSB DWM, NASA

NSF Programs  Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) in Regional Resilience and Sustainability  GK-12, Graduate student mentors PISCES Program  REU sites Svalbard, Iceland, Matanuska Glacier  LTER Schoolyard program in Barrow  Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) –Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program  OPP Post Doc Fellowship

K-12 Teachers: Professional Development Teachers Experiencing Antarctic and the Arctic (TEA), Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating (TREC) 2004, 2005

Projects and Spin-ups Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) cofunded with EHR  Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating (TREC)  Eider Journeys by USFWS  Oral History of Wales by 5 th graders  Glaciology in physics

Researcher-driven Education Arctic River Biogeochemistry School Network Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observatory Network (ALISON) Polar Huskies GoNorth! Science Writers at Toolik Field Station REU Sites

More Program Highlights  Arctic Alive!  Arctic Visiting Speakers  Climate change in the Arctic K-12 teachers and students  Teacher mentoring in Barrow  Student participation in workshops  Media in the field (CBS, NYT, and others)

Innovations  Use of technology to share and transfer knowledge –Chat rooms –Live broadcasts  “Webinars”  Spatial Data Infrastructure  Classrooms contributing to real research

These Projects Provide  Teacher Enhancement Opportunities –Hands-on, inquiry based experience –Bringing experience to classrooms  Formal Education Materials  Place-based experiences for students in the Arctic and those whose teachers translate materials  Inquiry-based learning for students  Information to the public about arctic research

What’s to Come  Continuing OPP and NSF programs  SEARCH Education and Outreach  International Polar Year –ICSU Expressions of Interest (30 of 74) –“Bridging the Poles Workshop” 2004 –IPY Education Workshop 2005 (NOAA)

Conclusions  Current arctic research engages people and makes the Arctic relevant to all people  Hands-on experiences challenge and motivate learners  Role models and engaging experiences improve diversity in arctic sciences  The arctic research community has been innovative and effective in achieving NSF’s education and outreach goals