Earth System Science Education: Building Capacity within the Inter-American Institute (IAI) for Global Change Research was the theme of a workshop held in Ensenada, Mexico at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) from September 7 - 18. Fifteen participants representing institutions in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Uruguay learned about Earth system science concepts from lectures and field trips presented by the UABC Faculty of Marine Science. Coastal processes provided the central theme around which Earth system and global change science topics were presented. Workshop participants also offered lectures describing their own work relevant to Earth systems education, as did invited speakers from JPL and InterNetwork Media. NASA/Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Earth System Science Education (ESSE) program participants from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Michigan also offered lectures and a hands-on tutorial of Earth system modeling using the STELLA software package.
The GSFC Education Office is charged with providing materials that support both national standards and state curricular frameworks, as well as incorporating the knowledge being generated through NASA's science and technology programs. One activity for meeting this objective is GESSEP which, during FY 1997-98, developed a repository of over 60 internet-based, Earth and space science investigations for grades 5-8 and 9-12. A key requirement in the design of the investigations is that they are all self-explanatory. Pilot testing of the investigations will occur during the 1998-1999 school year. For more information about GESSEP, please contact the project co-investigators: Stephen Gilligan, e-mail: charles1@mail. ameritel.net or Vern Smith, e-mail: vern@aesp.nasa.okstate.edu
Two years ago, the staff at NASA GSFC contacted the National Park Service (NPS) because they recognized the need to share their resources and gain a broader audience. In April, 1997, GSFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NPS that acknowledges the mutual interest of both agencies in promoting math and science literacy through technology. This connection will benefit the Service's visitor services and resource management programs by establishing links through the World Wide Web, access to field experts, access to a tremendous library of images, and tie the outreach/education centers of the agencies. If you are currently working on an Earth science education curriculum project or research that you think has significance to the National Park Service, please contact Ms. Dufficy at phone (301) 286-0535 or e-mail: Toni_Dufficy@nps.gov.
Stennis Space Center has launched the Commercial Remote Sensing Workforce Development Education and Training Initiative (WDETI) to establish a trained work force that will ensure Mississippi's ability to remain competitive in the growing remote-sensing job market. The goal of the initiative is to establish world-class remote-sensing education and research centers in Mississippi that will address the shortage of trained personnel in the area of remote sensing.
The work force initiative is part of the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative, a collaboration among the state of Mississippi, NASA, private space-related businesses, and four research universities. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi State University, Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and the University of Southern Mississippi will serve as Centers of Excellence for Geospatial Studies. These four universities will establish and support research assistantships and work-study programs, which will require students seeking remote-sensing-related degrees to spend several months working at Stennis with the Commercial Remote Sensing Program or the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative Research Institute. Several of Mississippi's community colleges are also being used as prototype training and education centers.
Recently the Mississippi Department of Education and WDETI initiated a pilot program to introduce remote-sensing education in Mississippi schools from the kindergarten level to college. When fully implemented, this program will place remote-sensing training within reach of all Mississippi students by the year 2002.
Based on the recent recommendations of a National Science Foundation (NSF) peer review panel, Global Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) students will add several new measurements to their core study over the next few years. These include:
For more information on GLOBE, visit: http://www.globe.gov
In just one year, NASA has donated over 36,000 excess computer items with an original cost of $75 million to public, private and parochial schools serving students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Working with the federal Computers for Learning program, established by Vice President Al Gore in 1997, Federal agencies can now streamline the transfer of excess computer equipment to those U.S. schools with the greatest need.
A new website funded by the U.S. Department of Energy has made it even quicker and easier for schools to request and obtain free equipment that includes shipping by private companies. The web address is: www.computers.fed.gov.
U.S. schools or educational nonprofit organizations seeking additional information or assistance in accessing the computer upgrades should visit the website. A toll-free Computers for Learning hotline, 1-888/362-7870, is available from 1-5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday.
A new Earth science education initiative sponsored by the Earth Observing System (EOS) PM Project is challenging students in over a dozen test schools to work as scientists, processing raw, real-time satellite data from Earth-observing satellites.
Middle and high school students participating in "Exploring Technology with Satellite Imagery," receive and process data covering the entire Western hemisphere from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES).
They also use data products, which others have developed and made available via the Internet, as ground truth for their research. Students enhance their own raw data from the same time and place, to bring out features such as ocean currents, wildfires, hurricanes, rain, snow, fog, etc., and correlate their data products with the ground truth images.
Each school is encouraged to electronically communicate with other participating schools, challenging each other to provide specific data products and to answer questions about the imagery they are handling.
Participating schools are also writing their own activity modules to be used in their fall classes.
Check the project website for current information about the program: http://coolspace.gsfc.nasa.gov/outreach. For more information, contact: Michael Comberiate, GSFC, e-mail: michael.comberiate@ gsfc.nasa.gov; Tel: (301) 286 9828; or the project's teacher developer, Rob Theriaque, e-mail: SpcShuttle@aol.com.
Fundamentals Of Remote Sensing Tutorial
http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/eduref/tutorial/tutore.html
Landsat-7 A Global View Of The Earth
http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat7
PUMAS The On-Line Journal Of Math And Science Examples For
Pre-College Education
http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov