Interactions and Diversity: Earth System Science and Beyond

Location:
United States
Puerto Rico

Description:
With demographic trends targeting Hispanics as the fastest-growing and largest minority, it is vital to strengthen efforts to attract them to these fields, to help Hispanics reach appropriate representation in the Nation's education base. The Integrated Science Multiuse Laboratory (ISMuL) at the University of Puerto Rico Arecibo Campus, an affiliate of the Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium, seeks to attract Hispanic students to careers in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SMET) by strengthening the capabilities of their science and mathematics teachers.

ISMuL brought together key local and national experts to develop an experimental educational model responsive to needs in the areas of Earth system science, while helping both PR and US teachers to explore together teaching methodologies reflective of the growing ethnic diversity in the Nation. The goal was to promote a better understanding of the idiosyncrasies and cultural aspects that affect the education of under-represented Hispanics by promoting teachersí awareness of cultural and ethnic diversity issues and knowledge of strategies for the productive management of this diversity in the classroom.

As a result, a 10-day summer program equivalent to three credit-hours, on the Earthís interconnections in Tropical Environment focusing in active NASA-sponsored research carried out in the Island will be offered in the summer of 2000. The workshop will focus on the study of distinctive microenvironments in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and their interactions with life. The underlying questions will be: how do land, water, air and life interact to produce the environment on which we live, and to a lesser extent, what is the effect of human activities in these interactions. Science and Math teachers from PR and US, particularly from areas that serve significant Hispanic populations, will be invited to participate and 26 will be selected on a competitive basis, in an approximate 1:1 ratio of PR and US participants. Participants will develop and pilot test curricular activities for the teaching of Earth system science and serve as resources for the dissemination of Earth system science education among their peers as well as in the pre-service teacher level.

URL:
http://ismul.upr.clu.edu
http://web.uprr.pr/prsgc
 

Organization:
Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
 

Cost:
Free, participants selected by application

Contact:
Ibis L. Aponte-Avellanet, Associate Director, Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium, Director ISMuL PO Box 23334, San Juan, PR 00931-3334; Phone: (787) 765-5170 x. 2117 or 787-764-0000 ext. 5807; Fax: (787) 756-7717; Email: ibis@adam.uprr.pr

Education Level:
Grades 5-8
Grades 9-12

Subject:
Ecology
Earth System Science
Remote Sensing

Program type:
Fellowship/Research Opportunity
Teacher Training (In-service)
 
 

Date Added to teachearth.com:
5/1/00