A NOAA Program Supporting Teacher-Scientist-Student Interactions: Exploring Geoscience in an Alaskan Yup'ik Village
Abstract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea (TAS) Program supports teacher experiences with hands-on, real-world research activities working with NOAA scientists at laboratories, on ships, and in the air. This presentation focuses on a former TAS, Mary Cook, who coordinated a visit by NOAA and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) scientists to her remote Yup'ik school in Scammon Bay, Alaska teaching her science classes for 2.5 days. The two scientists participated in an interactive experience with middle school and high school students, focusing on climate and ecological research, taking meteorological observations, and using a drone to create a 3D map of their school. Career opportunities at NOAA and NEON and in the geosciences were discussed with the students.
The Scammon Bay students were also able to experience collaborations with other middle and high school peers, both in the "lower 48" with West Salem High School in Oregon, and internationally with ISE International School in Thailand. Sharing physical and cultural differences between communities during a google chat discussion was one of the most illuminating aspects of the experience. NOAA's Adopt a Drifter Program (ADP) ties geographically separate areas through mutual tracking of a recently launched floating data buoy, in this case launched from a vessel in the Northern Pacific Ocean, and the schools discussed joint activities using the ADP buoys and data. Outside the classroom, students were introduced to and used scientific instruments such as wind and humidity sensors and infrared thermometers. Inside the classroom, experiences involved explorations and discussions of natural climate drivers, local weather and climate information, and connections to the regional climate. After school, the scientists participated in a science bowl preparation session. It is this immersive interaction of scientists with students that makes the TAS program unique. With few students traditionally leaving the AK community to attend college and pursue careers in science, these interactions are invaluable for introducing remote student communities to the geosciences. Attendees to this session will hear how the TAS Program enables diverse and unique interactions for teachers beyond the initial at sea experience.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMED24A..04S
- Keywords:
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- 0805 Elementary and secondary education;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION