Partnering with the Community to Create Community-Based Research Opportunities for High-School and Undergraduate Students
Abstract
Connecting students with the field of geoscience through community-based research projects has brought about a multitude of expected and unexpected benefits. By partnering with community organizations, we have been able to provide a range of opportunities for both high-school and undergraduate students focused around the theme of stormwater and stream water quality.
Three years ago we formed the Stormwater Education Partnership that brought together academics, government representatives (both civil and elected), local and regional environmental groups, university facilities, local businesses, interested citizens, and a variety of other entities to form a community of practice focused around stormwater issues in our area. This partnership has allowed us to focus as a group on varying concerns and solutions, while providing our students ample opportunities for independent or course-based research projects. Additional benefits to come from this community of practice have included incorporation of high school students and teachers, joint purchase of equipment for monitoring streams and precipitation, internship opportunities for our students and the opportunity for students to present their findings to a wide variety of audiences. It has also increased positive interactions between university students and the community by having students work beside community members on a project that they are all strongly invested in.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMED31E1003F
- Keywords:
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- 0825 Teaching methods;
- EDUCATION;
- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION;
- 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES;
- 6630 Workforce;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES