NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Strategies for Engaging NASA Earth Scientists in K-12 Education and Public OutreachEngagement of the Earth Science research community in formal education at the kindergarten through high school level and in various aspects of informal education and in professional development of practitioners in related fields has been and continues to be a challenge. A range of approaches is being used and new ones are constantly being tried. Fundamental to our strategies is an understanding of the priorities, skills, academic experiences, motivation, rewards and work experiences of most scientists. It is within this context that efforts to engage a scientist in education efforts are attempted. A key strategy is to limit our requests to activities where the scientist's contribution of time and expertise can have the most impact. Don't waste the scientist's time! Time is one of their most prized resources, it is extremely valuable to you, and to them, we treat their time like a treasured resource. The clearer a scientist's role, their unique contribution and the finite nature of their effort, the more likely they are to participate. It is critical that commitments made to scientists are kept. If they want and can do more, great! Don't expect or assume more will be forthcoming. Another approach that we use is to create periodic venues that, among other things, serve to identify individuals who have an interest or inclination to con , tribute to education efforts. Once identified we strive to determine their interests so that we can make the best match between their interests and the needs of the education program or efforts. In this way, we try to make the best use of their time while engaging them in efforts which will be personally rewarding, and will further the overall education objectives. In addition, we try to make it easier for scientists to participate by providing focused training, such as development of their interviewing skills, and exposure to key concepts, knowledge and skills which are well known among educators but are not common knowledge among scientists. Another strategy with which we are still struggling is how to create and provide career meaningful rewards for individuals who demonstrate excellence in education equivalent to excellence in science. We do not yet have a yardstick to measure excellence in education nor is there a consensus among scientific peers that these two can be equivalent. None-the-less, methods to identify excellence in education, such as the peer review process, are being tried with some success. Use of solicitation and selection of educational efforts via a peer review process that is the same as for scientific research to identify unique, interesting and creative ideas has been somewhat effective. Furthermore, the application of the same peer review process to the output of an educational effort is used to validate and ensure the quality of this output. An example will be used to illustrate the application of some of these strategies to the development of a high school Earth and Space System Science curriculum created in partnership with a local county school system (Anne Arundel County, MD).
Document ID
20010087660
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Meeson, Blanche W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Gabrys, Robert E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Social And Information Sciences (General)
Meeting Information
Meeting: AGU Spring Meeting
Location: Boston, MA
Country: United States
Start Date: May 29, 2001
End Date: June 2, 2001
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available