Celebrate National Earth Science Week 2011!

From Missy Holzer at NESTA...

National Earth Science Week is around the corner! The celebration will take place October 9-15, 2011 and this year’s theme is “Our Ever Changing Earth.” Not sure what to do for that week? Go to National Earth Science Week Homepage http://www.earthsciweek.org and you will find numerous ideas related to this year’s theme. You may also purchase an Earth Science Week kit for $6.95 which is filled with posters and resources to use during the celebration and the rest of the year.

The first day of the school year can set the tone for the entire year, and we as Earth Science teachers have the best resources to ensure a terrific opening to the new school year. We have access to images and animations of exciting events, fascinating phenomenon, and perplexing puzzles in the Earth Sciences. We can stop our students in their tracks as they ask “why do we have to learn Earth Science?” by using video clips like "Why Earth Science" from AGI and available on the AGI website http://www.agiweb.org/education/resource/index.html and on YouTube. This free 7 minute video will give your students a taste of what’s in store for them for the school year, and will entice them to choose a career in one of the many fields of Earth Science. They will be captivated by the footage and the message it has that Earth Science includes everything everywhere! Best Wishes for a new school year!

Geoscience Teaching Opportunities in the California Community Colleges

Canada College in the San Mateo Community College District is seeking applicants for a full-time Earth Science Instructor. The position is open until filled, but the first screening date is 8/15/2011. There are four other part-time positions being advertised on the CCC Registry: https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/searchForm.aspx, with the search terms "earth science" or "geology".

NSF Announces $10 Million grant to Improve Geoscience Education and Integrate with other Disciplines

"The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced a $10 million grant for a new center to improve geoscience education and integrate the geosciences across other academic disciplines.With the support from the five-year grant, "Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future," or InTeGrate, will develop teaching materials and model programs for use in undergraduate education.

InTeGrate activities specifically target the large majority of undergraduates who do not elect to take geoscience courses, with the goal of improving overall geoscience literacy and increasing the number and diversity of graduates who will utilize this literacy to address societal issues ranging from water resource management to hazardous waste disposal."

For more information, see the announcement here

AGU Abstract Deadline - August 4

NAGT is pleased to outline a variety of geoscience education sessions planned for the Fall 2010 AGU Meeting held in San Francisco, CA, from 5-9 December, 2011. There are more than 50 education sessions at this year's meeting and you can easily see all the session names, abstracts, and conveners by going to the NAGT website - http://nagt.org/nagt/programs/meetings/AGU2011.html  .
Please submit abstracts (http://agu-fm11.abstractcentral.com/) and take part in the sessions highlighting key issues of importance to geoscience educators

The deadline for submitting an abstract to the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco is 11:59PM EDT Thursday, August 4.

(from John McDaris)