BOWLING GREEN,
O.—Bowling Green State University is getting REAL about
environmental health with high school juniors and
seniors. The acronym stands for the Regents
Environmental Academy for Learning, a program scheduled
to begin this summer with $340,000 in funding from the
Ohio Board of Regents. Owens Community College is a
partner in the academy, one of 10 for which the regents
approved $3.5 million at their Jan. 18 meeting. The
academies are aimed at encouraging high school juniors
and seniors to study the STEM disciplines (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics) and foreign
languages in college, particularly in hopes that the
students will consider secondary teaching in those
fields as a career. Students who may not currently plan
to study a STEM discipline or foreign language, or even
to attend college, are targeted by the program. The
academies will give about 500 Ohio juniors and seniors
the chance to earn college credit, at no cost to them,
while also meeting high school requirements. BGSU’s
academy will focus on problem-based learning approaches
in environmental health science—a teaching model
developed through the University’s Project EXCITE
(Environmental health science eXplorations through
Cross-disciplinary and Investigative Team Experiences).
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
has funded EXCITE, primarily for students in the middle
grades, with about $1.8 million over seven years. “We’re
modifying for a higher grade level some of the curricula
we developed for Project EXCITE,” said Dr. Charles
“Chris” Keil, the academy director and an associate
professor of environmental health at BGSU. The target
number for the three-week residential
program—tentatively scheduled for June—is 55 students,
who will be divided into four groups for instruction. In
addition to earning college credit while their room and
board is paid, participants will receive a $600 stipend.
“We’re hoping that will get kids interested,” he said,
pointing out that applicants will be sought from
throughout Ohio. Students will earn credit in
environmental health through BGSU and in chemistry,
through Owens, while exploring environmental health
issues such as “factory” farming. That issue will
probably be the primary one explored during the academy,
although the students may “get their feet wet” with
investigations of others, including mosquito control and
the West Nile virus, and food health and safety, Keil
noted.
Additional credits will be available during the school
year via distance learning. While on campus, he
explained, the students will start a basic chemistry
course, which they will have the rest of the summer and
early fall to complete online. Those who meet
requirements may then take Environmental Health 210,
which addresses international environmental health
issues, as a distance course in spring 2008. That course
meets BGSU’s international perspectives requirement, and
the University has agreed to waive instructional costs
for taking it, he added. Local teachers will collaborate
with BGSU and Owens faculty to craft the academy
curriculum, building on the materials and teaching
approaches developed and field-tested by EXCITE. “We’re
hoping we’ll get the best of the best to help us out,”
said Keil, referring also to high school teachers who
will join BGSU and Owens faculty and Bowling Green
undergraduate students to form the three-member teaching
teams that will instruct the four groups of students.
The goal for the juniors and seniors, he said, “is to
get them in here and give them a really positive
experience” with both science and the University.
Selected by an advisory committee to the regents, the
state’s 10 summer academies have been created in
response to House Bill 115 of the 126th Ohio General
Assembly, which recently appropriated $13.2 million to
support the implementation of the Ohio Core curriculum.
The enhanced curriculum standards, signed into law by
former Gov. Bob Taft, are designed to better prepare
high school students for college and the world of work.
“The academies are intended to meet both immediate needs
for producing more highly qualified teachers in STEM and
foreign language disciplines, as well as longer-term
needs for building an infrastructure to increase the
capacity of teachers and ensuring the success of
students in transitioning to college and work,”
according to the regents. The board of regents is the
coordinating body for higher education in Ohio. Created
in 1963 by the General Assembly, the 11-member public
board has a direct, non-governing relationship with all
of the state’s colleges and universities.
Editor’s note: For more information about the Regents
Environmental Academy for Learning at BGSU, contact Dr.
Chris Keil at 419-372-0368 or Jennifer Zoffel, program
manager for Project EXCITE, at 419-372-9132.
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/edhd/programs/excite/
Invitation to become involved as key
leader or point of contact
A partnership of the Science Education Council of
Ohio, the Ohio Resource Council (ORC), the
Center of Science and Industry (COSI), the Ohio
Department of Education (ODE) and others.
Supported by the National Science Teachers
Association.
Building a Presence for Science is the largest
networking initiative of the National Science
Teachers Association (NSTA). This award-winning program
is designed to improve the teaching
and learning of science from kindergarten through
12th grade. NSTA is the world's largest
organization dedicated to the improvement of
science teaching and learning.
Science education leaders in Ohio are excited about
becoming a part of Building a Presence for
Science Education.
Our mission is to achieve science literacy for all
students through standards-based teaching and
learning, supported by a network of Key Leaders
serving Points of Contact in every school
building in Ohio.
Building a Presence Goals:
* To create and maintain a network of Key Leaders in the
state and Points of Contact in
every school in the country.
* To advocate and promote standards-based science
teaching and learning.
* To provide resources, including national and state
standards, and professional
development opportunities to promote and enhance teacher
quality.
* To implement and encourage the use of interactive
communication tools, such as listservs
and Web sites to enhance the sharing of information.
* To increase vertical communication among K-12 science
educators.
* To ensure every student has the opportunity to learn
from a qualified teacher.
Who is a Key Leader?
A Key Leader is a "team captain" to a group of Points of
Contact for science in a designated geographic area. A
Key Leader can be a classroom teacher, principal,
science supervisor, university educator, or other
science education-based professional.
Why Be a Key Leader?
* To play a leadership role in a statewide effort to
improve standards-based science teaching and learning.
* To promote the use of standards-based science teaching
and learning, Ohio Science
Standards, share information about state-wide and local
opportunities, and other science
resources.
* To engage in professional development and networking
with science-teaching colleagues
at local and state levels.
* To gain professional recognition throughout the local
community and the state as a leader
in the effort to enhance science education.
Who is a Point of Contact?
A classroom teacher or administrator who volunteers to
be an advocate and contact person for science in his or
her school building.
Why Be a Point of Contact?
* To participate in a statewide effort to increase
understanding of standards-based science teaching and
learning.
* To engage in professional development and networking
with science-teaching colleagues.
* To share information about state-wide and local
opportunities, and other science resources with science
educators at your school
* To gain professional recognition throughout the local
community and the broader
professional community as a leader in the effort to
enhance science education.
Acknowledgements:
The BaP Steering Committee wishes to thank the Jennings
Foundation and the SECO Board of Directors for their
support and for funding for Building a Presence
professional development for Key Leaders and Points of
Contacts. Additional funding support comes from
Lab-Aids/SEPUP and the Environmental Education
Council of Ohio.
For more information, contact:
Building a Presence for Science
Mary Lightbody, State Coordinator for Ohio
SECO President 2004
email:
Lightbody.1@osu.edu
Building a Presence National Site at the NSTA:
http://www.nsta.org/bap
Check out the NEW
Environmental History Middle School curriculum, If
Trees Could Talk, at
http://www.foresthistory.org/education/curriculum.
The Forest History Society has lots of exciting things
happening in their education department. For more
information please read the Education Newsletter or
check out this link:
http://www.foresthistory.org/Education/Newsletter/EdNews1.htm
FHS Education
Newsletter Topics:
*If Trees Could Talk curriculum:
1.New
Module Added
2.State
Standards Added
3.National Recognition
*The Greatest Good K-12 Teacher Guide
*North Carolina Summer Teacher Institute in Environmental
History
This information was submitted by: Meg Fry, Education
Coordinator, Forest History Society,
701 Wm Vickers Ave, Durham, NC 27701, 919-682-9319,
mfry@duke.edu
Healthy Water, Healthy People Moving Forward
Healthy Water, Healthy People (HWHP) is an exciting new national curriculum on water quality monitoring from the creators of Project WET and Hach Scientific. Classroom and outdoor activities are designed for grades 6-12. The HWHP Educators Guide has 25 classroom activities to introduce students to data collection and interpretation, sampling methodologies and the causes and consequences of water pollution. The HWHP Test Kit Manual provides background information on testing water quality parameters such as alkalinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrates and phosphates. The two books can be ordered directly from the HWHP Web site www.healthywater.org for $40, or at a discount from Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for $30 ($18 Educators Guide and $12 Test Kit Manual). It is not necessary to attend a workshop to order the materials.
To purchase HWHP materials, to be added to Ohio's HWHP e-mail listserv or for general information, please contact dennis.clement@epa.state.oh.us or Ohio EPA's, Office of Environmental Education, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049, telephone (614) 644-2873. Upcoming workshops will be posted on the calendar on OEE's Web at
www.epa.state.oh.us/oeef/html/hwhpohconnect.html.
All Healthy Water, Healthy People activities have been
correlated to the Ohio Academic Content Standards and
can be found at:
http://www.ohiodnr.com/education/correlations/ .
New Free Environmental Education Support Site for America's Teachers and Home Schoolers
Washington, D.C. - The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEEF) today announced the launch of www.ClassroomEarth.org . It is a free Web site with key information on how educators can obtain the best and most usable environmental education programs available today. ClassroomEarth.org is a veritable "best of the best" collection of environmental education programs and resources for K-12 teachers, parents, and students. This new site will help educators, after-school providers and home-schooling parents to get started or improve their skills in environmental education. It provides up-to-date information on the most successful, well-tested and effective national environmental education programs available today. The site is in five major sections - Most Popular (for K-12 classrooms), -- Rising Stars, -- After School, -- Home School, -- and Earth Day. Each section has a top list of outstanding programs for that particular audience. The pages on each program contain a clear description, audience/grade level, overview of content and topics, materials, educator feedback, awards and recognition, and fast steps for obtaining and implementing the program. The site has an Additional Resources section that includes a Best-of-the-Web listing of portal sites for environmental education and a special list of free environmental education programs offered by the national environmental resource agencies. The development of ClassroomEarth.org was funded through a grant from the Mitsubishi International Corporation Foundation. The Foundation emphasizes effective environmental education programming. "ClassroomEarth.org will save thousands of teachers, parents and after school providers many hours of searching and give them confidence they are tapping tested, reliable and superior quality EE programs," said Kevin Coyle, NEEF President. "This site makes environmental education much simpler." Chartered by Congress in 1990, The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEEF) is a private non-profit organization dedicated to advancing environmental education in its many forms. Since it was established, the Foundation has become a leader in the development of new policies, grant-making approaches, and direct programming to advance environmental literacy in America. We work in partnership with many leading organizations in the field. For more information about NEEF, visit www.neefusa.org.
Pollution Prevention Incorporated Within the Core Curriculum
A diverse team of educational and environmental specialists led by the University of Dayton, with funding from the Ohio EPA Fund for Educational Development, has recently developed a free, unique educational tool, Pollution Prevention Incorporated Within the Core Curriculum. The primary feature of this tool is fourth through sixth grade math, science, and language arts classes on pollution prevention. Our goal is to have teachers use the exercises as part of their existing curriculum so that students learn the basics, pollution prevention, and critical thinking skills. This tool can be found at http://P2CC.udayton.edu and full access can be gained with the username “Evaluator” and the password “P2CC”.
US EPA Watershed Academy Online Training Modules
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain
Welcome to the Watershed Academy's Distance Learning Program -- Watershed Academy Web -- a set of self-paced training modules that represents a basic but broad introduction to watershed management. This program's goal is to provide useful information to local and state/tribal efforts aimed at improving the health of our Nation's waters by protecting and managing their watersheds.
These training modules cover the most important watershed management topics, about which watershed managers, local officials, involved citizens, decision makers, and others should have at least an introductory level of knowledge.
Web modules resemble interactive guest lectures by leaders in watershed management. Unlike an average technical paper, many modules are visually rich and contain 25 to 50 color illustrations and photos. A module typically contains many links for those seeking greater detail, while module-specific glossaries are there for beginners. Self-tests enable trainees to check their retention and see immediate results.
The length and complexity of each module varies, but most are at the college freshman level of instruction and require a 1/2 hour to 2 hours each to complete. Completing a series of 15 of these modules earns the Watershed Academy Web Training Certificate.
Here is a website that has tons of environmental resources that you and other environmental professionals might find helpful.
Though the site focuses on environmental and science resources, it has hundreds of weblinks that can be useful to a wide range of faculty, students and environmental professionals. Please pass on the website info to all those who might find it helpful. The url is: http://www.umich.edu/~meldi. If this doesn't work, the old address http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/meldi still works. A snapshot of some of the resources on the site: The FELLOWSHIPS has hundreds of fellowships. These are in two categories-fellowships for students in the environmental field, and general fellowships that most SNRE students might qualify for but they are not specifically earmarked for environmental students. All the deadlines are listed for the fellowships and the web links are established. Many fellowships have fall deadlines so check these out and apply for them. Many SNRE students would be quite competitive for a lot of these fellowships. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS - You have been receiving regular job announcements from me as they come in. All of these job announcements and position descriptions, salary range, etc. are also posted on the MELDI website. See our Featured Job Announcements Page. In addition, we have established web links to a number of environmental job banks and to the Human Resources Offices of many environmental organizations |
