IPY-ROAM: International Polar Year Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities

IPY-ROAM：为少数民族提供南极洲国际极地年研究和教育机会

• 批准号: 0632360
• 负责人: Craig Tweedie
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Texas at El Paso
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-15 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0632360&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IPY; ROAM; International; Polar; Year

This proposal actively involves minority undergraduates, graduate students and K-12 teachers in hands-on research in Antarctica and provides a comprehensive mentoring program for the participants. Key drivers of the project are: 1) Remote hands-on field-based instructional and research experiences provide students and teachers with proven and transformational life and educational experiences. 2) Minority groups are severely under-represented in engineering and science and most university study abroad programs -- especially in the polar sciences. 3) The International Polar Year (IPY) provides a unique opportunity to educate the next generation of scientists and the general public about the Polar Regions and their importance to the global system. The principal objectives of this proposal are to 1) increase the number of underrepresented minorities continuing on to higher degrees or careers in science and 2) increase public awareness and knowledge about the Polar Regions. Both will be stimulated through a novel and life-changing opportunity for students and teachers to travel to Antarctica and acquire first-hand experience in Antarctic field-based research and system science.Proposed activities include:1. Building on an established Antarctic study abroad field course initiated by the Investigatory team that promotes inquiry and problem based learning using a systems science approach.2. Recruiting 15 undergraduate and 5 graduate students from multiple disciplines, plus 5 high school science teachers (25 participants in total) from primarily underrepresented minorities across the U.S to participate in the program for course credit.3. Web-casting of preparatory lectures plus a field trip to Washington DC, where participants will meet with a range of experts in the polar sciences and organizations affiliated with international policy and tourism in Antarctica. Participants will also explore concepts relating to the importance of advancing the representation of minorities in science and engineering.4. A capstone 3-week field trip aboard an Antarctic tourist vessel from Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic Peninsula where participants will be mentored in the design, implementation, documentation and dissemination of hands-on field based research including data archiving. Because over 20,000 tourists now visit Antarctica annually, this experience provides a unique educational opportunity for examining the activities and impacts of the growing Antarctic ecotourism industry.5. Community outreach from Antarctica including live satellite feeds to public radio, a project web site with question/answer interactivity and journals from students and teachers, as well as the production of legacies such as curriculum products and an educational documentary of the Antarctic field experience.6. Evaluating formal and informal education activities using quantitative and qualitative methods.7. Publishing and archiving at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), course materials, field data, and evaluations related to the formal assessment of the success of the project.The proposed activities will celebrate the IPY through the establishment of data and educational legacies that will improve scientific capacities and public awareness of the Polar Regions and the recruitment of minorities to polar science.The proposed activities will have significant intellectual merit: data gathering will include data rescue as well as generation of new data; development of K-12 curricula, an extensive web site and film documentary; a formal evaluation of the educational impact of the proposed activities will also be completed. All activities will focus on educational and professional development and will be underpinned by a systems science approach to ensure adequate linkage between physical, biological, social components of the Antarctic System and how these relate to the global system. The most significant contribution of this project will be the advancement of underrepresented students and teachers in science and engineering. All data and curricula will be made publicly available where appropriate and archived at NSIDC.

这项建议积极邀请少数族裔本科生、研究生和K-12教师在南极进行实践研究，并为参与者提供全面的指导计划。该项目的主要驱动力是：1)远程实践、实地教学和研究经验，为学生和教师提供经过验证的、变革性的生活和教育经验。2)少数群体在工程和科学方面的代表性严重不足，大多数大学都在国外学习--特别是在极地科学领域。3)国际极地年为下一代科学家和公众提供了一个独特的机会，让他们了解极地及其对全球系统的重要性。这项建议的主要目标是：1)增加人数不足的少数群体继续在科学领域取得更高学位或从事更高职业的人数；2)提高公众对极地地区的认识和了解。学生和教师将通过一个新颖的、改变人生的机会前往南极洲，并获得南极实地研究和系统科学方面的第一手经验，从而促进这两个领域的发展。拟议的活动包括：1.在考察队发起的现有南极海外研究实地课程的基础上，利用系统科学方法促进探究和基于问题的学习。招募来自多个学科的15名本科生和5名研究生，以及来自全美主要代表人数较少的少数族裔的5名高中理科教师(总共25名参与者)参加该计划，以获得课程学分。通过网络广播预备讲座，并前往华盛顿特区进行实地考察，与会者将在那里会见一系列极地科学专家以及与南极国际政策和旅游有关的组织。与会者还将探讨与提高少数群体在科学和工程领域代表性的重要性有关的概念。乘坐南极旅游船从火地岛到南极半岛进行为期3周的实地考察，在那里将指导参与者设计、实施、记录和传播实际实地研究，包括数据存档。由于现在每年有20,000多名游客访问南极洲，这一经历为考察日益增长的南极生态旅游业的活动和影响提供了一个独特的教育机会。来自南极洲的社区外联活动，包括向公共广播提供卫星实况转播、一个有问答互动的项目网站和来自学生和教师的期刊，以及制作课程产品和南极实地经历的教育纪录片等遗产。运用定量和定性相结合的方法对正规和非正规教育活动进行评价。在国家冰雪数据中心(NSIDC)出版和存档与项目成功的正式评估有关的课程材料、实地数据和评估。拟议的活动将通过建立数据和教育遗产来庆祝国际极地年，这些遗产将提高极地地区的科学能力和公众意识，并招募少数民族从事极地科学研究。拟议的活动将具有重大的智力价值：数据收集将包括数据救援和生成新的数据；编制K-12课程、一个广泛的网站和电影纪录片；还将完成对拟议活动的教育影响的正式评估。所有活动都将侧重于教育和专业发展，并将以系统科学方法为基础，确保南极系统的物理、生物和社会组成部分之间有适当的联系，以及这些组成部分与全球系统之间的关系。该项目最重要的贡献将是提高科学和工程领域中代表性不足的学生和教师的水平。所有数据和课程将在适当的时候向公众公布，并在NSIDC存档。