CI-TEAM Demonstration Project: Engaging Local Governments, Teachers and Students in CI for Environmental Monitoring and Modeling

这一CI团队项目将演示如何增强地方政府、政策制定者、学生和K-12教师在环境领域利用网络基础设施(CI)的能力。具体地说，该项目将开发环境监测和建模的传播与信息教育模块，并将其合并为四个迷你课程，对象是地方政府人员、政策制定者、环境科学、地理、生物、工程、公共管理、社会科学和高中教师的学生。这项工作是在北德克萨斯大学和丹顿市创建的Ecoplex(DFW Metroplex的环境条件在线)项目的基础上进行的，该项目已经运行了六年。支持教育模块的创新研究和开发包括：监测分水岭土壤湿度的无线传感器网络；低成本的全柱臭氧自动监测仪；以及支持复杂分析和建模工具的门户网站。教育模块将侧重于：无线传感器的使用和部署、数据库和文档、数据分析和建模以及环境决策决策。这些模块最终将被合并和修改为一个三学分的课程，该课程将以选修学分的形式提供，可能采用在线和现场教学模式的混合，以在几个领域教育研究生，并允许现有的高中教师和地方政府人员有机会在在职期间参加该课程，获得继续教育学分。该项目面向广泛的利益攸关方受众，负责各级公共实体的环境观察、教育和决策，特别是在地方政府、中学和大学，因此将产生非常广泛的影响。它为下一代科学家和工程师以及公民做好准备，使他们能够解释数据，以便做出明智的环境决策。这种对社会相当大一部分人的信息意识的提高，将对个人选择和公共政策的质量产生深远而广泛的影响。还将实施一项针对所有年龄段的普通公众的密集推广计划，重点是传统上代表人数较少的群体：路易斯维尔湖环境学习区(LLELA)的实地课程、为期一周的分水岭夏令营和在榆树叉子教育中心(EFEC)提供的分水岭家庭娱乐科学星期六。该项目完成后，这些课程将在LLELA和EFEC每学年提供。所有材料，包括课程、培训方案和数据集，都将在项目门户网站上提供，从而向广大公众开放。

This CI-TEAM project will demonstrate how to empower local governments, policymakers, students and K-12 teachers to take advantage of cyberinfrastructure (CI) in the environmental arena. Specifically, the project will develop educational modules on CI for environmental monitoring and modeling and combine them into four mini-courses targeted at personnel in local governments, policy-makers, students in environmental science, geography, biology, engineering, public administration, social science and highschool teachers. The work builds upon and goes beyond the ECOPLEX (Environmental Conditions Online for the DFW MetroPLEX) program created by the University of North Texas and the City of Denton that has been running for six years. The innovative research and development to support the education modules include: a wireless sensor network to monitor soil moisture over a watershed; a low-cost total column ozone automated monitor; and a web portal that supports sophisticated analysis and modeling tools. The educational modules will focus on: wireless sensor use and deployment, databases and documentation, data analysis and modeling, and environmental decision policymaking. The modules will eventually be merged and modified, into one three-credit hour course, which would be offered as elective credit possibly with a hybrid of on-line and on-site instruction mode to educate graduate students in several fields as well as allow current high school teachers and local government personnel the opportunity to participate in the course for continuing education credit while they are in the work force. This project targets a very broad stakeholder audience responsible for environmental observation, education and decision making across multiple levels of public entities, particularly in local governments, high schools and universities, thus will have very broader impacts. It prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers and also the citizenry to be able to interpret data in order to make informed environmental decisions. This improved information awareness of such considerable cross-section of society will have profound and broad effects on the quality of individual choices and public policy. An intensive outreach program directed at the general public of all ages with emphasis on traditionally underrepresented groups will also be implemented based on: a field-based lesson at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA), a week-long Watershed Summer Day Camp and a Watershed Family Fun Science Saturday offered at the Elm Fork Education Center (EFEC). Upon completion of this project, these programs will be offered at LLELA and EFEC every school year. All materials including lessons, training program, and datasets will be available on the project web portal and thus available to the public at large.