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

这个CI-TEAM项目将展示如何授权地方政府，政策制定者，学生和K-12教师在环境竞技场中利用网络基础设施（CI）。具体而言，该项目将开发用于环境监测和建模的传播和信息教育模块，并将其联合收割机合并为四门小型课程，对象是地方政府人员、决策者、环境科学、地理学、生物学、工程学、公共行政、社会科学专业的学生和高中教师。这项工作建立在并超越了ECOPLEX（DFW MetropLEX的环境条件在线）计划，该计划由北德克萨斯大学和丹顿市创建，已经运行了六年。支持教育模块的创新研究和开发包括：监测流域土壤湿度的无线传感器网络;低成本臭氧总柱自动监测器;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。这些模块最终将被合并和修改，成为一个三学分的课程，这将作为选修学分提供，可能与在线和现场教学模式的混合，以教育研究生在几个领域，以及让目前的高中教师和地方政府人员有机会参加继续教育学分课程，而他们在工作队伍。该项目针对的是负责多个级别公共实体（特别是地方政府、高中和大学）的环境观察、教育和决策的非常广泛的利益相关者受众，因此将产生非常广泛的影响。它使下一代科学家和工程师以及公民能够解释数据，以便做出明智的环境决策。社会各阶层的信息意识得到提高，将对个人选择和公共政策的质量产生深远而广泛的影响。针对所有年龄段的公众，重点是传统上代表性不足的群体的密集推广计划也将基于：在刘易斯维尔湖环境学习区（LLELA），为期一周的分水岭夏令营和分水岭家庭乐趣科学星期六在榆树叉教育中心（EFEC）提供的实地课程。该项目完成后，这些课程将在LLELA和EFEC每个学年提供。包括课程、培训计划和数据集在内的所有材料都将在项目门户网站上提供，从而向广大公众提供。

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.