RAPID: Geoscience education for communities impacted by gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale

古生物研究所、康奈尔大学地球和大气科学部和康奈尔大学合作推广部门之间的伙伴关系正在开发一个集中、全面和客观的科学信息教育来源，内容涉及马塞卢斯页岩水力压裂的潜在环境后果，整个阿巴拉契亚盆地正在开发作为天然气资源的马塞卢斯页岩。这一快速奖励对受影响社区对可靠和中立的科学信息的需求急剧增加作出了反应，并大大加强了纽约州中南部的外联工作，那里的钻探预计将于2010年春季晚些时候开始。公众对这一问题的关注为提高公众对地球系统的科学素养提供了机会，并开发了教育资源和做法，帮助公众更好地了解相对风险以及如何在不确定的情况下作出基于证据的决定。项目活动最终将扩展到马塞卢斯钻探的更多领域，特别是在宾夕法尼亚州和西弗吉尼亚州，这些地区正在进行以土地使用问题和劳动力需求为重点的补充外联工作。预计将通过社区论坛的直接外联和通过推广机构网络和网站分发的印刷材料，与数万人取得联系。

A partnership between the Paleontological Research Institution, the Cornell Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and Cornell Cooperative Extension is developing a centralized, comprehensive, and objective educational source of scientific information regarding the potential environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale, which is under development throughout the Appalachian Basin as a natural gas resource. This RAPID award responds to a dramatic increase in the demand for reliable and neutral scientific information within the affected communities and enables significantly enhanced outreach efforts in south-central NY State, where drilling is expected to commence by late spring 2010. Public interest in this issue is providing an opportunity to raise public Earth System Science Literacy and to develop educational resources and practices that help the public better understand relative risk and how to make evidence-based decisions under uncertainty. Project activities will eventually expand to additional areas of Marcellus drilling, especially in PA and WV, where complementary outreach efforts focused on land-use issues and workforce needs are underway. It is expected that several tens of thousands of individuals will be reached through a combination of direct outreach in community forums and printed materials disseminated through a network of extension agents and web site.