STEM at the Poles! Research Experiences for Formal and Informal Educations in the Polar Regions

美国北极研究联盟（ARCUS）将管理和实施“极地STEM”计划，该计划为美国教育工作者提供机会，与极地科学家一起参与北极和南极洲各个偏远地区的尖端实地研究。在这个为期三年的项目中，来自教育领域的36名参与者，包括18名美国初中和高中教师和18名美国非正式科学教育工作者（例如在教室外工作的教育工作者和与公众或初中和高中学生和/或他们的老师合作的教育工作者），将与科学家一起参加北极和南极的研究体验。通过这种独特的经验，ARCUS将为正式和非正式的教育工作者提供专业发展机会，他们将：（1）连接到极地地区和研究界;（2）开发科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）资源，帮助在各种学习环境中推进极地地区的基本知识;（3）改变他们在正式和非正式学习环境中教授STEM的方式。该计划将为学生和公众提供大量机会，了解极地研究如何在北极和南极进行，并将帮助极地研究人员学会更有效地与学生和公众沟通。具体而言，该计划的目标如下：（1）提高教育工作者对极地地区和在这些地区进行的科学的STEM内容知识;（2）增加教育工作者的知识，并在学习环境中与学生一起使用STEM实践;（3）建立教育工作者的STEM身份;（4）增加正式和非正式教育工作者之间的STEM合作;（5）增加学生对极地地区的理解和参与，以及对与极地有关的STEM职业的兴趣;以及（6）在教育和研究界之间建立长期的专业关系。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Arctic Research Consortium (ARCUS) of the U.S. will administer and implement "STEM at the Poles", a program that provides opportunities for U.S. educators to participate in cutting-edge field research with polar scientists in various, and often remote, locations in the Arctic and Antarctica. During this three-year project, thirty-six participants from the field of education, including eighteen U.S. middle and high school teachers and eighteen U.S. informal science educators (e.g. educators who work outside classrooms and who work with the public or middle and high school students and/or their teachers), will participate in a research experience with scientists in the Arctic and Antarctic. Through this unique experience, ARCUS will provide a professional development opportunity for both formal and informal educators where they will: (1) connect to the polar regions and the research community; (2) develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) resources that help advance the basic knowledge of polar regions across a variety of learning environments; and (3) change how they teach STEM in both informal and formal learning environments. The program will provide numerous opportunities for students and the public to learn about how polar research is conducted both in the Arctic and Antarctic and will help polar researchers learn to communicate more effectively with students and the public.Specifically, the goals of the program are as follows: (1) Improve educators' STEM content knowledge of the Polar Regions and the science conducted in these regions; (2) Increase educators' knowledge and use of STEM practices with their students in their learning setting; (3) Build educators' STEM identity; (4) Increase the STEM collaborations between formal and informal educators; (5) Increase students' understanding and engagement in the polar regions and interest in polar-related STEM careers; and (6) Develop long-term professional relationships between the education and research communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.