Infrastructure Capacity for Biology at the Nahant Marsh Educational Center

东爱荷华州社区学院（EICC）EICC是一个两年制公立社区学院区，位于爱荷华州，沿着密西西比河，为纳汉特沼泽教育中心提供教育项目，纳汉特沼泽教育中心是密西西比河上游仅存的城市湿地之一，也是过去的EPA超级基金所在地。地区学院和大学全年在该地点进行研究，指导管理实践，包括水质检测、海龟种群监测和鸟类种群研究。Nahant Marsh教育中心旨在让学生接触研究，并让他们走上STEM职业道路。在让学生参与研究问题之后，Nahant Marsh模型涉及为学生创造更深入探索这些问题的机会。研究活动将坚持国家教育标准（共同核心国家标准和下一代科学标准），可以嵌入作为常规课程的一部分，而更高层次的研究活动可以嵌入作为研究机会在地区学院提供的课程。资金将允许有价值的研究了解沼泽生态系统，吸引更多的研究人员，并培训K-12学生和大学生如何使用与环境生物学相关的研究工具。该奖项为实验室设备提供资金，这些设备将允许扩大地区学院和大学在水质测试，海龟种群监测和鸟类种群研究方面的研究机会;吸引更多的研究人员;培训K-12学生和大学生如何使用与环境生物学相关的研究工具;并准备个人进入STEM领域/劳动力。在Nahant Marsh教育中心，对研究设备和相关用品的支持将使传统的实验室活动被以探究为基础的活动所取代，使学生接触到当代研究方法。所有年级的学生和教师将直接参与数据收集和分析。学生将研究机会作为课程，学位课程的一部分，或作为夏季体验的一部分。额外的设备将使学生和研究人员能够更好地了解沼泽生态系统，吸引更多的研究人员，并培训K-12和大学生如何使用与环境生物学有关的研究工具。该补助金还允许Quad City社区居民，所有年龄段的学生，特别是URM学生，教育工作者和研究人员有机会参与STEM研究。参与实践研究将增加学生进入STEM领域的入口和持久性，并扩大URM学生在STEM领域的参与。来自各个年级的教育工作者的参与将留下教师的遗产，他们获得了指导学生和开发基于探究的STEM教学法的技能和承诺，这将影响学生的成功。在Nahant Marsh利用通过该提案资助的设备进行的研究将增加更广泛的美国环境生物科学界。欲了解更多信息，请访问https://nahantmarsh.org/.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为值得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的支持。

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) EICC is a public two-year community college district situated in Iowa along the Mississippi River that operates educational programming for the Nahant Marsh Educational Center, one of the last remaining urban wetlands on the Upper Mississippi River and a past EPA Superfund Site. Area colleges and universities conduct research year-round at the site that guide management practices and include water quality testing, turtle population monitoring, and avian population studies. The Nahant Marsh Educational Center is designed to expose students to research and engage them in a path toward a STEM career. After engaging students in research questions, the Nahant Marsh model involves the creation of opportunities for students to explore those questions in greater depth. Research activities will adhere to national educational standards (Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards) and can be embedded as part of regular classes while higher level research activities can be embedded as research opportunities in courses offered at area colleges. Funding will allow valuable research into understanding the marsh ecosystems, attracting more researchers, and training K-12 students and college students on how to use research tools related to environmental biology. This award provides funding for laboratory equipment that will allow for expanded research opportunities for area colleges and universities in water quality testing, turtle population monitoring, and avian population studies; attract more researchers; train K-12 students and college students on how to use research tools related to environmental biology; and prepare individuals to enter a STEM field/workforce. Support for research equipment and related supplies at the Nahant Marsh Educational Center will allow for traditional laboratory activities to be replaced by inquiry-based activities that expose students to contemporary research methods. Students and teachers at all grade levels will be engaged directly in data collection and analysis. Students will research opportunities as part of a course, a degree program, or as part of a summer experience. Additional equipment will allow students and researchers to be able to better understand the marsh ecosystems and attract more researchers, and train K-12 and college students on how to use research tools related to environmental biology. This grant also allows Quad City community residents, students of all ages and particularly URM students, educators and researchers the opportunity to participate in STEM research. Participating in hands-on research will increase the entrance and persistence of students into STEM fields and broaden the participation of URM students in STEM fields. The participation of educators from all grade levels will leave a legacy of faculty who have gained skills and commitment to mentoring students and developing inquiry-based STEM pedagogy that will impact the success of students. Research conducted at Nahant Marsh utilizing equipment funded through this proposal will add to the broader U.S. environmental biology science community. For more information visit https://nahantmarsh.org/.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.