REU Site: Geoenvironmental Challenges in the Southeastern U.S.: A Summer Undergraduate Research Experience for Pre-service Earth Science, Biology, and Chemistry Teachers

研究人员将发展由30名职前教师、2名在职教师和6名田纳西州立大学(MTSU)教员组成的“地球、生命和大气”(ELIA)跨学科地球科学社区。这个社区将在解决美国东南部环境地球科学问题的背景下，在研究和教学方面进行合作。在2013、2014和2015年的每个暑假之前，Elia将从国家申请者库中招聘五名地球科学职前初中或高中教师和三名化学和两名生物职前高中教师。在为期九周的暑假期间，职前教师将使用MTSU的实验室和位于纳什维尔市中心东南50公里的大学附近的实地地点。参与者将探索为地下水流动提供途径的地质结构，调查地表水质量，探索稀有的雪松林地植物群落，试验减少路面对环境的影响的方法，并提高对地面臭氧的理解。在从事科学研究的同时，职前教师还将认识到地质学在美国南北战争石头河战役关键第一天的作用，欣赏地质学和植物学在战后非洲裔农村美国人生活中的作用，并更好地了解郊区开发对环境的影响。除了从事科学研究和广泛传播成果外，Elia还将开发和传播两个大学前教育模块。Elia将通过社交媒体(包括YouTube)、网站、在线时事通讯、ArcServer、谷歌地球文件、会议演示文稿和期刊文章来传播成果。该奖项将帮助人们更好地了解他们的环境以及如何作为其中的一部分生活，从而为社会做出贡献。此外，该项目还将通过培训职前STEM教师造福社会，这些教师反过来将培训无数大学预科学生。拟议的项目将提高对田纳西州默弗里斯伯勒附近的斯通河国家战场的地质、植物生态和空气质量的了解，地质和植物生态数据将有助于规划公园的历史考古调查。

The investigators will develop the "Earth, Life, and Atmosphere" (ELiA) interdisciplinary geoscience community of thirty pre-service teachers, two in-service teachers, and six Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) faculty. This community will collaborate in research and teaching within the context of solving environmental geoscience problems in the southeastern United States. Prior to each of the summers of 2013, 2014, and 2015, ELiA will recruit five Earth science pre-service middle school or high school teachers and three chemistry and two biology pre-service high school teachers from a national applicant pool. During a nine-week summertime interval, the pre-service teachers will use laboratories at MTSU and field sites near the university which is located fifty kilometers southeast of downtown Nashville. The participants will explore geologic structures which provide pathways for groundwater flow, investigate surface water quality, explore rare cedar glade plant communities, experiment with ways to reduce the environmental impact of pavement, and improve understanding of ground-level ozone. While engaging in scientific research, the pre-service teachers will also come to appreciate the role of geology during the pivotal first day of the American Civil War Battle of Stones River, appreciate the role of geology and botany in the lives of rural African Americans after the war, and better understand the environmental impact of suburban development. In addition to engaging in scientific research and widely disseminating the results, ELiA will develop and disseminate two pre-college educational modules. ELiA will disseminate results through social media (including YouTube), a website, an on-line newsletter, ArcServer, Google Earth files, presentations at meetings, and journal articles.This award will contribute to society by helping people better-understand their environment and how to live as a part of it. In addition, the project will also benefit society by training pre-service STEM teachers who will, in turn, train numerous pre-college students. The proposed project will improve understanding of the geology, plant ecology, and air quality at Stones River National Battlefield near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and geological and plant ecological data will contribute to the planning of historical archeology investigations in the park.