MSI-REaCH: Minority-Serving Institution-Reconstructing Earth's Climate History Program to Enhance Ocean and Climate Curricula and Provide Authentic Research Opportunities

该合作项目扩展了NSF 2012-2013 OEDG规划补助金;它利用科学海洋核心数据，测试课程，指导和研究经验，为少数民族服务机构（MSIs）的教师和学生提供探索过去气候的机会，从而获得了解现代气候变化和未来气候预测的宝贵地质背景。MSI-REaCH将从过去气候变化的大量公开海洋核心数据中提取，并指导教师将古气候课程材料整合到他们的课程中，并形成研究问题，供他们与本科生一起追求。这种方法将导致提高科学素养，并为指导MSI本科生研究的选择。短期课程，后续会议，以及每个MSI教师参与者与研究和教学导师的合作将是一个团队建设的体验式学习过程，模拟科学调查和演示的性质。它将支持两年制，四年制和研究密集型高等教育机构的合作，为代表性不足的学生打开更先进的地球科学研究的大门，并为其他本科教育和基于研究的计划创建可复制的模板专注于补充古气候档案，如冰芯，大陆沉积物记录和树木年轮记录。MSI-REaCH计划是海洋领导联盟/国际海洋发现计划，詹姆斯麦迪逊大学，美国气象学会和洛杉矶山谷学院之间的合作，大大推进了2012-2013年NSF规划拨款期间完成的工作，并扩大了三个主要的NSF奖项。该项目的目标是为MSI教师和学生提供科学培训，指导和合作机会，目的是（1）提高科学素养，（2）将基于研究的，数据丰富的古气候课程整合到本科课程中，以及（3）为MSI学生古气候研究奠定基础，从而加强对高级地球科学研究和职业生涯的途径。在为期三年的项目期间，MSI-REaCH将为大约32名MSI教师提供一系列专业发展机会，重点是古气候海洋研究数据和教学法，以便在当地课程中增加基于调查的练习模块和原型研究经验。该项目团队将在地球科学会议上举办两个岩石体验式学习短期课程和后续研讨会，促进学院和大学的教育和研究网络，并管理正式的教师和学生研究指导计划。该小组还将支持MSI教师，因为他们适应和开发古气候活动，演示和/或讲座，以补充现有的调查水平课程或形成新课程的基础，为本科生设计和实施原型真实的研究经验，将数据从科学海洋钻探，并提供选择MSI学生有机会参加沉浸式短期课程。为了管理该项目，该团队将与参与科学海洋钻探研究的两年制学院，四年制学院和研究型大学的机构合作，包括德克萨斯A M大学，其中包括墨西哥湾沿岸储存库，俄亥俄州州立大学，德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校，印第安纳州宾夕法尼亚大学和北亨内平社区学院。WestEd STEM计划将设计和实施持续的评估工具，以衡量MSI-REaCH每个阶段对参与教师和学生的认知和行为影响。这些信息与定期观察和讨论相结合，将用于调整内容交付战略，并指导材料开发过程。

This collaborative project expands on an NSF 2012-2013 OEDG Planning Grant; it utilizes scientific ocean core data, tested curriculum, mentoring, and research experiences to provide faculty and students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with opportunities to explore past climate, and thereby gain valuable geological context for understanding modern climate change and future climate projections. MSI-REaCH will draw from the vast array of publically-available marine core data on past climate change, and guide faculty through the process of integrating paleoclimate curricular materials into their courses and forming research questions for them to pursue with undergraduate students. This approach will lead to enhanced scientific literacy, and options for mentored MSI undergraduate student research. The short courses, follow-up meetings, and partnering of each MSI faculty participant with both a research and a pedagogical mentor will be a team-building experiential learning process that models the nature of scientific investigation and presentation. It will support collaborations across the the spectrum of two-year, four-year and research intensive institutions of higher education, open doors to more advanced geoscience study for underrepresented students, and create a reproducible template for other undergraduate educational and research-based initiatives focused on complementary paleoclimate archives such as ice cores, continental sediment records, and tree ring records. The MSI-REaCH program is a collaboration among the Consortium for Ocean Leadership/International Ocean Discovery Program, James Madison University, American Meteorological Society, and Los Angeles Valley College that greatly advances work completed during a 2012-2013 NSF planning grant and expands on three major NSF awards. The goal of the project is to provide MSI faculty and students with scientific training, mentoring, and collaboration opportunities for the purposes of (1) enhancing scientific literacy, (2) integrating research-based, data-rich paleoclimate curricula into their undergraduate courses, and (3) creating a foundation for MSI student paleoclimate research, thus strengthening pathway towards advanced geoscience study and careers. Over the three-year project period, MSI-REaCH will include a series of professional development opportunities for about 32 MSI faculty members focused on paleoclimate marine research data and the pedagogy for adding inquiry-based exercise modules and prototype research experiences to local curricula. The project team will conduct two Schools of Rock experiential learning short courses and a follow-up workshop at a geoscience conference, foster an educational and research network of colleges and universities, and administer a formal faculty and student research mentoring program. The group will also support MSI faculty as they adapt and develop paleoclimate activities, demonstrations and/or lectures to supplement existing survey level courses or form the foundation of new courses, design and implement prototype authentic research experiences for undergraduates that incorporate data from scientific ocean drilling, and provide select MSI students with the opportunity to attend an immersive short course. To administer the project, the team will partner with institutions across the two-year college, four-year college, and research university spectrum involved in scientific ocean drilling research, including Texas A&M University, which houses the Gulf Coast Repository, Ohio State University, University of Texas at El Paso, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and North Hennepin Community College. The WestEd STEM program will design and implement ongoing evaluation tools that measure the cognitive and behavioral impacts of each phase of MSI-REaCH on participating faculty and students. Coupled with regular observations and discussions, this information will be used to adjust content delivery strategies and guide the materials development process.