Collaborative Proposal GEOPAths:IN Recruiting through location-based Curriculum and Field and Laboratory Research Experience for High School Students, Teachers and Undergraduates

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。改善STEM K-12教育，增加从事STEM职业的年轻人的数量和多样性，已被确定为国家的优先事项。本项目旨在解决地球科学教育和劳动力多样性背景下的这两个优先事项。该项目将鼓励高中生，包括许多历史上被排斥的群体，通过以下方式参与地球科学或其他STEM学科：1)让他们参与参与教师制定的课程计划，解释他们生活的当地景观和自然环境；2)为他们提供参与内华达大学地球科学研究项目的机会；3)通过在UNLV学生和教师之间建立个人联系。为了促进与高中学生的互动，pi将通过举办夏季讲习班与高中地球科学教师建立长期关系，在讲习班上，教师将获得有关当地地质和自然环境的信息，并协助他们为课堂制定教案。这些活动将建立一个高潮体验，教师和高中生有机会宣称自己是崭露头角的地球科学家。该项目将鼓励高中生，包括许多历史上被排斥的群体，参与地球科学或其他STEM学科。该项目将加强内华达大学（UNLV）与当地社区，包括当地学区之间的关系。项目目标将通过一个全面的计划来实现，包括：1)建立一个专业的地球科学学习社区，促进当地高中教师和UNLV教师/学生之间的合作；2)根据当地地质资源编写高中地球科学课程材料，提供STEM教育机会，同时介绍地球科学领域潜在的职业道路；3)创建一个服务学习课程，将本科“地球科学大使”与使用新开发课程材料的高中班级配对；4)利用UNLV地球科学系的尖端分析设备，吸引高度积极的高中生、高中教师和UNLV本科生参与高调的、与当地相关的科学研究问题。讲习班的课程内容和材料将在与课程专家协商后设计，以便与教师的需要很好地结合，并解决《内华达州科学学术内容标准》中概述的概念。由于该项目展示了如何在地方一级建立地球科学劳动力队伍，由此产生的成果将使教师和学生参与者、教师和社区受益。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Improvements to STEM K-12 education and increasing the number and diversity of young people headed into STEM careers have been identified as national priorities. This project seeks to address aspects of both of these priorities in the context of Geoscience education and workforce diversity. The project will encourage high school students including many from historically excluded groups, to become involved in the geosciences or other STEM disciplines by 1) engaging them in lesson plans developed by participating teachers to explain the local landscape and natural environment in which they live, 2) offering them opportunities to participate in geoscience research projects at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and 3) by building personal connections between students and faculty at UNLV. To facilitate interactions with high school students PIs will build long term relationships with high school earth science teachers by hosting summer workshops in which teachers will be provided with information about the local geology and natural environment and assist them in creating lesson plans for their classrooms. The activities will build up to a culminating experience where the teachers and high school students have an opportunity to claim their own identity as budding geoscientists. This project will encourage high school students including many from historically excluded groups to become involved in the geosciences or other STEM disciplines. The program will strengthen the relationship between the University of Nevada (UNLV) and the local community, including the local school district. Project objectives will be accomplished through a comprehensive program that will include: 1) building a professional earth science learning community to facilitate collaboration between local high school teachers and UNLV faculty/students; 2) generating high school earth science curriculum materials based on the local geologic resources that will provide STEM education opportunities while also introducing potential career paths in the earth sciences; 3) creating a service learning course that will pair undergraduate ‘geoscience ambassadors’ with high school classes that are utilizing the newly developed curriculum materials; and 4) engaging highly motivated high school students, high school teachers, and UNLV undergraduate students in high profile, locally relevant scientific research questions in a way that leverages cutting edge analytical equipment in the UNLV Geoscience Department. The workshop curriculum content and materials will be designed in consultation with curriculum experts so that they mesh well with the teachers’ needs and address concepts outlined in the Nevada Academic Content Standards for Science. Resultant outcomes will bear benefits to teacher and student participants, faculty and the community as the project demonstrates how to build the geoscience workforce at the local level.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.