GLISTEN Awards Planning Grants
Earlier this spring, the GLISTEN (Great Lakes Stewardship Through Education Network) project awarded five planning grants to facilitate meetings of faculty, students, and administrators from two- and four- year institutions with members of their communities to discuss ways to increase Great Lakes stewardship in their respective regions. Grants were $10,000. At the conclusion of the planning period, planning grantees submitted applications to become full Collaborative Clusters. Subgrant recipients will be announced in the fall, following an intense review of proposals by GLISTEN program staff and Advisory Board members.
SENCER from a Student’s Perspective
Shanna Dell, SENCER Summer Intern
This piece is the third in our Student’s Perspective series, related by SENCER summer intern and recent Beloit College graduate Shanna Dell. While at Beloit, Shanna enrolled in several SENCER courses. This summer series features her thoughts on course experiences.
Flashback to fall 2009: numerous news outlets are publishing daily stories about the H1N1 virus, Purell becomes a common addition to purses/backpacks/brief cases, the search for a vaccine is followed with rapt attention. In Wisconsin, the biggest news item, besides Brett Favre playing for the Minnesota Vikings, is that UW Madison is being hit hard by the flu and may have to cancel events and classes. At Beloit College, you cannot walk anywhere without seeing a large bottle of hand sanitizer, fliers about washing your hands and how to cough into your arm deck the buildings, everyone knows at least one person who has spent time in the flu isolation spaces, and our inboxes are full with updates from the Beloit College H1N1 Task Force.
Board on Science Education Seeks Feedback
“On July 12th, the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council released a draft of a conceptual framework to guide the development of next generation standards for K-12 science education. The framework describes in broad terms the core ideas in science and engineering that students should understand and be able to apply, and the progression of ideas students need to experience in order to comprehend them. We are seeking comments on the draft from the science and education communities and the public.
The comment period will run from July 12 through August 2. Individuals can read the draft online and submit comments via an online survey at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Homepage.html.
During the public comment period, the National Research Council is also partnering with the National Science Teachers Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Achieve, and the Council of State Science Supervisors to solicit feedback through meetings and focus groups.
The framework will be revised based on the input received and a final version will be released in early 2011. The nonprofit education group Achieve will use the final framework in working with a group of state leaders to develop new K-12 science education standards, which explain what students should learn in detail. The framework is also intended to be useful to others who work in science education -- curriculum designers and assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and teacher educators.
We hope that you will take the time to give us feedback. Your input will provide the committee with important information about where the framework needs to be improved or clarified.” – From BOSE Email
NOAA Issues Request for Applications
NOAA’s Office of Education (OEd) has issued a request for applications for Formal K-12 Education Projects that advance inquiry-based Earth System Science learning and stewardship directly tied to the school curriculum, with a particular interest in increasing climate literacy. To address this goal, this solicitation will support service-learning and professional development projects related to NOAA's mission in the areas of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather and climate sciences and stewardship. Please note that projects related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are encouraged. A successful project will catalyze change in K-12 education at the state, regional and national level through development of new programs and/or revision of existing programs to improve the environmental literacy of K-12 teachers and their students. A successful project will also leverage NOAA assets, although use of non-NOAA assets is also encouraged. For further information, including deadlines for required pre-proposals, please visit
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html.
Department of Education Accepting Applications for Off-Campus Community Service Program
CFDA Number 84.116H - http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=55723
The purpose of this program is to provide grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in the Federal Work-Study Program under title IV, part C of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) to recruit and compensate students (including compensation for time spent in training and for travel) for part-time, off-campus employment directly related to community service. Project periods may be up to 12 months, and the deadline for applications is August 9th.
Priorities for the competition are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1: The Secretary-gives priority to applications that propose projects that support postsecondary students assisting with early childhood education activities.
Competitive Preference Priority 2: The Secretary gives priority to applications that propose projects that support students assisting with activities in preparation for emergencies and natural disasters.
NCSCE, SENCER Alumni Receive Funding from Corporation
The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement has been awarded continued funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service for GLISTEN, the Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Network. GLISTEN harnesses the expertise and innovation of college faculty and undergraduate students in collaborative clusters to promote stewardship of the Great Lakes, an ecosystem containing 20% of the world’s fresh water. Recent issues of the SENCER eNews have featured detailed information about each funded cluster.
The Corporation also issued awards to organizations that include SENCER alumni, such as the Hawaii-Pacific Island Campus Compact, which received the largest single higher education award. HIPICC will use the funding to support the Malama I na Ahupuaa Environmental Pathway, the Sustainability Initiative on campus, and for outreach to K-12 schools. Bob Franco and colleagues at Kapi’olani Community College are involved in this initiative. The Wisconsin Campus Compact, directed by Pamela Proulx-Curry, also received funds that it will use to support multi-institution service-learning projects focused on local/regional food issues. With Marion Fass of Beloit College, Pam coordinated a symposium in April 2010 on this topic: Teach Food – A SENCER Workshop.
To read the full press release from the Corporation for National and Community Service, please visit the website.
Job Opportunity: Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics, Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff. In support of this commitment, the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Arkansas State University seeks an outstanding candidate for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics position beginning August 16, 2010. Preference will be given to candidates with teaching experience. A Master’s degree is required, while a Ph.D. is preferred. The person in this position will teach lower-division physics courses, with the possibility of teaching one or two upper-division courses based upon experience, and will take part in the ongoing assessment of our curriculum. For additional information about the Department, see http://www2.astate.edu/scimath/chemistryphysics/.
Applicants are requested to electronically submit curriculum vitae and the names and contact information of three references to Dr. John M. Pratte, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics, jpratte@astate.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Arkansas State University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from all qualified women and men, including minorities and persons with disabilities.
SENCER-SALG Ready for Use
The new SENCER-SALG, revised during the past academic year to be added to the new SALG platform, is now live for all members of the SENCER community. For directions on how to set up your SENCER-SALG on the new platform, please click
here.
