Earth Science Week 2009

[seismic_cowgirl]

Forwarded message:

EARTH SCIENCE WEEK UPDATE
American Geological Institute
Vol. 7, No. 2: February 2009

IN THIS ISSUE…
* Climate to Be Theme of Earth Science Week 2009
* Make Connections With Geoscience Partners Network
* NASA Webcasts Target Grades 3-8 Teachers
* AGI Reports on Geoscience Education, Workforce
* Young Earth Scientists to Gather in China
* Ward’s Natural Science an Earth Science Partner

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Climate to Be Theme of
Earth Science Week 2009
****************************

AGI is pleased to announce the theme of Earth Science Week 2009:
“Understanding Climate.” Being held October 11-17, Earth Science Week
2009 will promote scientific understanding of a timely, vital topic:
Earth’s climate.

Begin planning now for activities and resources designed to help
students and citizens answer key questions. How do geoscientists
determine the causes of weather patterns? What is the difference
between weather and climate? How has our climate changed in the past -
and how is it changing now?

AGI hosts Earth Science Week in cooperation with sponsors as a service
to the public and the geoscience community. Each year, local groups,
educators, and interested individuals organize celebratory events.
Earth Science Week offers opportunities to discover the Earth sciences
and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth.

The program is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the AAPG
Foundation, and other major geoscience groups. To learn more about
Earth Science Week, related resources, and ways to participate, go to
http://www.earthsciweek.org.

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Make Connections With
Geoscience Partners Network
****************************

To facilitate partnerships between educators and others in the
geoscience community, AGI is launching the Geoscience Partners Network
(GPN). Soon you’ll be able to use a powerful online tool - the GPN Map
on the Earth Science Week website at http://www.earthsciweek.org - to
identify geoscience partners near you, access relevant information,
and network with colleagues to forge meaningful partnerships.

Want to organize a field trip or a classroom visit? Teachers can make
the most of Earth Science Week and other educational opportunities by
working closely with professional scientists, university professors,
local employers, nonprofit representatives, environmental educators,
and government leaders in the geosciences.

Planned to launch in the months prior to Earth Science Week 2009, the
GPN Map will pinpoint local contacts near you for AGI Member
Societies, state geological surveys, agencies such as USGS and NASA,
universities offering geology programs, parks, museums, and other
groups. To recommend an organization for inclusion, please contact
AGI’s Jason Betzner (j...@agiweb.org).

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NASA Webcasts Target
Grades 3-8 Teachers
****************************

NASA Langley Research Center, working in cooperation with the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Virginia
Department of Education Region 2 Math/Science Coalition, is offering a
series of professional development webcasts for teachers of grades
three through eight.

Airing 4-5:30pm EST, upcoming webcasts on Earth system science topics
will include:
* Solar Radiation and the Atmosphere (March 19),
* Tides (April 16), and
* The Story of Ocean Heat Storage (June 18).

NASA is a longtime Earth Science Week partner. The webcasts can be
viewed on the NASA Digital Learning Network at http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/.

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AGI Reports on Geoscience
Education, Workforce
****************************

Trends in Earth science education are a major focus of “Status of the
Geoscience Workforce 2009,” a report recently released by AGI’s
Workforce Program. The first chapter, “Trends in Geoscience Education
from K-12 through Community College” (http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/
reports.html) details U.S. students’ access to Earth science
education.

For example, most states include Earth science in the curriculum for
grades six to eight, according to the report. The number of states
requiring Earth science has increased only slightly in recent years,
however, from five in 2002 to seven in 2007. For the past 26 years,
the share of high school students taking Earth science courses has not
exceeded 25 percent.

Based on original data collected by AGI as well as from federal
sources, professional membership organizations, and industry, the
report describes the supply and training of students, workforce
demographics and employment projections, and trends in geosciences
research funding and economic indicators. Produced with support from
the AGI Foundation, the entire report is available online (http://
www.agiweb.org/workforce/).

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Young Earth Scientists
To Gather in China
****************************

The Young Earth Scientists for Society (YES) network, an association
of geoscientists under age 35 representing geological societies
worldwide, in collaboration with the International Year of Planet
Earth (IYPE), is organizing an international conference for young
earth scientists, policy makers, advisors and decision makers.

The YES Congress will be held at the China University of Geosciences,
in Beijing, China October 25-28, 2009. The conference will discuss
global climate, environmental, and geological challenges and establish
an interdisciplinary global network committed to solving these
challenges.

Abstracts for oral presentations, poster presentations, and roundtable
symposia are due by March 30. To learn more, visit
http://www.yescongress2009.org/index.php.

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Ward’s Natural Science
An Earth Science Partner
****************************

Ward’s Natural Science, an Earth Science Week partner, provides a wide
range of geoscience education materials, from classroom and field
equipment to lab activities designed specifically for teaching Earth
science.

Earth science materials available through Ward’s include geology
apparatus and collections, fossil reproductions and specimens,
meteorology equipment, lab activities, models, rock and mineral
specimens, books, charts, maps, posters, audio-visual materials, and
computer software. A supporter of education for nearly 150 years,
Ward’s offers additional information and a free newsletter at
http://www.wardsci.com.

****************************
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 45
geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than
120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded
in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as
a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in
strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public
awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of
resources and interaction with the environment. For contact
information, please visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/contactus/index.html.


***

[cste...@yahoo.com]

> EARTH SCIENCE WEEK UPDATE

I have added earth science week and its link to the calendar.

> The Young Earth Scientists for Society (YES) network, an association
> of geoscientists under age 35 representing geological societies
> worldwide, in collaboration with the International Year of Planet
> Earth (IYPE), is organizing an international conference for young
> earth scientists, policy makers, advisors and decision makers.

Wow, it is interesting how the words young and earth can be strung
together for such wildly different groups! I hope they never get
confused with Young Earth Creationists! lol