STEM Teacher Training in a Tropical Forest: US Science Teachers Invited to Apply for the 2016 ECO Classroom Trip to Costa Ric...
February 10 2016 - 10:00AM
In their continuing effort to help teachers develop the next
generation of scientists, the Northrop Grumman Foundation and
Conservation International (CI) announced that applications for the
2016 ECO Classroom experience are now being accepted through April
8, 2016. Four teams of four teachers will be funded to join
scientists in Costa Rica from July 17-30 to conduct fieldwork in a
tropical forest.
To apply to the ECO Classroom program and to learn more, please
visit:
http://www.northropgrumman.com/CorporateResponsibility/CorporateCitizenship/Education/ECOClassroom/Pages/HowToApply.aspx
ECO Classroom, in its fifth year, is a unique and innovative
nationwide professional development program designed for public
school science teachers from grades 6 - 12. It was created by the
Northrop Grumman Foundation in collaboration with CI. ECO Classroom
offers teachers supplemental tools and real-world experiences to
inspire students to pursue science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM) related careers.
The ECO Classroom program brings groups of public school
teachers from across the United States to CI's Tropical Ecology
Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network Volcan Barva site in
Braulio Carrillo National Park, in Costa Rica. Throughout the two
week program, teachers live and work at the La Selva Biological
Research Station where they learn field data collection techniques
to measure plant and animal biodiversity as well as changes in
climate and land use using TEAM scientific protocols. TEAM has been
leading the field of tropical species monitoring with its network
of camera traps, established in tropical sites around the world,
including Volcan Barva. This research led to a TEAM study, recently
published in PLOS Biology, revealing that wildlife biodiversity in
tropical forest protected areas is faring better than previously
thought. Teachers selected for the program will be able to draw
upon this expertise as they work on their own inquiry-based group
projects.
"Going to La Selva was such a wonderful experience for me," said
Robin Rumery, a former participant in the program. "I use the
information and activities from Costa Rica in my lessons as often
as I can and also received a grant for my very own camera traps.
The students loved them. We have been doing diversity studies on
the wet pine savanna behind our school for both species richness
and species evenness." Kirby Welsh, a participant in the program
this past year, had this to say about her experience, "This is an
amazing opportunity and the best professional development program
I've ever experienced."
It is widely acknowledged among educators and policymakers that
insufficient numbers of students are entering into STEM fields. A
method to address this issue and emphasize environmental
stewardship is to motivate educators to engage students in the
sciences and to bring unique learning opportunities into their
classrooms with real-world curricula and hands-on experiences, such
as ECO Classroom.
After the 2015 two week expedition, 16 ECO Classroom teachers
from across the U.S. returned to their schools with an in-depth
understanding of the interrelationship between biodiversity,
climate change and human activities, and were better equipped with
new techniques and resources to enhance their classroom teaching.
Sixty-four teachers from 13 different states have already
participated in the program and shared what they learned with
nearly 24,000 students.
Since 1987, Conservation International has been working to
improve human well-being through the care of nature. With the
guiding principle that nature doesn't need people, but people need
nature for food, water, health and livelihoods—CI works with more
than 1,000 partners around the world to ensure a healthy, more
prosperous planet that supports the well-being of
people. Learn more about CI and the "Nature Is Speaking"
campaign, and follow CI's work on Facebook, Twitter,
and YouTube.
Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman foundation are
committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse,
talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to
sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school
and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle
school students and teachers. In 2015, Northrop Grumman and the
Northrop Grumman Foundation continued education outreach efforts by
contributing more than $17 million to diverse STEM-related groups
such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot), Conservation
International (ECO Classroom), the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics),
National Science Teachers Association and the National Action
Council for Minorities in Engineering. For more information,
please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation.
CONTACT: Mark Root
Northrop Grumman Corporation
703-280-2739 (office)
571-425-2132 (mobile)
mark.root@ngc.com
Kevin Connor
Conservation International
703-341-2405 (office)
410-868-1369 (mobile)
kconnor@conservation.org
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