Upcoming workshops, webinars and other educational opportunities

Geo2YC Fireside Chats for Spring 2024

Starting in January and each month moving forward, the Geo2YC Division Executive Committee is hosting a series of "fireside" chats on Zoom. These sessions are open to Geo2YC members, as well as anyone you want to bring along - invite your colleagues to attend. Days and times will vary to allow participation from coast to coast. Our goal is to have an hour-long, informal discussion on topics of interest to the membership - we'll provide a starting topic, and see where conversation takes us. We hope these sessions will serve as a opportunity to connect, build community, and share ideas in real time. So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab a snack, and join us!

  • Friday, January 12 - 12PM Eastern/9AM Pacific - Teaching New Year's Resolutions and first day of class ideas
  • Monday, February 12 - 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific - Love/Hate Relationships with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Tuesday, March 19 - 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific - Out on the Rocks: Sharing ideas for field geology (including urban environments) Click here for Zoom session!
  • Monday, April 15 - 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific - Post-pandemic experiences: how have you and your students changed?

Developing and Writing NSF Proposals: A Virtual Workshop for 2YC Geoscience Faculty

Part 1: June 25 and June 27, Part 2: July 8-12, 2024, 12:00 - 4:00p EST on Zoom

Application deadline:  March 1, 2024

Workshop website and application: https://sites.google.com/highline.edu/building-capacity/

  • Are you interested in writing a grant proposal for a STEM education project?
  • Do you want to learn more about NSF grant opportunities that are suitable for two-year colleges (2YCs) as the lead institution? 
  • Would you like support in developing, writing, and submitting an NSF proposal? 
  • Are you interested in expanding your professional network and finding collaborators for your ideas?

 Whether you are a first-time proposal writer or have been involved with successfully-funded proposals in the past, we encourage you to apply for this workshop.

 This workshop will provide support for full-time 2YC faculty to find collaborators and develop and write NSF grant proposals. Apply on your own or apply with colleagues as a team. Each team member must submit their own application. Successful applicants will be expected to take a leadership role in development of their proposal, submission of the proposal to NSF, and if the proposal is funded, implementation of the project.

 The workshop will provide a space for 2YC faculty to build a community of peer collaborators for single and multi-institutional grants, conference proposals, and planning grants. Post-workshop activities include mentoring, writing consultations, and webinars to assist in finalizing their proposal and submitting it to NSF.

 The workshop has two parts. Part 1 will occur on June 25 and June 27 and will focus on the initial phase of the proposal development process with background on NSF programs, examples by 2YC grant recipients, and an opportunity to identify potential project collaborators. Part 2 will span five days from July 8-12 taking participants through the actual process of proposal development, including time for writing, reflection, feedback, and discussion, ending in a rough draft of a grant application. The workshop also includes pre- and post-workshop activities.

Participants: Full-time 2YC geoscience faculty; apply as an individual or as part of a team that includes at least one geoscientist and may include faculty from other disciplines. We anticipate that proposal teams will typically be two or three 2YC faculty members. Depending on the nature of the proposal, a team might consist of all geoscience faculty members or a geoscientist and 2YC faculty members from other disciplines (e.g., an S-STEM proposal). A team might include a 4YC faculty member (e.g., a proposal focused on 2YC-4YC transfer).

Stipends: Participants who complete the 7-day workshop and the associated proposal draft will receive a stipend of $2,000. Those who complete the post-workshop activities and submit all components of a complete NSF proposal by November 8, 2024, will receive an additional $1,000.

Application deadline: March 1. Applicants will be notified by Monday, March 18.

Conveners: Becca Walker (Mt San Antonio College), Eric Baer (Highline College), Laura Guertin (Penn State Brandywine), Karen Layou (Reynolds Community College), Heather Macdonald (William & Mary, Emerita); Sean Tvelia (Suffolk County Community College); Sharon Zuber (William & Mary, Emerita)

In considering prospective applicants, we will aim for a diverse group including participants from a range of 2YC institution types and with a wide variety of experiences and professional expertise, including those with no prior experience writing grant proposals.

This workshop is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2349758.

For questions contact Becca Walker (walkerbecca@gmail.com)

 

Earth Educators' Rendezvous 2024

July 15-19, 2024 IN PERSON Philadelphia, PA

Join us for the tenth annual Earth Educators' Rendezvous. This event brings together researchers and practitioners working in all aspects of undergraduate Earth education, including a mix of college faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers from all disciplines who are interested in improving their teaching about Earth. Our program is designed to appeal to everyone from the instructor attending their first Earth education-themed meeting, to experienced STEM education researchers, to administrators who want to better support students in their programs. Among many options, participants can learn about new teaching approaches, discover opportunities to get involved in research programs, prepare for an academic career, or discuss how to approach teaching and learning challenges in their classroom. Consider joining the Rendezvous for 2- or 3-day blocks, or for the whole week-long (5-day) event.

For more information and registration, visit the EER 2024 website.

Keep an eye out for more information coming regarding a Geo2YC meet-up during the EER!

NAGT Webinars

NAGT offers a wide variety of webinars on topics related to geoscience teaching throughout the month. Join us on the first Fridays of the month for Geo2YC Division sponsored webinars that will have a focus on issues of interest and importance for community colleges. For the full schedule of upcoming webinars, see the NAGT Webinar Calendar.