A great conference and workshop have come to a close

Friday, July 20, marked the end of BIOGEOMON 2012. Fourteen teachers who had participated in the conference between Sunday-Thursday stayed on to work with eight dedicated scientists and three science educators to work on science data literacy concepts and practice.

Perhaps the best description of the workshop’s goals came from a teacher’s own goals for the day:

“to solidify some of what I already do with my students into a more formal structure;

to include more data literacy into my lessons which can be sustained over the long-term;

learn ways in which I can take data I already collect with my students and find meaningful ways to utilize it;

broaden and strengthen my scientific knowledge; form new collaborations with scientist(s) willing to work with me and/or my class;

and to enjoy myself.”

It felt like we were successful, and the very dedicated, collaborative group of participants deserves all the thanks.

BIOGEOMON 2012: official gear!

CEUs available

The BIOGEOMON conference plus teachers’ workshop have been approved for CEUs through the University of Maine. Details and certificates will be available at the workshop on Friday.

Field trips are now funded for teachers!

We have received support from a generous private donor that will cover expenses for teachers to participate in the conference field trips. More details about the conference field trips are here.

Trips include one to Bear Brook Watershed and Howland research sites, four trips to Acadia National Park, and the Downeast Ice Age trail. Tough decision!

Conference/Workshop announcement

Science teachers:

• Do you want to sharpen your skills in working with data?
• Are you interested in seeing presentations of state-of-the-science research about watersheds and the environment – including biology, chemistry, and earth sciences?
• Would you like to help produce data literacy materials for students and establish contact with a scientist mentor for the upcoming year?

BIOGEOMON, an international science meeting about environmental science, is coming to Maine in Summer 2012!

With special funding provided by the National Science Foundation and private donors, we are offering teachers the opportunity to attend the scientific conference free of charge*, and to participate in a workshop with scientists aimed at working with, understanding, and communicating scientific data.

• Dates: Attend at least one day of the conference, July 16-19 PLUS Scientist-teacher workshop, July 20
• Location: Point Lookout Conference Center, Northport, Maine
• Costs: Covered by grant funding! Contact us for more information and to reserve a spot. Spaces are limited.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Sarah Nelson.

An Adobe pdf version of this announcement to print or distribute is here.

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* Currently, we can only offer registration for one conference day. Pending additional funding, we hope to offer interested teachers the opportunity to attend the entire conference.