Wednesday, August 5, 2009: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Blrm A, Albuquerque Convention Center
SYMP 13 - What Should Ecology Education Look Like in the Year 2020?
In 1804, American explorers Lewis and Clark established a baseline for observational ecology with their transect from Missouri to Oregon. Forty years later, Henry Thoreau advanced our sense of long-term, systematic field observations with his research at Walden Pond. Some 150 years later, NEON promises to transform our ability to create continental-scale ecological monitoring, and also make it accessible to diverse constituents including K-12, graduate, and undergraduate students, policy-makers, and citizens. After several recent federal reports, Americans now recognize that our science education programs are not competitive in a global economy. How should ecology education be structured to meet the needs of the next generation, and to ensure that Americans prioritize sustainability and sound ecological stewardship in their actions? What balance between virtual and hands-on ecology should be taught in a cutting-edge ecological curriculum? How can we tackle the creation versus evolution controversy that is gaining momentum? What are the repercussions of the decline of the "-ologies" in ecology training? Can large-scale ecological projects be launched with parallel education and research platforms? And how can ecologists ensure a national program of ecological literacy by 2020? This symposium builds on the ideas of the 2008 Annual Meeting with its first-ever education theme, and will bring together a diverse panel of speakers representing continental-scale, individual-based, and policy-oriented topics affecting the future of ecology education. For the first time in American history, Congress recently passed legislation called "No Child Left Inside", allocating funds for environmental education. In "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," the American Academies stated that prosperity in the USA is directly linked to our investments in scientific research, with science education as the backbone of such advances. Are ecologists, and ESA as a professional entity, prepared to articulate a vision for ecology education in 2020? This question is the focus of a symposium, and subsequently forms the theme for an ESA-hosted Ecology Education Summit in 2010, that will bring together national leaders of diverse groups involved in this theme to share best practices. Our session will launch this important dialogue, stimulate individual ecologists to think about the priorities for ecology education, and work toward the creation of a national vision to foster transformational actions leading to continental-scale ecological literacy.
Organizer:Margaret Lowman, New College of Florida
Co-organizer:Carlos L. de la Rosa, Catalina Island Conservancy
Moderator:Margaret Lowman, New College of Florida
Endorsement:EHRC Emeritus Chair
1:30 PM Introductory Remarks
1:40 PMSYMP 13-1Ecology education in 2020: Honoring our past, but unconstrained by it
Paul Risser, University of Oklahoma
2:00 PMSYMP 13-2Looking into the crystal ball: NSF and the future of ecology education
Sonia Ortega, National Science Foundation
2:15 PMSYMP 13-3The importance of role models in fostering diversity in ecology education
DC Randle, St. Francis High School, Francis Gatz, Environmental Expeditions
2:30 PMSYMP 13-4Addressing ecological needs for 2020: Educational ingredients, recipes, and preparation
George A. Middendorf, Howard University, Rachel Muir, US Geological Survey, Aja Harvey, Howard University, Muriel Poston, Skidmore College
2:45 PMSYMP 13-5Global ecology in the twenty-first century
Rita Colwell, National Science Foundation
3:00 PM Break
3:15 PMSYMP 13-6K-12 pathways to ecological literacy for all
Alan R. Berkowitz, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
3:30 PMSYMP 13-7Gaming for life: How video games can develop ecological thinking and science skills
Robert D. Stevenson, University of Massachusetts, Louis Liebenberg, CyberTracker Conservation, David McCool, Muzzy Lane Software, David Martz, Muzzy Lane Software, Robert Sheldon, University of Massachusetts, Jenn Kerry, University of Massachusetts
3:45 PM Summary
3:55 PM Panel Discussion

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See more of The 94th ESA Annual Meeting (August 2 -- 7, 2009)