Tuesday, August 5, 2008: 10:05 AM
102 C, Midwest Airlines Center
Background/Question/Methods
Environmental literacy is essential to science education yet the detachment of the urban childhood from the natural world, coupled with the limited opportunities available to under-represented students and their teachers has contributed to a dramatic ethnic disparity among students pursuing higher education in ecology and environmental science. Biological field stations are in a unique position to provide critical early ecology education and training for a new, more diverse generation of ecologists and science educators.
Since 1999, Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP) education program has been actively working to increase minority participation in the ecological sciences in both formal and informal education through outreach programs, collaborations, and affiliation with local, national, and international groups with shared goals. The core philosophy of the education program is to provide meaningful “real work” scientific field experiences and curricula for under-represented students that are supported by strong ongoing mentor relationships and academic resources. JRBP, located near Stanford University's main campus in the foothills of the San Francisco Bay Area provides a diverse natural classroom within its 1,200 acres. The Eastside College Prep Field Studies class focuses on 17 to 20 student researchers (sixth grade) working in small groups (four/group) along side JRBP trained Stanford student mentors during spring quarter. Students collect weekly data on air, soil, and water temperature, pH, percent canopy cover, as well as monitoring an individual plant for ten weeks. In addition to fieldwork in specific ecosystems with their Stanford mentors, students have core ecology classes each week covering geology, botany, mammals, birds, insects and riparian ecology. Students spend four hours working at JRBP each Wednesday of spring quarter, culminating in a peer reviewed poster session.
Environmental literacy is essential to science education yet the detachment of the urban childhood from the natural world, coupled with the limited opportunities available to under-represented students and their teachers has contributed to a dramatic ethnic disparity among students pursuing higher education in ecology and environmental science. Biological field stations are in a unique position to provide critical early ecology education and training for a new, more diverse generation of ecologists and science educators.
Since 1999, Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP) education program has been actively working to increase minority participation in the ecological sciences in both formal and informal education through outreach programs, collaborations, and affiliation with local, national, and international groups with shared goals. The core philosophy of the education program is to provide meaningful “real work” scientific field experiences and curricula for under-represented students that are supported by strong ongoing mentor relationships and academic resources. JRBP, located near Stanford University's main campus in the foothills of the San Francisco Bay Area provides a diverse natural classroom within its 1,200 acres. The Eastside College Prep Field Studies class focuses on 17 to 20 student researchers (sixth grade) working in small groups (four/group) along side JRBP trained Stanford student mentors during spring quarter. Students collect weekly data on air, soil, and water temperature, pH, percent canopy cover, as well as monitoring an individual plant for ten weeks. In addition to fieldwork in specific ecosystems with their Stanford mentors, students have core ecology classes each week covering geology, botany, mammals, birds, insects and riparian ecology. Students spend four hours working at JRBP each Wednesday of spring quarter, culminating in a peer reviewed poster session.
Results/Conclusions
The program, now in its 10th year, provides meaningful environmental education and early research opportunities for minority students and provides a model that could be replicated by field stations on a broader level.
Eastside School is 100% minority school in East Palo Alto. CA. http://www.eastside.org/
