FOR CURRENT E-NEWS GO TO THE MEMBER AND REGISTRATION SITE: NCSCE.WILDAPRICOT.ORG

FEBRUARY, 2022

NCSCE and SENCER leaders in the news!

NCSCE Associate Director, Davida Smyth (Texas A&M-San Antonio), and her collaborator Monica Trujillo (Queensborough Community College-CUNY) are garnering national recognition for their groundbreaking wastewater research on SARS CoV-2 in New York City.  

 This has produced an article in Nature Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28246-3

And the work has been picked up in a number of outlets including Science Daily, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203122941.htm

The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/health/coronavirus-wastewater-new-york.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesscience   ,

and even Colbert! https://twitter.com/i/status/1489762570890272769

As the result of their work being featured on a podcast, NCSCE has received a grant for 105K to fund Smyth and Trujillo’s research, along with community-based education around COVID, in underserved communities in the global south, starting with a collaborative project in Uruguay.  For a presentation from Prof. Smyth on how she has integrated this research into her SENCER-ized teaching, see this presentation from a recent SENCER Mid-Atlantic meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MnO9CzTBQQ

Congratulations to these two civically engaged scholar/teachers for the recognition of their important work!

OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES

New book!

SENCER Ambassador Sara Tolbert (University of Canterbury, NZ) has a new, edited volume out from Palgrave Macmillan:

Reimagining Science Education in the Anthropocene

Upcoming Deadlines:

There is a CCIC Application Idea Vetting Session on Tuesday, February 15 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern.  The description and registration link for this idea vetting session is provided below.

CCIC Application Idea Vetting Session

Tuesday, February 15

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Do you have an idea for applying to the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC)? Do you have questions on the application process? Join us for an idea vetting and discussion session and talk with a former CCIC judge and student finalist as well as representatives from the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Come share your project ideas and receive informal feedback as well as have the opportunity to ask questions about the CCIC application process.      

For information on the challenge.  

__________________________________

Science Communication Conference

MAKING CONNECTIONS: THE MANY ARMS OF SCIENCE COMMUNCATION, MARCH 23-25  Have you ever struggled to explain why your science matters to someone else? Have you ever been frustrated at the way science is covered in the media or how it is “misused” in policy? SCIENCE TALK ’22 will unite science communicators, practitioners, and facilitators for two exciting days of learning best practices for how to talk science better. It will feature presentations, workshops, expert panels, and networking opportunities galore.  Join us in Portland or online, March 23-25, 2022, to see what everyone is talking about.

And check out this Workshop by Melanie Peffer:

Wednesday, March 23, 9:15 am–10:45 am

Learning Engineering: Designing SciComm Using the Science of Learning

In-Person Workshops

Tiffany Center

· Melanie Peffer, Teaching Assistant Professor/Research Scientist Level II, University of Colorado, Boulder

Learning engineering is using data from the science of learning to design educational opportunities. In this workshop, participants will learn how to apply learning engineering to the design of science communication activities. Participants will learn key principles of human cognition that can impac…Read More

New book!

SENCER Ambassador Sara Tolbert (University of Canterbury, NZ) has a new, edited volume out from Palgrave Macmillan:

Reimagining Science Education in the Anthropocene

Upcoming Deadlines:

There is a CCIC Application Idea Vetting Session on Tuesday, February 15 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern.  The description and registration link for this idea vetting session is provided below.

CCIC Application Idea Vetting Session
Tuesday, February 15
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Do you have an idea for applying to the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC)? Do you have questions on the application process? Join us for an idea vetting and discussion session and talk with a former CCIC judge and student finalist as well as representatives from the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Come share your project ideas and receive informal feedback as well as have the opportunity to ask questions about the CCIC application process.      For information on the challenge.  

__________________________________

Science Communication Conference

MAKING CONNECTIONS: THE MANY ARMS OF SCIENCE COMMUNCATION, MARCH 23-25  Have you ever struggled to explain why your science matters to someone else? Have you ever been frustrated at the way science is covered in the media or how it is “misused” in policy? SCIENCE TALK ’22 will unite science communicators, practitioners, and facilitators for two exciting days of learning best practices for how to talk science better. It will feature presentations, workshops, expert panels, and networking opportunities galore.  Join us in Portland or online, March 23-25, 2022, to see what everyone is talking about.

And check out this Workshop by Melanie Peffer:

NCSCE Associate Director, Davida Smyth (Texas A&M-San Antonio), and her collaborator Monica Trujillo (Queensborough Community College-CUNY) are garnering national recognition for their groundbreaking wastewater research on SARS CoV-2 in New York City.  This has produced an article in Nature Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28246-3

And the work has been picked up in a number of outlets including Science Daily, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203122941.htm

The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/health/coronavirus-wastewater-new-york.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesscience   ,

and even Colbert! https://twitter.com/i/status/1489762570890272769

As the result of their work being featured on a podcast, NCSCE has received a grant for 105K to fund Smyth and Trujillo’s research, along with community-based education around COVID, in underserved communities in the global south, starting with a collaborative project in Uruguay.  For a presentation from Prof. Smyth on how she has integrated this research into her SENCER-ized teaching, see this presentation from a recent SENCER Mid-Atlantic meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MnO9CzTBQQ

Congratulations to these two civically engaged scholar/teachers for the recognition of their important work!

NCSCE and SENCER is proud to host a collection of essays commissioned by James Collins (Arizona State University) and Gordon Uno (University of Oklahoma), who were funded by the National Science Foundation to revise and update an important initiative from American Association for the Advancement of Science “Liberal Art of Science.” Launched in 1990, its core recommendations are even more relevant for the 21st century and especially proud that the organizers “believe that the SENCER community understands the aforementioned issues, has been addressing them for years, and can help promote the radical change in the broader American science education landscape recommended by the original LAS.”

Introduction, Gordon Uno and James Collins  (with links to all essays)

The Origins of the Liberal Art of Science, Dr. Shirley Malcom, Senior Advisor to the CEO and Director of the SEA Change initiative at the AAAS

Rethinking Equity Within the Liberal Arts Tradition of Science Pedagogy, Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University; Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute

Leadership Matters: What Leaders Can Do to Advance the Liberal Art of Science, Dr. Susan L. Elrod, Chancellor, Indiana University, South Bend

Reintegrating Science and the Liberal Arts, Dr. Noah Finkelstein, Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado; co-Director Center for STEM Learning; Co-Director of the national Network of STEM Education Centers

Small Liberal Arts Colleges Should Export their Values and Practices, Dr. Jose Herrera, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Northern Iowa

Towards Metacognitive Equity, Dr. Saundra Y. McGuire, Director Emerita, Center for Academic Success; Former Assistant Vice Chancellor & Professor Emerita of Chemistry at the Louisiana State University

Introductory Courses, Intellectual Breadth, and the Liberal Art of Science, Tim McKay, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Education at the University of Michigan; Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

The Role of Science in a 21st Century Liberal Education: Reimagining the Future, Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

Creating your Video Presentation

Most presenters opt to do a recorded Slide Show Presentation:

Recording a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation as a video is easy (in PPT the “record” function is under the “slide show” tab)  For help in creating your script, recording, and timing your presentation in PowerPoint there are lot of helpful videos on YouTube, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32WEzM3LFhw&t=307s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32WEzM3LFhw&feature=youtu.be&t=215

Plan out your content.  Write a script and decide on slide images.

1. • Use images instead of words on the slides.
   • Use only necessary animation, and use it sparingly.

Record the presentation with narration within PowerPoint or Keynote and the export (File>Export) to MP4 file format. Instructions are HERE.

When your proposal is accepted, share the video with NCSCE:

Upload the MP4 file to any cloud repository (i.e. Google Drive or Dropbox, ensuring that you set the permissions to enable public downloading and send the URL to eliza.reilly@ncsce.net Please use subject line: (your name)Video Presentation. JUST EMAIL ELIZA IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS!

Important: We are asking that video presentations all begin with a common a title slide format. Download a slide template here:

Download (PPTX, 216KB)

Poster: A poster is a single image containing a visual display of the presenter’s work that will be shown in the Posters & Exhibitions session during the conference and subsequently available on our website. Posters should be PDF and readable (not too much text!)

Over twenty years ago the SENCER initiative was launched.  The idea was simple, to use complex public problems as a curricular frame to teach rigorous science content, thus improving both STEM learning AND civic understanding and capacity. While the approach was extended all STEM disciplines and a wide range of public/civic challenges, the original model for this approach emerged from a public health crisis—HIV-AIDS.  We are now living through another public health crisis, a pandemic greater than any the world has faced for over 100 years, and in the last 6 months the SENCER community of educators have responded rapidly and with great energy, bringing their experience and commitment to demonstrating the relevance of STEM teaching and learning to real-world problems.  Here we feature just some of the great work being done by SENCER educators to address this public health crisis

The Summer 2020 issue of SCIENCE EDUCATION AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL includes a special section on Teaching Through COVID. These reflections document experiences and lessons learned while teaching science and civic engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. We received a very enthusiastic response to our call for submissions, and we are publishing 35 contributions to this special section.  Special thanks go to our editors, Matt Fisher and Trace Jordan, for their editorial skill in organizing this section, and to our managing editor Marcy Dubroff, for coordinating such a timely issue.  http://new.seceij.net/current-issue/

The 2020 SENCER SUMMER INSTITUTE, held online in August featured a range of sessions by faculty using COVID-19 in their courses and undergraduate research projects, many of which are captured on the NCSCE Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSyrJV4DhWoc7ODDCahg7lg/videos

The full program, poster sessions, and PPT’s can be found here: http://sencer.net/virtual-ssi-2020-program/

SENCER LEADERS RECEIVE NSF-RAPID GRANTS FOR COVID-19 RESPONSES

NCSCE Deputy Director, Davida Smyth was funded by the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program in the Division of Environmental Biology for RAPID: Collaborative Research: Metapopulation Modeling to Develop Strategies to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission in Public Spaces https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2032645&HistoricalAwards=false

Amy Shachter, Director of SENCER Centers of Innovation and Regional Engagement, and NCSCE Sr. Research Fellow and SENCER co-PI Karen Oates were funded by the IUSE program of the Division of Undergraduate Education for RAPID: Online Educational Resources on the Science of Vaccines.  SENCER will be supporting this project in disseminating these resources nationally. https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2049163&HistoricalAwards=false

Join us in offering thanks and congratulations to all of these colleagues for their efforts in addressing the pandemic.  If you want to share your own news with the SENCER community, (awards, promotions, new initiatives or resources) please use this google form: https://forms.gle/TC7V6q7SqpiwYhK69

SENCER Senior Fellow Bob Franco, of Kapiolani Community College, has been named Campus Compact Senior Fellow for Sustainability and Resilience.  He will be working to Support and expand the Community Colleges for Democracy (CC4D) Network and Deepen Compact’s efforts in support of sustainability and community resilience.  Join us in congratulating Bob on his new role.

Get out the Vote for STEM students!

College students in STEM vote at the lowest rates in the country, and STEM faculty need to know how to engage their students in nonpartisan voter engagement in ways that they feel comfortable, but that also uplift the voter turnout of our STEM students.

The Faculty Network for Student Voting Rights and the Scholars Strategy Network have scheduled a webinar for this week (Thurs, Oct 1, 3 pm EST) with Science Rising, specific to STEM faculty. The information & registration links are here  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdOCuqz8rHdz5AcsNUSIYlvdDLR1Sh_Ib

Send us your news! Submissions of News, Announcements, Events to share.

SENCER e-news wants to spread the word to the SENCER and NCSCE communities about your good work, accomplishments, new projects, events, and changes in your careers.  Here is a google docs form to use: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/121dOuNE5ayWM_B_pMvaSOdiPOyR3zaJBO2ST5XC58ok/edit

The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of the complex global civic challenge that SENCER approaches were developed to address. The foundational idea was that by using a real-world problem as a context for teaching the STEM disciplinary content, students’ learning would be more durable, meaningful, and transferable to their actual lives as civic agents in their communities. The very first SENCER Model was a transformed biology course for non-majors, Biomedical Issues of HIV-AIDS, taught by Dr. Monica Devanas at Rutgers University. http://archive.ncsce.net/biomedical-issues-of-hivaids/

Since 2001, many SENCER Models have used real cases of infectious disease as the context for teaching basic biology, chemistry, and mathematics while also demonstrating the range of other domains of knowledge that must be invoked to better understand a complex phenomenon like human health.  Below is a list of Model courses in various disciplines that address a range of examples, including HIV-AIDs, Ebola, Influenza, Malaria, Tuberculosis, etc.

We hope you will revisit some of these courses for ideas, examples, and strategies that use case studies of disease spread and transmission your teaching as we all work together to better understand how to address this global crisis.

Continue reading→

According to National Geographic, species are alarmingly going extinct 1,000 times faster than previously recorded due to humans. With such a detrimental situation upon us, we must encourage individuals to pursue careers in wildlife biology in order to try to reduce the number of species that are quickly disappearing from our planet.

Our team at BestColleges.com wants to equip individuals who are set on pursuing a career in wildlife with the tools to help them succeed and create a career that will be life-long and fulfilling. We curated a Biology Career Series dedicated to both students and professionals that delves into programs, curriculum, and career outlook. Take a look below.

Become a Wildlife Biologist:
https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/how-to-become-a-wildlife-biologist/

Program Guide:
https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/biology-degree-programs/

Earning a Bachelor’s Degree:
https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-biology-programs/