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Vision Statement

OSU BPRC Educational Outreach Program

Vision Statement

To enhance the knowledge and awareness of Earth sciences for learners of all ages through the development of quality educational materials and programs.

Background

BPRC is an internationally recognized leader in studies of the polar regions and global change. The scientific achievements of Center researchers have been recognized by federal funding agencies which have awarded the BPRC leadership roles in activities such as the Office of Naval Research (ONR) ARI on Sea Ice Remote Sensing, the NASA Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project, NSF's Long Term Environmental Research Program, and most recently an NSF Science and Technology Center in collaboration with the University of Kansas, which is the lead organization.  The public sector also has had a long term interest in Center activities highlighted by several productive collaborations with the National Geographic Society.  BPRC has also enjoyed support from the Battelle Endowment in the form of a grant to engage local high school students in polar research.  A logical and necessary next step for the BPRC is to work with federal, state, and industrial and nongovernmental organization partners to deliver the exciting research carried out by BPRC scientists into public view and into the nation's educational system.

Objectives & Approach

  • Develop partnerships with community, industrial, and federal alliances for sponsored research and educational outreach activities.
  • Develop avenues for transferring the scientific knowledge amassed by BPRC researchers into materials that meet the academic content standards of K-12 schools.
  • Integrate the activities among all the participants to reflect both the capabilities of the BPRC scientists and collaborators and the needs and requirements of the educators and general public.
  • Coordinate and participate in workshops and short courses that provide access to the resources available at OSU and BPRC to a broader community of learners through both traditional methods and emerging technologies.

A sampling of BPRC's past and current educational outreach activities

  • Summer workshops for teachers in 2006 and 2007, sponsored by the NSF Science & Technology Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS)
  • Collaboration with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on their new exhibit, "Polar Frontier" (opening in fall, 2008)
  • Hosting Colloquies focused on specific themes in the history of polar exploration
  • Development of a technology-rich Learning Center, with support from the OSU P-12 Scholars Program, to support educators in any subject and on any level as they incorporate information technologies in their pedagogy
  • Presentations at science teacher conferences and at the Digital Union
  • Production of a set of CDs that showcase the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research group efforts
  • An ongoing community education program sponsored by the Battelle Endowment for Technology and Human Affairs (BETHA) that focuses on the question, "Global Climate Change: What do we know? What don't we know?"
  • Hosting an annual event for Central Ohio 8th graders, The Breakfast of Science Champions, co-sponsored by the Colleges of: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Veterinary Medicine.
  • Graduate and Undergraduate Research Opportunities
  • Development of new undergraduate and graduate level seminars on polar science, history of polar science and global climate change science involving BPRC resources such as the Polar Archives, the Goldthwait Polar Library, the U.S. Polar Rock Repository and currently funded research projects
  • BPRC events commemorating the anniversary of the International Geophysical Year
  • Center-wide tours to approximately 800 students/teachers each year
  • Visits to classrooms by BPRC researchers to share slide shows of life in Antarctica and other polar regions, as well as age appropriate activities involving rock and fossil specimens and discussions about ongoing science investigations
  • Chautauqua: The Role of Polar Regions in Global Change - Short course for College Teachers
  • Battelle Sponsored Earth Watch: Using Science and Technology to Monitor and Understand the Earth's Changing Environment — a seminar series for Columbus area high school students.
  • NSF Schoolyard Long-Term Ecological Research Program — focuses on stream ecology and long-term monitoring by high school students and teachers in the U.S.
  • COSI — Electronic Experts Seminar Series
  • Providing Internet access to information about archived rock samples via the U.S. Polar Rock Repository website