M-P teachers chosen for science project
By Dean Shipley
Staff Writer
Two Madison-Plains science teachers were selected to participate in a nationwide research project for the 2012-2013 school year. Sara Ellenberger and Michele Hildebrandt, both high school science teachers, were among 44 teachers nationwide chosen to be a part of “From Learning to Research.” The announcement was made earlier this week by GLOBE, an international science and education program.
Under guidance by Hildebrandt and Ellenberger Madison-Plains science students will conduct a year-long, “locally relevant” climate research. The results of their work will then be shared with the GLOBE community, a network of students, teachers and scientists around the world.
“The Project, which is supported by a National Science Foundation grant, provides teachers with knowledge, skills and strategies to engage middle and secondary students in authentic Earth system science research, while also introducing students to careers in the Earth sciences,” according to a release.
Julie Malmberg, GLOBE Science and Education project manager, explained how the teachers were selected:
“To be selected for the GLOBE Program’s From Learning to Research Project, teachers needed to submit an application. Criteria included being an active GLOBE teacher, applying with a local partner teacher and having their application endorsed by a school administrator. The strongest applicants were selected to participate. In the 2012-13 cohort we have 44 teachers from 18 states, including three teachers from Ohio.”
For being selected Hildebrandt, Ellenberger and their 42 counterparts receive the following:
• Science equipment
• AV/tech equipment (cameras and web cams)
• $1,000 stipend (paid in increments throughout the school year)
• Intensive training at a one-week summer institute in Boulder, Colorado, at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research where the GLOBE Program is based (Ellenberger and Hildebrandt both attended). In addition to the training, it is the location where the teachers created a locally-relevant climate project plan to complete with their students during the coming school year.
• Continuing professional development and training throughout the school year, including: regular webinars that will feature best practice sharing and guest speakers from a variety of STEM fields.
• Access to teacher mentors (educators who completed the Project last year)
• Promotion and sharing of the research their students complete to the entire GLOBE community of educators, students and scientists.
• The opportunity for their students to present their findings at the annual GLOBE partner meeting next summer.
“Being selected to participate in the From Learning to Research Project has inspired me to bring research experiences to my students,” said Michele Hildebrandt, a biology teacher at Madison-Plains High School. “I am very excited to give the students at Madison-Plains the opportunity to conduct real world science and the ability to connect with students, teachers and scientists across the world.”
The GLOBE Program connects students, teachers and scientists from around the world to better understand Earth as a system. The classrooms participating in the From Learning to Research Project will undertake high-quality scientific research on topics related to aerosols and/or surface ozone and climate, general atmospheres and climate, hydrology and climate, and land cover and biology and climate. Upon completion of their research, students will create videos detailing their work and results. The Project is part of GLOBE’s Student Climate Research Campaign (SCRC). SCRC aims to engage students in measuring, investigating and understanding the climate system in their local communities and around the world.
“I am honored to be selected for the GLOBE Program’s From Learning to Research Project,” said Sara Ellenberger, a biology teacher at Madison-Plains High School. “It offers my students an incredible opportunity to engage in hands-on scientific exploration and research this coming school year.”
Earlier this summer, Ellenberger and Hildebrandt attended a one-week summer institute in Boulder, Colorado, at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) where the GLOBE Program is based. Teachers participating in From Learning to Research will continue to receive professional development and training throughout the school year, including regular webinars that will feature best practice sharing and guest speakers from a variety of STEM fields. Additionally, several teachers who participated in the From Learning to Research Project last school year will return as mentors to help the 2012-13 cohort of teachers.
“Teachers who participate in the From Learning to Research Project promote exploration, discovery and investigation among students — using science to give students a better connection to the Earth and to their local communities,” Malmberg said. “GLOBE not only helps to cultivate our next generation of scientists by fostering an interest in science at a young age, but it also contributes to our current scientific understanding of the world around us because the data students collect can be used by scientists around the world.”
About The GLOBE Program
For more than 15 years, the GLOBE Program has offered teachers an innovative way help students of all ages to not only learn science, but to do science. To date, more than 58,000 trained teachers and 1.5 million students in 112 countries have participated in the Program. GLOBE receives support from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). For more information visit www.GLOBE.gov.
GLOBE is an international science and education program that connects a network of students, teachers and scientists from around the world to better understand, sustain and improve Earth’s environment at local, regional and global scales. By engaging students in hands-on learning of Earth system science, GLOBE is an innovative way for teachers to get students of all ages excited about scientific discovery locally and globally. To date, more than 23 million measurements have been contributed to the GLOBE database, creating meaningful, standardized, global research-quality data sets that can be used in support of student and professional scientific research. Since beginning operations in 1995, more than 58,000 trained teachers and 1.5 million students in 112 countries have participated in GLOBE. For more information or to become involved, visit www.GLOBE.gov.
