ESSE 21 College and University Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century

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ESSE 21College and University Earth System
Science Education for the 21st Century
Donald R. JohnsonMartin Ruzek Universities Space
Research AssociationMarch 12, 2002
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What is Earth System Science?
Earth system science is a new and necessary
framework for understanding and maintaining the
world in which we live and upon which we
completely depend. Earth system science treats
the Earth as an integrated system of interacting
components, whose study must transcend
disciplinary boundaries Earth system science
has been stimulated by the maturation of
traditional disciplines, a global view of the
Earth from space, and the increasing role of
human activity in global change Earth system
science provides a deeper understanding of the
interactions that bind the Earths components
into a unified dynamical system
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What has ESS taught us?
Embracing Earth system science as a concept also
reveals No individual department or program
within a university or even single university has
the expertise and interest to adequately cover
the breadth and depth required The joining of
faculty from different disciplines within and
among universities is essential for achieving the
richness that Earth system science potentially
offers to classroom education. Earth system
science must retain the strength of traditional
disciplines for understanding the complex set of
interacting processes encountered. The
challenge is to develop and offer a variety of
Earth system science courses at different
universities and colleges which meet the needs
and interests of the faculty and students at a
particular institution. The collaborative
development and sharing of diverse educational
resources among institutions will create "a whole
that is greater than the sum of the parts".
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The Bretherton Diagram
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Earth System Science
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How we arrived at this point - ESSE I and II
In 1991 the Universities Space Research
Association (USRA) and the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) initiated the
Earth System Science Education (ESSE) Program to
develop an Earth System Science and Global Change
curriculum within a university-based cooperative
effort structured to overcome traditional
barriers to interdisciplinary science
education. Twenty-two universities were
competitively selected to participate in the
five-year Program (ESSE I). In August, 1995 an
additional twenty-two universities were selected
to continue the program (ESSE II). Faculty
from these U.S. universities collaborated with
one another and with NASA scientists in the
development of undergraduate curricula and
offering of courses in Earth System Science.
Each university offered at least one survey
course and one senior level course in which
faculty presented Earth Systems issues as a
socially relevant, challenging, and important
class of scientific problems Universities
participated in an exchange in which visiting
faculty and scientists from other participating
universities and from NASA brought to the
classroom expertise and perspectives different
from those at the host campus. Hands-on
workshops and tutorials were held each year for
faculty and teaching assistants to familiarize
the group with new software resources and methods
for the classroom. A web site was established
(http//www.usra.edu/esse) to foster the
interdisciplinary geophysical perspectives needed
to understand the Earth System by providing for
efficient collaborative development and access to
publishable quality educational modules among the
ESSE participants and the Internet community at
large. Larger aims of the program are to
foster the establishment of a national academic
forum for Earth System Science serving
undergraduate education as a whole, and to expand
the interdisciplinary interests of future
scientists who elect to pursue Earth Science
research professionally.
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ESSE II Participants and Course Enrollments
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ESSE Examples - CSU Monterey Bay
PI Bill Head Susan Alexander Courses ESSP
202 - Human Interactions with the
Environment ESSP 260 - Geology and
Hydrology ESSP 301 - Ecosystem Services
Scientific Economic Analyses ESSP 303 -
California Transect ESSP 340 - Ecological
Systems ESSP 360 - Geomorphic Systems ESSP 395
- Special Topics in Earth Systems Science
Policy ESSP 440 - Ecological Modeling ESSP 461
- Watershed Systems Restoration Enrollment in
ESSE and ESSE-derived coursesYear 96/97 97/98 9
8/99 99/00 00/01Students 88 79 190
208 318
CSUMB has one interdisciplinary department
called Earth Systems Science Policy - not
traditional science departments CSUMB offers a
major and BS degree in Earth Systems Science and
Policy Susan Alexander represents the 2nd
generation of ESSE influence, being a PhD
graduate at Stanford while it was in the ESSE-1
program ESSE helped define CSUMBs Earth
Systems Science Policy (ESSP) program, one of
the first programs in the nation to take a
systems approach to science education. At the
lower division level, cognate topics
(mathematics, chemistry, and physics) are framed
within the context of Earth systems problems,
while upper division courses focus on teaching
students the interdisciplinary, critical
thinking, and technical skills that they will
need to effectively apply the Earth systems
perspective to real-world problems.
http//essp.monterey.edu/
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ESSE Examples - University of Michigan
PI Tim Killeen Ben van der Pluijm Courses
AOSS 171 - Intro to Global Change I - Physical
Processes AOSS 172 - Intro to Global Change II -
Human Impacts UC 212 - Intro to Global Change
III - Studies of Global Sustainability Enrollment
in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses Year 95/96 96/
97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 Students 75 155
150 259 273 216 The Global Change courses
are team-taught by faculty from five different
departments The University of Michigan's Global
Change Project is a novel approach in
undergraduate science and social science
education. In three interdisciplinary,
team-taught courses the topic of Global Change
from physical and human perspectives is examined,
and case studies are used to explore conditions
for sustainability. The courses are aimed at
first and second year students who want to
understand the historical and modern aspects of
Global Change. A Minor in Global Change can be
completed in the first few years of study. The
three Global Change Courses are its required core
and students learn further through the completion
of 2 elective, campus-wide courses.
http//www.globalchange.umich.edu
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ESSE Examples - University of Maryland
PI Owen Thompson Courses METO123 - Causes and
Implications of Global Change METO200 -
Weather and Climate METO400 - The
Atmosphere METO401 - Global Environment METO49
9 - Earth System Science Physical and
Biogeochemical Cycles METO625 - Remote Sensing
Outline METO431/432 - Meteorology for
Scientists and Engineers Enrollment in ESSE
and ESSE-derived courses Year 95/96 96/97 97/98
98/99 99/00 00/01Students 112 143 285
164 175 239 The Maryland departments of
Meteorology, Geology, Geography, and Plant
Biology came together under ESSE Project auspices
to develop the course METO/GEOL/GEOG/PBIO 123
(Entered above as "METO 123"). Cooperation
continues with the establishment of a new "Earth
System Science Interdisciplinary Center" (ESSIC)
under joint University of Maryland/NASA
sponsorship. With both research and educational
charges, Meteorology, Geology, Geography, and
ESSIC is currently revising its ESS curricular
offerings to further developments of Earth system
science curricula at entry-level, advanced
undergraduate, and graduate levels. This is the
kind of development envisioned by the original
USRA/ESSE Program, and the University of Maryland
is enjoying the benefits of its participation
with peer universities through USRA/ESSE.
http//meto.umd.edu/owen
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ESSE Examples - Michigan State University
PI Stuart Gage Courses BOT/ENT/GLG/SOC/ZOL319
- Intro to Earth System Science ENT 442 -
Biological Information Systems BOT/ENT/GLG/SOC/ZO
L419 - Advanced Earth System Science Enrollment
in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses Year 96/97 97
/98 98/99 99/00 00/01Students 20 11 40
53 35 ESSE has impacted the program at MSU
by causing MSU administration to address
issues related to trans-disciplinary and
trans-college courses motivating faculty from
different disciplines to interact in the design
of ESSE courses enrolling students from more
than 25 majors in ESSE courses, in a balance
between social, physical and biological
sciences. creating the ESSE course which is now
an option for student advisors to provide Science
majors with a big picture course enriching
faculty, who attended all sessions and learned
points of view from different disciplines, and
incorporate ESSE materials in other courses.
Faculty can now teach their own ESSE courses
within their departments impacting the next
generation of faculty - former graduate students
are incorporating the ESSE/Biosphere approach to
generate their own courses
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. . . The University of Maryland has profited
by its membership in the USRA/ESSE consortium and
strongly supports its continuation. Under the
leadership of Eugenia Kalnay, Chair of the
Meteorology Department, and in close cooperation
with the Departments of Geography (Sam Goward,
Chair), Geology (Mike Brown, Chair), and our
rapidly developing Earth System Science
Interdisciplinary Center (Tony Busalacchi,
Director), we are in the process of updating and
expanding our curricula relating to earth system
science. The ESS research and educational efforts
of these units also enjoy the strong support and
leadership of two deans, Steve Halperin
(Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
and Irwin Goldstein (Behavioral and Social
Sciences). . . . The opportunity for Maryland
scientists and educators to interact regularly
with colleagues at other institutions of higher
learning through the USRA/ESSE program has been
very important in focusing our educational
developments. If there is anything that we can do
in support of renewal of this program, please do
not hesitate to ask. Owen E.
Thompson Professor August 25, 2001
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Summary of ESSE Accomplishments
ESSE Participants have embraced ESS as a
process are full partners and leaders in the
wave of systemic reform in ESS were early
adopters and now leaders in electronic content
delivery have formed productive partnerships
and grown in new directions ESSE as a Program
has demonstrated the success of leveraging
resources in the college and university
environment maintains a continuing web
presence with active content creation and
collection develops and contributes to new
concepts - JESSE, EPOD, DLESE organizes ESS
sessions at professional society meetings ESSE
bibliography (see attached)
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Opportunities in the 21st Century
General acceptance of ESS as a concept
Pervasive use of electronic media and
communications Emphasis of need for pedagogical
effectiveness Need for assessment and
evaluation Wealth of data and research results
from NASA missions National attention on
educational effectiveness and Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
education
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Need for understanding the underlying science
Earth system issues (climate change,
biodiversity, urbanization, etc.) remain central
to mapping a sustainable future for society
Decision making must be based upon sound
scientific characterization and understanding of
the Earth system Critical thinking skills must
be cultivated at all levels Interdisciplinary
study requires disciplinary expertise ESSE 21
considers these needs and enables a community of
interdisciplinary researchers and educators to
create products and develop partnerships which
will positively impact societys understanding of
and response to the Earth system
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Societal Needs
Citizenry literate in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics capable of critical
thinking Scientists, engineers, technologists
and citizens who are educated and interested in
interdisciplinary challenges and can contribute
to informed decision making Broad awareness,
appreciation and understanding of Earth system
and global change science and the background
necessary to address sustainability,
environmental equity and other complex
science/society issues and Continued
opportunities for engaging traditionally
underrepresented groups in science education and
decision making, in this country and
internationally.
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College and University Needs
? Provide students ready access to quality
learning materials in Earth system and global
change science ? Recognize the overall
importance and relevance of Earth system science
as an emerging discipline of the 21st century
which unifies the interests of the physical and
life sciences in addressing sustainability of
life on Earth ? Foster opportunities for the
joining together and seamless interaction of
research and education interests to work more
closely and advance learning ? Develop and
offer courses which describe the Earth system
with fundamental understanding of the physical,
biological and social processes which govern the
Earth system ? Bring and utilize data in the
classroom for retrospective, interoperative and
prospective studies of the Earth system which
together ensure intellectual excitement through
discovery ? Bring and utilize models in the
classroom which provide students with fundamental
insights into the governing processes of the
Earth system ? Ensure intellectual engagement in
the classroom through cross comparison of data
and models in relation to governing principles
and in turn highlight the challenges of
unresolved issues with respect to sustainability
globally, regionally and locally ? Attract and
motivate students interested in careers in Earth
system and global change science ranging across a
broad spectrum of endeavors from environmental
applications to the underlying fundamentals of
the science.
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NASA Needs
Leverage its existing investments in Earth
observing as well as global and climate change
monitoring research and technology through
college and university programs Provide a
truly interdisciplinary world-view of Earth
system and global change science, including the
life sciences and human dimensions, to
educational instutions and society in general
Collaborate in the development and sharing of ESE
research strategies and priorities with
scientists, educators and students in the college
and university community, and ensure awareness of
the importance of the ESE mission Migrate the
results of NASA science, applications, and
technology, including models, data, and
visualizations from research laboratories to the
classroom at all levels of education, to digital
libraries of the World Wide Web, and to the
general public Integrate core science and
engineering competencies, and foster and support
the education of future Earth system scientists
engaged in remote sensing, analysis and
modeling Improve recruitment and retention in
Earth system science and technology fields for
the immediate and future needs of NASA and the
Nation, with special emphasis on reaching
underrepresented groups Foster the next
generation of sophisticated researchers and data
analyists with early introduction to new concepts
and technologies such as NewDISS, SensorWeb, etc.
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ESSE 21 Stakeholders and Goals
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ESSE 21 Mission Statement
The mission of ESSE 21 is to engage scientists
and educators in the collaborative
interdisciplinary development and offering of
learning resources and courses focused on the
fundamental understanding and application of
Earth system and global change science in the
undergraduate classroom and laboratory. ESSE 21
aims to motivate and bring about systemic change
within colleges and universities by ensuring the
adoption of curricula and degree programs in
Earth system and global change science within the
formal educational structure of colleges and
universities. Through providing an
infrastructure to support collaboration among
faculty and scientists within and among
educational institutions and with NASA programs
and scientists, ESSE 21 aims to strengthen the
foundations and expand the horizons of
interdisciplinary Earth system and global change
science education within the overall formal and
informal education structure of this Nation.
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ESSE 21 Goals
Support and expand an active community of
college and university educators and scientists
as partners dedicated to developing and offering
courses and relevant curricula in Earth system
science by joining of faculty from different
disciplines. When opportunity presents itself,
departments and degree programs in
interdisciplinary Earth system science will
emerge. Foster and enrich the grassroots
development of quality shared content at the
undergraduate and graduate level, incorporating
Earth system science, research, data, models,
visualizations, applications and technology for
classroom and laboratory use. Provide enabling
infrastructure that fosters and supports broad
collaboration among an interdisciplinary
community in the development of content and
serves as a focal point for sharing
interdisciplinary ideas, resources, and talents.
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Community, Content and Infrastructure(Vines,
Fruit and Trellis)
Without a common supporting infrastructure communi
ty growth is scattered, content is developed
independently and is often not available to the
rest of the community.
ESSE 21 nurtures a productive community sharing
diverse content building on a common supportive
infrastructure
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ESSE 21 Objectives - Community
Support an interdisciplinary group of faculty
and staff among colleges and universities
committed to systemic change and collaborative
offering of Earth system science courses in the
classroom. Provide opportunities for Earth
system educators and the larger interdisciplinary
community of researchers to partner with each
other and share interests, new results, ideas,
expectations, opportunities, products, learning
tools, etc. Promote Earth system science
concepts for broader extension to national
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) education goals Extend awareness of the
NASA Earth Science Enterprise mission and
strategic goals (characterize, understand,
predict) to the college and university education
community Offer opportunities for international
collaboration, contributions and participation
Recognize opportunities for underrepresented
groups
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ESSE 21 Objectives - Content
Improve overall science literacy at the
undergraduate level by developing learning
materials that feature the scientific basis of
Earth system concepts Foster programs that
promote core competencies in interdisciplinary
Earth system topics and address recruitment and
retention issues in Earth system fields.
Support the adaptation and integration of
existing Earth system science resources into
undergraduate learning environments, extending
local resources to broader audiences Support
the creation of new Earth system science learning
resources, course and curricula as visions unfold
and new horizons emerge, including development of
degree programs in Earth system and global change
science with specialty options. Support the
implementation of best practice pedagogies for
student-centered learning, including sound
evaluation and assessment strategies for all
adaptation and development projects Submit
Earth system science resources developed to the
NASA Product Review and encourage peer reviewed
publication of content and concepts via the
Journal of Earth System Science Education (JESSE)
or other peer publication venues
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ESSE 21 Objectives - Infrastructure
Provide long-term continuing opportunities for
participant interaction through annual meetings,
special topical workshops, special professional
meeting sessions, discussion forums, etc.
Create and maintain community Web resources,
content repositories, listservers, discussion
forums, summaries of news items of interest etc.
Serve as a broker for partner expertise,
coordinating participant contributions to other
projects seeking collaborators (e.g. in K12
education, pre-service education, etc). Serve
as a hub for responding to external opportunities
and seeking foundation support (e.g.,
sustainability, applications, technology,
international programs).
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Action Plan - Community
USRA will issue a series of Calls for
Participation soliciting interdisciplinary teams
of undergraduate educators Each Call to
competitively select 12 teams Each team funded
for 2 years, and receives travel support for
duration of program Over 6 years, 60 colleges
and universities will be involved Extend
involvement to international partners on a
no-cost basis Organize participant interest
within the teams and beyond, to include
collaborations with other NASA funded researchers
and programs, at universities and NASA centers
Organize an annual team meeting to discuss
courses, projects, opportunities for
collaboration Coordinate opportunities for
student involvement / internships / summer
programs
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Action Plan - Content
Coordinate the content development by team
participants Apply common assessment and
evaluation rubrics to ESSE 21 content with the
involvement of assessment experts Work with
teams to publish content via JESSE, DLESE or NASA
product review Formulate content development
guidelines for adapting products and using data
in the classroom
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Action Plan - Infrastructure
Organize and maintain a web presence and
content supporting the ESSE 21 community,
including list serves and discussion boards,
NetMeetings, databases, mailing lists, etc.
Serve as a nucleus for discussion and community
building and extension to other disciplines
aligned with ESS interests (ie life science,
social science, applications, technology, policy
) Create collections and services to assist
the participants Seek ways to maximize
participant interactions, exchange and
collaboration Coordinate travel for ESSE 21
exchanges Generate an ESS speakers list and
find speakers when required Coordinate
responses to funding opportunities and proposal
solicitations Represent ESSE 21 as a body at
professional meetings and in response to
opportunities that can extend and benefit the
mission of ESSE 21
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Call for Participation

• ESSE21 Call for Participation will seek creative
  and innovative proposals from college and
  university teams committed to furthering ESS in
  the classroom. Proposals will be solicited
  which
• Develop a new lower level undergraduate
  interdisciplinary course to be offered as a
  survey of Earth System Science to the general
  student body and a senior/graduate course in
  theory, analysis and modeling of the Earth system
  science
• Develop and implement an interdisciplinary
  Earth system science degree program leading to a
  major or minor through the addition of new
  courses, the combination of courses from several
  disciplines and/or the revision of existing
  courses.
• Develop and offer courses leading to a
  certificate program aimed at improving competency
  in Earth system topics (e.g. remote sensing,
  image processing, GIS applications) for students
  and/or professional and technical careered
  individuals
• Develop and offer a summer workshop and/or a
  training institute with an emphasis on the broad
  interdisciplinary dimensions of Earth system
  science to be offered to faculty and staff of
  under represented institutions and/or community
  colleges
• Develop a regional network of under represented
  institutions and/or community colleges allied
  with a leading local four-year institution(s) to
  develop and share common Earth system science
  expertise and resources
• Create new comprehensive modular Earth system
  science content for use in existing classes or
  training courses
• Create special courses which promote the
  interdisciplinary extension of science,
  technology, engineering and mathematics
• etc.

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Tier Structure for Proposals
Tier 1 Institutions new to the Earth system
science concept, seeking to develop new
interdisciplinary courses and content in Earth
system science and offering orientation of degree
tracks, programs and/or departments with emphasis
on the Earth system either leading or potentially
leading to a minor or certificate. Tier 2
Institutions already offering various courses
emphasizing Earth system science content, seeking
to develop additional courses with new content
and formalize their Earth system science
offerings through systemic reorientation of
degree tracks, programs and/or departments
leading to options for a major in Earth system
science Tier 3 Institutions who have already
adopted Earth system science through formal
degree tracks, programs and/or departments, now
seeking to develop interdisciplinary content in
new areas leading to various degree options in
Earth system science and bringing existing
content to a level that can be mutually shared
and developed through collaborations with other
institutions
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Evaluation and Assessment
Evaluation of the program overall and of
individual team activities is an integral part of
ESSE 21 A dedicated program evaluation task has
been identified to be led by a consultant in
cooperation with program staff and participants
Formative (implementation and progress)
evaluation will be ongoing during the life of the
program to ensure that ESSE 21 is operating as
planned and meeting its stated goals Annual
meetings offer a natural means to conduct formal
progress evaluation Descriptive statistics and
performance indicators will be defined as part of
the formative evaluation process, leading to a
summative evaluation of each teams contribution
following their two year grant Program staff
and the evaluation consultant will identify key
evaluation points, develop evaluation questions,
and define measurable outcomes which will be
shared as common evaluation criteria for all team
participants Team proposals will be expected to
address evaluation of their projects using
guidelines to be provided in the call for
participation
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Opportunities for additional impact and future
contributions
ESSE 21 provides a vehicle to focus discussion
and expertise in areas such as
Standards-based STEM education activities
State science education initiatives
Research/education partnerships International
programs Sustainable development,
environmental issues, policy Applications and
technology related to ESS Outreach to social
science and life science communities ESSE 21 as
a collaborative entity could also seek foundation
or other institutional support
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Timeline
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Summary of anticipated benefits
Partnerships. ESSE 21 will establish new,
interdisciplinary partnerships creating
communities of researchers and educators sharing
a common interest in the Earth system and
leveraging existing resources and capabilities.
These partnerships will bridge NASA and the
college and university communities with
grassroots collaboration to increase and optimize
the use of NASA data and resources in the
classroom. The program also establishes
intercollegiate relationships among the
participants by supporting visitor travel and
offering focused opportunities for partnering at
ESSE 21 annual meetings as well as at special
sessions of scientific society meetings. These
partnership opportunities are especially
important for minority serving institutions
seeking to broaden their contacts within the
community. Resources. ESSE 21 is important for
bringing about the renewal, extension, and
restructuring of existing resources. The Program
will facilitate the timely development of new
learning materials that ensure a firm foundation
of science principles underlying the Earth system
and contribute to overall excellence in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics literacy.
ESSE 21 resources will be shared by the NASA
Product Review and published as peer reviewed
contributions to electronic journals and digital
libraries, adhering to best practice pedagogies.
Common guidelines, assessment and evaluation
metrics will help to ensure the focus and quality
of ESSE 21 contributions. Reform. The Program
will motivate and contribute to systemic change
from the grassroots level in how science and
education departments and degree programs
interface in structuring the study of the Earth
system in the spirit of Earth System Science A
Closer View, NASAs seminal document defining the
field. The interdisciplinary approach to studying
the Earth will continue to be emphasized, and
participants will extend the richness of Earth
system science to new disciplines, departments
and institutions in bridging fundamental science
with human applications. Opportunities. As a
collaborative group, ESSE 21can respond to other
announcements of opportunity, extending the
NASA-based Earth system resources to new
audiences and applications. Program participants,
either on their own or facilitated by ESSE 21
staff, will be able to capitalize in seizing new
opportunities as partners in an arena broadened
to include human dimensions, societal and policy
issues interwoven with applications and
technology areas. ESSE 21 will bring together
participants with a unique mix of expertise and
skills that desire to contribute to solutions to
increasingly interdisciplinary challenges facing
the world.
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Budget outline
6 year program 60 college and university teams
funded, each for 2 years, plus travel support to
attend meetings for the duration of the
program Cost per team (avg) 163.2 K/team over
the 6 year program 88.4K - 2 year grant to
institution 9.3K - direct travel support
for team and partner meetings 65.5K -
community infrastructure Infrastructure
includes Don Johnson, ESSE 21 Program Director
- 25 time Martin Ruzek, ESSE 21 Program
Manager - 75 time Web developer and content
manager - 100 time (new hire) Administrative
support coordinator, meetings, travel, etc. -
100 time (new hire) Assessment and evaluation
for the program and by team (consultant) One
summer undergraduate intern each year One summer
graduate intern each year Annual team meeting
support Total program 9.793 M over 6 years
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Budget summary
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ESSE 21 and DLESE
ESSE 21 complements the mission of the Digital
Library for Earth System Education with
grassroots support for ESS content
creation DLESE - provides access to ESS learning
resources ESSE 21 - collaboratively creates
interdisciplinary ESS learning resources ESSE
21 contributes to content that will be collected
and cataloged by NASAs JOINed Digital Library
for Science Education (JDL) and shared with
DLESE Program participants will bring to DLESE
a distinctive NASA and systems perspective as a
coherent sub-group of the larger DLESE
community DLESE tools for recognizing and
adopting best practices and pedagogy will be
incorporated into ESSE 21 projects ESSE 21 will
facilitate the implementation by team members of
NASA JDL and DLESE-adopted technical standards
(e.g. metadata tagging of resources )