Red River Geoscience Education Pilot Project

University Of North Dakota Main Campus, Grand Forks ND

Investigators

Abstract

0085583 Hartman The Red River Geoscience Education (RRGE) Pilot Project will give secondary school students in eastern North Dakota a learning opportunity that will prepare them to understand the issues that affect watershed water quality in general and, specifically, the water quality of the Red River of the North (in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba). Incorporating a complementary expansion of the tributary monitoring activities initiated in the Minnesota portion of the watershed, this geoscience education program provides a collaborative approach to science teacher development and student education using the major geological feature of the region. One objective of the project is to provide area educators with effective geoscience activities and methods, focused on water issues, to be used in the field and in the classroom. Objectives for the students include developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, participating in scientific research, and promoting interest in geoscience in particular and science in general. These objectives compliment the priorities and recommendations of the NSF directorate for Geosciences, Working Group Report, and national and state science education standards. Tailored to the individual needs of the participating urban and rural schools, the pilot project will improve the quality of science education by integrating experiential geoscience content into the coursework. The students will receive field, laboratory, and technology training in themes relating to riparian habitats, hydrology, and human impacts on water quality. Under the guidance of their teachers and geoscientists, students will monitor water quality parameters and examine riparian status at sites along the Red River and two of its tributaries, gathering data and analyzing water samples during monthly field trips. The students will perform wet-chemistry and instrumental techniques using EPA-approved methods to evaluate water samples in their school laboratories. As the students gain experience in observation, sampling, analysis, and data reduction techniques, the emphasis will shift to the correlation of the results from schools in the Minnesota portion of the watershed and incorporation of information on fluvial systems, precipitation, soil and near-surface geology, ground cover, landscape, and aquatic species. The program will draw from established curricula such as Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) to supplement research activities and provide the background to interpret the analytical results and draw conclusions on the factors affecting the quality of the ecosystem. They will develop an understanding of the interactions between nature and humans that determine the health of the river. The preparation and presentation of research papers for regional scientific and water quality conferences will summarize the students' research experience and relate the significance of their findings to other geoscientists. These activities will help raise the scientific literacy of adults as well as students through the presentation of results at venues such as science and county fairs and community open houses. The participation of partners from several educational and professional fields will build closer relationships between K-12 education, universities, and government agencies in North Dakota and Minnesota. This program will connect local scientists and practitioners with classroom teachers and provide student opportunities to work with scientists in research discovery. The hands-on learning aspect will enhance science and math education through the practical application and connections of skills developed in the classroom. Placing research in the context of their local environment will empower students with responsibility toward the Earth and ignite their curiosity. The impact of this project's activities will be greater science literacy in the communities participating in the program and a successful model for bringing the "hands-on-minds-on" approach to geoscience education to the high schools of the Red River watershed. Because the pilot includes both rural and urban school districts, the unique problems associated with both groups can be explored and addressed, yielding a program exportable throughout the Red River watershed and beyond.