Dinosaurs, Denver and Climate Change (D2C2): ECO-Opportunity Project

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

D2C2 (Dinosaurs Denver and Climate Change) is a Track 1 Proof-of-Concept proposal that uses learning about dinosaurs and fossils as the hook for underrepresented youth to learn about geology and climate change and to engage them in green community-based projects. The proposed project provides the resources for underserved youth to learn about geoscience by directly experiencing it through Colorado's and Wyoming's natural resources, through participation in six-week Saturday Summer Academies that incorporate both field- and classroom-based experiences. STEM-based and community-based partners, which include African American and Latino churches, will collaborate in informal settings to provide African-American and Latina/o youth with place-based pedagogy to advance public Earth science system (ESS) literacy. The project team is applying place-based pedagogy to develop science and mathematics literacy and to increase green space in underserved communities. Students engage in place-based science by exploring historical data. Use of this critical pedagogy enables students to engage in border-crossing between geoscience and green energy conservation. Youth also use science process skills learned from a field-based geology course to engage in green projects that will sustain local communities and inform the public about climate change. This kind of engagement allows students to contextualize community well-being using both historical and contemporary geoscience knowledge. In this way, underrepresented minority students also tap the cultural capital of their communities. The project is focused on increasing public understanding of ESS and its relevance by (1) improving the quality of informal geoscience education at the secondary level (and beyond); (2) encouraging and facilitating the engagement of geoscientists in efforts to strengthen STEM education; and (3) communicating the importance of the geosciences to the public and increasing public literacy regarding ESS.