NSF Convergence Accelerator: NERIED Fall Meeting

Associated Universities, Inc., Vienna VA

Investigators

Abstract

Increasingly, the most important discoveries in contemporary science are emerging from data-driven approaches. Skills and knowledge in these approaches will play a significant role in 21st century STEM learning, as well as in addressing issues of equity. Astronomy and Earth sciences are areas of significant interest to young learners, and as such, can serve as entry points for teaching and learning with data. An important goal of this workshop is to launch a new Network for Earth-space Research, Education and Innovation with Data (NEREID), to help articulate an actionable, equitable and inclusive path toward Earth and space data science literacy for lifelong learners. In addition, these findings are likely to be transferable to data learning in other disciplines as well. In support of this, the Associated Universities, Incorporated (AUI) will organize a visioning and capacity-building workshop to develop the Network for Earth-space Research, Education and Innovation with Data to support large-scale convergence efforts in Earth-Space sciences. NEREID will include members from academia, industry and research communities. It will have the goal of engaging learners as well as policymakers in topics related to Earth-Space sciences and will build a community of practice around the use of data and related tools. The workshop will bring together a variety of stakeholders in order to build an interdisciplinary community of practice in Earth-Space data science learning and practice. Such a community would help develop and disseminate best practices and curricular resources in teaching and learning with Earth-space data; elicit diverse points of view and enfranchise underrepresented groups; identify knowledge and policy gaps and develop strategies that will more effectively address those gaps; and conceptualize a related NSF Convergence Accelerator activity The NEREID workshop will help define the kinds of research, resources, data and tools that are best suited to building convergence around space and Earth data and will begin to lay out the design for the advancement of that work. The workshop will produce a white paper and roadmap articulating the feasibility for applying data science to advancing the important NSF priorities in Earth and space sciences. It will address gaps in understanding and gaps in processes for better advancing the convergence of scientific knowledge across these disciplines, focusing especially on learning communities. The workshop outcomes will be shared broadly with the NEREID community and beyond. One of the goals is to also help define a process that may inform other convergence efforts as well. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.