The disciplines of limnology and oceanography are rapidly evolving due to increasing pressure on aquatic ecosystems because of global change, motivating the development of new empirical and modeling approaches. For example, aquatic scientists are increasingly analyzing large datasets obtained through sensor networks and remote sensing, enabling new analyses and models of ecological phenomena over an increasing range of temporal and spatial scales. Conducting these “big data” analyses and modeling, as well as interpreting their results, requires advanced skills in data collection, data manipulation, experimental design, quantitative reasoning, and data analysis. Moreover, in addition to these technical skills, students need the team science skills to collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers and community members, as diverse teams are increasingly needed to address pressing aquatic science challenges due to global change. Despite the increasing importance of all of these skills, however, they are not commonly taught in aquatic science undergraduate and graduate classrooms. We seek both oral and poster presentations that highlight innovative approaches, tools, and training programs that are advancing aquatic science education at all levels. Our aim is to showcase examples of how instructors in the ASLO community are creatively pushing the envelope of aquatic science training and enabling students to learn new concepts and develop the skills necessary to conduct 21st century limnology and oceanography. We ask instructors to share how their educational tools or training programs can be scaled to other teaching and learning contexts, so that education can truly be the tide that raises all boats (i.e., benefit all members of the aquatic science community). We note that ASLO 2024 attendees are allowed to submit a second abstract to an education session in addition to other research sessions, per ASLO policy.
Lead Organizer: Cayelan Carey, Virginia Tech (cayelan@vt.edu)
Co-organizers:
Mary Lofton, Virginia Tech (melofton@vt.edu)
Cailin Huyck Orr, Science Education Research Center at Carleton College (corr@carleton.edu)
Presentations
02:00 PM
K-12 OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDS-ON LEARNING: SCHOOLYARD WINTER LIMNOLOGY (8413)
Primary Presenter: Amber Mrnak, Center for Limnology, Trout Lake Station (amrnak@wisc.edu)
Hands-on learning experiences and in person engagement with real scientists are critical to enriching learning and connecting youth to science and careers in science. The Center for Limnology at Trout Lake Station and North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research Program host an annual educational event for 4th and 7th grade students in Vilas County. This event allows students the opportunities to meet and interact with scientists, learn by doing hands-on activities (including lake sampling through the ice), and interact with data to make real world-connections. Framed in the history of the LTER Schoolyard programs, we will walk through a typical day with students on the ice and in the lab and present how we have integrated elementary and middle school science standards to create a natural fit in Wisconsin science curriculum for teachers. A preliminary assessment of the program was done using data collected from surveys of 7th and 8th grade students as well as station staff to identify ways to improve student connections to science and to foster feelings of belonging in the scientific community while also identifying ways to make the program more enjoyable for staff volunteers. Results of this preliminary assessment suggest that student participants feel science is accessible to them but may need more opportunities to engage with science topics and scientists in order to deepen their interests. These results will be directly used to update and improve the Schoolyard program and built upon for future and long-term assessment of our participants.
02:15 PM
Engaging students with large publicly accessible datasets (8208)
Primary Presenter: Catherine O'Reilly, Illinois State University (oreilly@ilstu.edu)
Strong quantitative reasoning is a critical skill for both conducting science and applying scientific information. Working with large, authentic, and publicly available data can enhance the development of quantitative skills as well as democratize science, while also engaging with scientific conceptual frameworks. We describe how working with large publicly accessible datasets uniquely contributes to the identification and redirection of misconceptions and improves learning in science. The pedagogical approach outlined by Project EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration) also allows students to participate in discovery science, where the outcomes are unknown and not prescribed in advance. Although this uncertainty can be uncomfortable for instructors, this approach replicates much of our own process in working with large datasets as scientists and can create a fun, collaborative environment in the classroom. We outline the key components necessary for this approach to be effective. We describe how instructors can adapt to teaching open-ended data-based activities and the best practices for working with students in the classroom or online. Project EDDIE also provides scaffolded, flexible modules in a variety of science content areas that can be modified for a wide range of courses and student levels to facilitate the use of this approach. Incorporating large, publicly accessible data into our teaching is a critical tool for improving learning in science.
02:30 PM
USING COLLABORATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY SERVICE-LEARNING TO INVESTIGATE WATER QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (8441)
Primary Presenter: Amber Rock, University of North Carolina - Pembroke (Amber.Rock@uncp.edu)
This presentation will explore an innovative and interdisciplinary service-learning collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) and the non-profit organization Winyah Rivers Alliance (WRA). The goals of this ongoing collaboration are to 1) allow students to explore the interdisciplinary nature of environmental issues, 2) introduce students to pollution sources and environmental justice concerns, and 3) extend WRA’s capacity in the Lumber River watershed by actively engaging students as clean water stewards. Our collaboration is unique in that it involves two seemingly disparate fields (sociology and biology), leveraging expertise in both disciplines to help students appreciate the complexities of large-scale environmental issues. We challenge students to think critically about the relationship between society and the environment and the consequences of that relationship. In addition, students assist WRA in their mission through the collection of baseline water quality data, service/community events, and interviews evaluating the knowledge and motivations of current volunteers. Students gain practical skills useful to both biology/environmental science and sociology careers, develop relationships with community members, and learn more about working in the non-profit sector. This presentation will include how to align pedagogical goals with service-learning activities, describe the impacts of the collaboration thus far, and provide practical advice for those who are interested in developing similar projects within their own organizations.
02:45 PM
COURSE-BASED RESEARCH PROVIDES COASTAL INSIGHTS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE AND BIG DATA SKILLS (7868)
Primary Presenter: Paul Hanson, University of Wisconsin - Madison (pchanson@wisc.edu)
The National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) provides an opportunity to compare spatiotemporal dynamics across a wide range of estuaries in the nation to discover patterns and trends in ecosystem dynamics. With decades of SWMP data being amassed, there is ample opportunity and NERR interest to conduct analyses to investigate long-term changes in estuarine systems, yet limited personnel capacity has meant that these datasets have not been fully utilized. To address this need we developed a graduate level class at University of Wisconsin-Madison for Spring 2024 with dual learning objectives: a technical objective of learning big ecological data skills and a collaborative objective to learn how to conduct end user-driven collaborative science. Student groups work with a NERR throughout the semester to address a specific science and/or management need using SWMP data from that Reserve. During the class students are learning about coastal ecosystems and estuarine environments, how to wrangle big ecological datasets and conduct complex time series analyses, and how to do collaborative science that is centered around end-user engagement from beginning to end. In this talk we will share our journey of developing and implementing this class and discuss successes and lessons learned along the way.
03:00 PM
Fostering International Research Collaboration Skills for Graduate Students: The ASLO Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) Program. (8451)
Primary Presenter: Brittany Schieler, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (bmschieler@gmail.com)
Aquatic science research is becoming increasingly global in nature. To do the science required to effectively address the complex environmental issues we face, the next generation of scientists will be required to collaborate more frequently across political borders and cultures. Recognizing this pressing need, ASLO has taken steps to introduce international, collaborative research training for graduate students with the Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) Program. The LOREX Program (funded by NSF award #1831075 to A. Paytan, A. Sponberg, L. Duguay, and M. Pace) exposes U.S.-based graduate students to the full spectrum of collaborative and international research, starting with the initiation of a collaboration with a host research mentor in one of seven institutions in four host countries. In this presentation, we will discuss the motivations, goals, and components of the LOREX program. We will also present the experiences of and lessons learned from three cohorts of students that have gone through the program.
03:15 PM
EXPLORING THE GLEON COHORT MODEL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE TRAINING IN LAKE SYSTEM SCIENCE (8116)
Primary Presenter: Kathleen Weathers, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (weathersk@caryinstitute.org)
We present the outcomes and lessons learned from 12 years of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) Fellowship Program (FP). The FP has trained 5 student cohorts with a total of ~50 participants, 30 institutions. It was created with the understanding that the future of transformative science would be carried out by diverse teams that require training in team science, network leadership, facilitation, and organizational skills. The Fellowship Program is built on a cohort model in which each cohort of 9-12 students develops new technical and big data analytics skills through creating products. The cohorts have shared both newly acquired leadership and collaborative skills with their home labs, the GLEON community, and the ecological community via leading workshops and presentations. Experts in team science co-led training through the use of three team science approaches, with the goals of improving collaborative skills while creating products to share broadly. The approaches included applying the Toolbox dialogue method combined with exercises in facilitation skills, emotional Intelligence training, and learning and applying best practices from the science of team science. Scientific products led by the cohorts have included: how to build the team for team science; analyses of drivers of water quality for 1000 lakes and changes in water quantity for over 100,000 lakes, using new AI and machine learning analytic tools; determining lakes at risk for anthropogenic salinization, and modeling carbon cycling and gas fluxes in detail for smaller subsets of lakes.
EP01 Innovative Approaches and Tools for Advancing Aquatic Scientific Education
Description
Time: 2:00 PM
Date: 4/6/2024
Room: Meeting Room KL