Models of Inquiry-based Science Outreach to Urban Schools

NOTE: This is a large file, 15.5mb in size! A primary obstacle to urban precollege geoscience education is limited access to inquiry-based geoscience experiences that are engaging and relevant to students' lives. Opportunities are reduced by the common misconception that the geosciences are less relevant to urban audiences and by the financial limitations of many urban school districts. This paper describes three primary obstacles to improving urban geoscience education and discusses two outreach programs developed by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) that have been offered to urban elementary school classrooms in central New York. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Research and Education in Computational Science and Engineering

Over the past two decades the field of computational science and engineering (CSE) has penetrated both basic and applied research in academia, industry, and laboratories to advance discovery, optimize systems, support decision-makers, and educate the scientific and engineering workforce. Informed by centuries of theory and experiment, CSE performs computational experiments to answer questions that neither theory nor experiment alone is equipped to answer. CSE provides scientists and engineers of all persuasions with algorithmic inventions and software systems that transcend disciplines and scales. Carried on a wave of digital technology, CSE brings the power of parallelism to bear on troves of data. Mathematics-based advanced computing has become a prevalent means of discovery and innovation in essentially all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society; and the CSE community is at the core of this transformation. However, a combination of disruptive developments---including the architectural complexity of extreme-scale computing, the data revolution that engulfs the planet, and the specialization required to follow the applications to new frontiers---is redefining the scope and reach of the CSE endeavor. This report describes the rapid expansion of CSE and the challenges to sustaining its bold advances. The report also presents strategies and directions for CSE research and education for the next decade.Comment: Major revision, to appear in SIAM Revie

The Framework Catalogue of Digital Competences

The Framework Catalogue of Digital Competences Justyna Jasiewicz, Mirosław Filiciak, Anna Mierzecka, Kamil Śliwowski, Andrzej Klimczuk, Małgorzata Kisilowska, Alek Tarkowski & Jacek Zadrożny Centrum Cyfrowe Projekt: Polska (2015

Parent and teacher\u27s perceptions of employment outcomes for youth with intellectual disabilities transitioning from the public school setting.

Since 1990, and with subsequent amendments in 1997 and 2004, the secondary transition provision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have required special educators to plan, coordinate, and deliver transition services for secondary-aged students with disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). The experiences, social impacts and economic opportunities for employment continue to be monitored at both a federal and state level as part of expected outcomes for public secondary schools. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine the alignment of current research with current practice of transition planning for students with intellectual disabilities. The study surveys teachers and interviews parents of student with intellectual disabilities to identify activities and experiences that occurred during their transition phase of exiting high school. The data sources are then compared and aligned with the research on the evidence-based predictors for improving post school outcomes for students with disabilities. The findings show that while most of the evidence-based predictors are part of the transition process, some predictors are not vi implemented or timely for educators and parents to have consistent experiences. This study discussed the triangulation of the data from multiple resources to examine what predictors are implemented, training for teacher and experiences of families as they move toward post school outcomes for employment. The study discusses the implications of school policies, practice and future implications for improving post school outcomes for students with disabilities

Exploring temporaray usage opportunities of urban public spaces for event organizations

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, City and Regional Planning, Izmir, 2010Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 118-121)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxii, 137 leavesThe adjustment of urban spaces to the necessitated usages which is resulted from the rapidly altering daily practices is a difficult process. Since the traces of that alteration are widely seen in the public spaces, the design of those spaces is need to be taken into account form a large perspective. In this regard, temporary usage of public space is an essential condition used for the re-organization and re-design of public open spaces in today.s urban areas. That allows us to reconsider public spaces in relation with time and space. This study intends to evaluate event organizations in open public spaces temporarily for different kinds of events (i.e. arts and culture, sports, science and education, recreation) and scrutinizes the temporary usage opportunities of open public spaces for events with a new method .Eventcheck'. This method corresponds with other known examples of urban design studies that use checklist approach such as .Placecheck and Chapacitycheck.. In addition, this method has been developed as an urban design guide that enables to evaluate the skills and needs for various actors (such as urban designers, artists and organizers) who are the parts of providing event organizations in open public spaces.In order to obtain actor.s preferences and needs about event organizations, a comprehensive pre-determined list of semi-structured questionnaires are prepared. İstanbul and İzmir are selected for place of interviews due to their distinctive cultural policies. Consequently, this research puts forward eventcheck method for improving temporary usage into open public spaces for event organizations

Cracking the Code on Stem: A People Strategy for Nevada\u27s Economy

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”). The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County. Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech industry sectors targeted by the state’s new economic diversification strategy had begun to deliver significant growth. Most notable in fast-growing sectors like Business IT Ecosystems (as defined by the Governor’s Office for Economic Development) and large sectors like Health and Medical Services, this growth has begun to increase the demand in Nevada for workers with at least a modicum of postsecondary training in one or more STE M discipline. However, there is a problem. Even though many available opportunities require no more than the right community college certificate, insufficient numbers of Nevadans have pursued even a little STEM training. As a result, too few Nevadans are ready to participate in the state’s emerging STEM economy. The upshot: Without concerted action to prepare more Nevadans for jobs in STEM-intensive fields, skills shortages could limit growth in the state’s most promising target industries and Nevadans could miss out on employment that offers superior paths to opportunity and advancement. Which is the challenge this report addresses: Aimed at focusing the state at a critical moment, this analysis speaks to Nevada’s STEM challenge by providing a new assessment of Nevada’s STEM economy and labor market as well as a review of actions that leaders throughout the state—whether in the public, private, civic, or philanthropic sectors—can take to develop a workforce capable of supporting continued growth through economic diversification

Funding Media, Strengthening Democracy: Grantmaking for the 21st Century

Despite the pervasiveness of media, the amount of philanthropic dollars in support of public interest media remains minuscule and, therefore largely ineffective. The report, based on a survey of the the funding sector, calls on philanthropists to embrace a practice of transparency and information sharing via technology, to determine how existing funds are being used and how they can best be leveraged to increase philanthropic impact within the media field