Science, Technology, and a Changing Environment: Measuring Change to Predict the Future

A Virtual Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators

Massachusetts is home to a variety of habitats that support a wealth of plants and animals, all of which respond to our changing climate in interesting and measurable ways. Learning from engineers, scientists, and naturalists, educators discovered how new technologies with diverse sensory capabilities can transform data collection and data visualization and empower us to understand their impacts more fully as we model these changes and predict how they may affect our quality of life, from our homes to our parks to our workplaces. Educators explored ways to engage their students with the Science and Engineering Practices, including using mathematics, analyzing and interpreting data and engaging in argument from evidence, and to develop standards-driven, inquiry-based investigations that will allow them to incorporate your learning into their remote and classroom teaching. Through this institute, educators:

• Explored how technology and data visualization can be used to answer questions, solve real-world problems, and develop pathways to engage students in STEM.
• Examined how observation and new technologies lead to novel investigative questions and data interpretation as they interpreted patterns in nature and evaluate local biodiversity with smart-phones and other technology.
• Experienced the power of long-term research while analyzing ecological data from a 50+ year-old migratory bird research station.
• Built knowledge of how to use easily-accessible online resources, such as data sets and citizen monitoring applications, to integrate usable data and student inquiry.
• Gained an understanding of land-use planning and how to link community partners, businesses, and habitats into resilient communities.

Registration Information

Partners & Collaborators: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Manomet, Inc.; Plum Island Ecosystems LTER/MBL Ecosystems Center; Salem Sound Coastwatch

Dates: July 27-31, 2020. Included a mix of virtual and remote learning sessions. Completion of some online components were required prior and following the virtual sessions.

Cost: $450/participant. $400/participant if attending with one other teacher from your school or district. $375/participant if attending with 2 or more other teachers from your school or district.

PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit:
40 PDPs are available without graduate credit.
3 graduate science credits and 67.5 PDPs are available from Cambridge College for $225.
3 graduate credits and 67.5 PDPs are available from Framingham State University for $225.