There will be a topical session on involving the public and classrooms in
paleontological research at the Geological Society of America mtg in Boston
in November. If you are working in this or a related area, please consider
offering a presentation (15 minutes) at this mtg; if you have colleagues
with these interests please forward this announcement on to them. Thank
you. The deadline for electronic submission is July 24.

Rob Ross
============================================

Title: Partnerships in Paleontology: Involving K-16 Classrooms and the
Public in Collaborative Research (Topical Session T14)

Session Description: Increasingly, researchers are entering into research
partnerships with groups of non-specialists -- K-12 classrooms, college
non-science major classes, and members of the general public -- with the
dual goals of scientific education and data collection.  Research
partnerships formed between paleontologists and members of the public may
be powerful tools for achieving scientific literacy by building from the
intrinsic interest many have in fossils and Earth history.  From a research
perspective, involving large groups of individuals in data collection may
result in the development of scientifically meaningful databases for use in
answering critical data-intensive questions in paleobiology.  Despite these
mutual benefits to the educational and scientific communities, relatively
few partnerships have adequately evaluated the educational effectiveness of
these approaches and the quality of data generated by public
participants.  It is our hope that this session will provide a forum for
paleontologists and educators to discuss these issues and begin the process
of developing standards for statistically testing data quality and
evaluating pedagogical effectiveness and educational impact.  Through this
forum, researchers may learn new methods for collecting large quantities of
paleontological data usable in documenting, for example, high-resolution
faunal changes, or other spacio-temporal questions that require large
datasets.  Participating educators may learn new ways to engage classes in
inquiry-based projects while employing evaluation methods to insure that
educational outcomes are being reached.

Volunteered abstracts on projects in any phase of development are welcome
additions to this session, with particular interest in issues of data
quality and learning assessment.  Individuals interested in these issues
are also encouraged to consider contributing to a Journal of Geoscience
Education theme issue on research partnerships in the geosciences involving
researchers, K-16 classrooms, and the general public.  Deadline for these
manuscripts will be January 15th, 2002.

Please contact either of us if you have any questions or suggestions.  The
deadlines for abstract submission
(http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2001/index.htm) is July 17 (paper) and
July 24 (electronic). We look forward to an engaging dialogue in Boston on
the challenges and benefits of these research and education partnerships.
====================================================
Robert M. Ross
Director of Education
Paleontological Research Institution
Ithaca, NY 14850
tel: 607 273 6623 x18
FAX: 607 273 6620
email: [log in to unmask]
PRI website: <www.priweb.org>

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