GCE Schoolyard 2019

Background

The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Program (GCE-LTER) is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored project that studies how long-term changes caused by climate change, sea level rise, and human alterations of the landscape affect coastal ecosystems. The GCE-LTER Schoolyard Program provides critical in-service training for K-12 educators in field ecology, immersing science and math teachers in hands-on research activities in the field to enable them to bring lessons and actual research data back to the classroom.

The GCE-LTER program based at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island (UGAMI) is now transitioning to the next phase of research and programing, GCE IV, as approved and funded by the NSF. The Schoolyard program is a very successful part of GCE LTER. However, it is time for close scrutiny for updates and improvement.

Workshop

The 2019 summer workshop will run from Sunday, July 14 - Saturday, July 20. A select group of past participants will spend a week on Sapelo this summer to make decisions about the next phase of the Schoolyard Program.  Though there will be some field work, the emphasis of this particular week will be to evaluate the entire GCE educational program. The focus will be on how this program will best serve all educators, students, and the public at large. 

Some of the tasks will include updating the supplemental materials for the book, And the Tide Comes In .... , the Schoolyard website, creating activities for a forth coming comic book depicting the techs who keep the UGAMI site going (Dontrece, Jacob, Alyssa), and any other aspects that should be addressed.

Logistics

There will not be an application process for the 2019 session. A select group of past participants have been invited to take part in this week of transition planning. Expenses for the actual program (room and board) are covered by a grant to the GCE LTER from the National Science Foundation.  Be sure to check back in during 2019 for updates and make your plans to be a part of this excellent science field experience program during a week in July of 2020.  For notification of future workshops, complete the Information Notification Form.

Contacts

For more information, please contact Venetia Butler at gceschyd@uga.edu.