[NHCOLL-L:1070] GSA '01 Topical Session Announcement: Student-scientist partnerships in paleontology

[Robert M. Ross]

At the 2001 Annual Geological Society of America meeting in Boston, Paul 
Harnik (Paleontological Research Institution; pgh3 at cornell.edu) and Robert 
Ross (Paleontological Research Institution; rmr16 at cornell.edu) will convene 
the following Paleontological Society-sponsored topical session:

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.  This theme issue 
will be outlined in a separate announcement.

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: rmr16 at cornell.edu
PRI website: <www.priweb.org>