Education
Our nation is experiencing
a “quiet crisis” in scientific
and technological education,
according to Shirley Ann
Jackson, Ph.D., President of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Over the last several decades,
the United States has failed to
educate and graduate enough
scientists, engineers and
technologically trained workers
to replace the current generation
of leaders approaching
retirement age. She cautions that
if we do not take action now, the
United States’ global leadership
position will be compromised.
To attract more of our nation’s
most promising young minds
to science and technology, we
as a nation need to intensify
efforts to teach students at the
primary through undergraduate
levels the science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(STEM) skills necessary for
advanced scientific and
technological fields of
study. We also must provide
teachers with more resources,
professional development and
innovative curricula through
which to engage students in
interdisciplinary applications of
these skills.
The Beacon Institute’s
educational approach heeds
Dr. Jackson’s call to action with
Internet-based curricula for
teachers that employ real-time
data from the River and Estuary
Observatory Network (REON).“Our educational approach is
at the forefront of the science
education movement that
is taking advantage of the
incredible real-time data that
we are beginning to see from
established earth science
observatory networks,” says John
Cronin, Director and CEO of The
Beacon Institute, noting that the
Institute is forming partnerships
with several schools in the
region. For example, students
might solve algebraic equations
and other technical challenges
to design, build and test their
own environmental sensor
equipment, which would then
be deployed and connected
to the REON network for
observable real-time data. From
these data, students could pose
and study research questions
while simultaneously increasing
understanding of and respect for
river and estuarine ecosystems.
The goal is to help students gain
an appreciation for the Hudson
River and concurrently develop
crucial 21st century workforce
skills using REON and the
Hudson River as a laboratory. “Our goal is to excite teachers
about integrating real-time data
from the REON initiative in their
classrooms and to ignite student
interest in how STEM skills can
be applied to real life,” explains
Cronin. “The Hudson River and
REON are learning platforms
to demonstrate how science
and technology help us view,
interpret and interact with the
environment.”
The Beacon Institute’s educational
programs and products foster
STEM education and support
pedagogical advancement with
a nationwide audience through
engaging curricula, professional
development opportunities,
publication and presentation
at national conferences. Key
components include:
- Innovative, standards-based
curricula in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics for K-16
classrooms that encourage students to pose questions; develop experiments; collect, analyze and interpret data; and design and construct sampling equipment, with a focus on the Hudson River and the technology that is revolutionizing the business of environmental sensing. - Professional development workshops to expose educators to these new curricula and support implementation of hands-on, inquiry-based investigations of core concepts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, tied to district and state standards.
- Public and school programming in Building One at Denning’s Point State Park on the Beacon waterfront and elsewhere.
- Postdoctoral fellowships to promote new research on rivers and estuaries and enhance the connection between oceanographic and estuarine science.
The Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities
Developed by The Beacon Institute and Pace University, the Environmental Consortium includes more than 40 institutions of higher learning. Directed by Michelle Land of Pace University, the Consortium is dedicated to transforming the Hudson Valley into an extended laboratory and classroom for policy analysis, multi-institutional field programs and cooperative regional studies.
