johnson on esse21

July 19-20, 2002

Universities Space Research Association

College and University Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century

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ESSE 21College and University

Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century

Donald R. Johnson Martin Ruzek


July 19-20, 2002



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ESSE 21 Mission Statement

• engage scientists and educators in the collaborative development and offering of courses and learning resources focused on the fundamental understanding and application of Earth system and global change science in the undergraduate classroom and laboratory

• motivate and effect systemic change through adoption of courses and curricula in Earth system and global change science within colleges and universities

• provide an infrastructure to support collaboration of faculty and scientists within and among educational institutions and with NASA programs and scientists

• strengthen and expand interdisciplinary Earth system and global change science education within the overall formal and informal education structure of this Nation

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What is Earth System Science ?

Background on ESSE I and II

A New Opportunity - ESSE 21

Outline

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What is Earth System Science?

• Earth system science provides a physical basis for understanding the world in which we live and upon which humankind seeks to achieve sustainability

• Earth system science embraces chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and applied sciences in transcending disciplinary boundaries to treat the Earth as an integrated system

• Earth system science has been stimulated by the the increasing role of human activity in global change and the capabilities of global monitoring of the Earth from space

• Earth system science seeks a deeper understanding of the physical, chemical and biological interactions that determine the past, current and future states of the Earth

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A t m o s p h e r i c P h y s i c s / D y n a m i c s

T r o p o s p h e r i c C h e m i s t r y

G l o b a l M o i s t u r e

O c e a n D y n a m i c s

M a r i n e

B i o g e o c h e m i s t r y

T e r r e s t r i a l

E c o s y s t e m s

T e r r e s t r i a l

E n e r g y / M o i s t u r e

C l i m a t e

C h a n g e

P o l l u t a n t s

C O 2

C O 2

S o i l

L a n d

U s e

P h y s i c a l C l i m a t e S y s t e m

B i o g e o c h e m i c a l C y c l e s

H u m a n

A c t i v i t i e s

( f r o m E a r t h S y s t e m S c i e n c e : A n O v e r v i e w , N A S A , 1 9 8 8 )

The Bretherton Diagram

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The Full Bretherton Diagram

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Earth System Science

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Embracing Earth system science as a concept also reveals:

• No individual department or program within a university or even single university has the expertise and interest to adequately cover the breadth and depth required• The joining of faculty from different disciplines within and among universities is essential for achieving the richness that Earth system science potentially offers to classroom education.

• Earth system science must retain the strength of traditional disciplines for understanding the complexities of interacting processes encountered. • The challenge is to develop and offer a variety of Earth system science courses at different universities and colleges which meet the needs and interests of the faculty and students at a particular institution. • The collaborative development and sharing of diverse educational resources will create "a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts".

What has ESS taught us?

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How we arrived at this point - ESSE I and II

• ESSE - a NASA/USRA university-based cooperative effort structured to overcome traditional barriers to interdisciplinary science education.

• Forty five colleges and universities were competitively selected to participate in ESSE 1 and ESSE II from 1991 - 2000

• Faculty from these U.S. universities collaborated with one another and with NASA scientists to develop undergraduate curricula and courses in ESS

• Each university offered at least one survey course and one senior level course in which faculty presented Earth systems as an important class of challenging scientific problems in relation to human dimensions and sustainability

• Universities participated in an exchange in which visiting faculty and scientists from other participating universities and from NASA brought to the classroom expertise and perspectives different from those at the host campus.

• Hands-on workshops and tutorials were held each year for faculty and teaching assistants to familiarize the group with new software resources and methods for the classroom.

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ESSE Examples - CSU Monterey Bay

PI: Bill Head > Susan AlexanderCourses: ESSP 202 - Human Interactions with the Environment

ESSP 260 - Geology and HydrologyESSP 301 - Ecosystem Services: Scientific & Economic Analyses ESSP 303 - California TransectESSP 340 - Ecological SystemsESSP 360 - Geomorphic SystemsESSP 395 - Special Topics in Earth Systems Science & PolicyESSP 440 - Ecological ModelingESSP 461 - Watershed Systems Restoration

Enrollment in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses:Year 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01Students 88 79 190 208 318

• CSUMB has one interdisciplinary department called Earth Systems Science & Policy - not traditional science departments• CSUMB offers a major and BS degree in Earth Systems Science and Policy • Susan Alexander represents the 2nd generation of ESSE influence, being a PhD graduate at Stanford while it was in the ESSE-1 program• ESSE helped define CSUMB’s Earth Systems Science & Policy (ESSP) program, one of the first programs in the nation to take a systems approach to science education. At the lower division level, cognate topics (mathematics, chemistry, and physics) are framed within the context of Earth systems problems, while upper division courses focus on teaching students the interdisciplinary, critical thinking, and technical skills that they will need to effectively apply the Earth systems perspective to real-world problems.• http://essp.monterey.edu/

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ESSE Examples - University of Maryland

PI: Owen ThompsonCourses: METO123 - Causes and Implications of Global Change

METO200 - Weather and ClimateMETO400 - The AtmosphereMETO401 - Global EnvironmentMETO499 - Earth System Science: Physical and Biogeochemical

Cycles METO625 - Remote Sensing Outline METO431/432 - Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers

Enrollment in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses:

Year 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01Students 112 143 285 164 175 239The Maryland departments of Meteorology, Geology, Geography, and Plant Biology came together under ESSE Project auspices to develop the course METO/GEOL/GEOG/PBIO 123 (Entered above as "METO 123"). Cooperation continues with the establishment of a new "Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center" (ESSIC) under joint University of Maryland/NASA sponsorship. With both research and educational charges, Meteorology, Geology, Geography, and ESSIC is currently revising its ESS curricular offerings to further developments of Earth system science curricula at entry-level, advanced undergraduate, and graduate levels. This is the kind of development envisioned by the original USRA/ESSE Program, and the University of Maryland is enjoying the benefits of its participation with peer universities through USRA/ESSE.

http://meto.umd.edu/~owen

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ESSE Examples - Michigan State University

PI: Stuart GageCourses: BOT/ENT/GLG/SOC/ZOL319 - Intro to Earth System Science

ENT 442 - Biological Information SystemsBOT/ENT/GLG/SOC/ZOL419 - Advanced Earth System Science

Enrollment in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses:

Year 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01Students 20 11 40 53 35ESSE has impacted the program at MSU by:• causing MSU administration to address issues related to trans-disciplinary and trans-college courses• motivating faculty from different disciplines to interact in the design of ESSE courses• enrolling students from more than 25 majors in ESSE courses, in a balance between social, physical and biological sciences.• creating the ESSE course which is now an option for student advisors to provide Science majors with a “big picture” course• enriching faculty, who attended all sessions and learned points of view from different disciplines, and incorporate ESSE materials in other courses. Faculty can now teach their own ESSE courses within their departments• impacting the next generation of faculty - former graduate students are incorporating the ESSE/Biosphere approach to generate their own courses

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ESSE Examples - University of Michigan

PI: Tim Killeen > Ben van der PluijmCourses: AOSS 171 - Intro to Global Change I - Physical Processes

AOSS 172 - Intro to Global Change II - Human ImpactsUC 212 - Intro to Global Change III - Studies of Global Sustainability

Enrollment in ESSE and ESSE-derived courses:Year 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01Students 75 155 150 259 273 216

• The Global Change courses are team-taught by faculty from five different departments• The University of Michigan's Global Change Project is a novel approach in undergraduate science and social science education. In three interdisciplinary, team-taught courses the topic of Global Change from physical and human perspectives is examined, and case studies are used to explore conditions for sustainability.

• The courses are aimed at first and second year students who want to understand the historical and modern aspects of Global Change. A Minor in Global Change can be completed in the first few years of study. The three Global Change Courses are its required core and students learn further through the completion of 2 elective, campus-wide courses. • http://www.globalchange.umich.edu

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http://www.globalchange.umich.edu

University of Michigan Global Change 1

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Complete schedule athttp://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/index.html

Global Change 1 Course Lectures

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Complete schedule athttp://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/index.html

Global Change 2 Course Lectures

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Ben van der Pluijm, Department of Geological Sciences, Program Director for UC Academic Minor in Global Change

[email protected] David Allan, School of Natural Resources and Environment

[email protected] Kling, Department of Biology

[email protected] Samson, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences

[email protected] Abreu, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences

[email protected] Bunyan Bryant, School of Natural Resources and Environment

[email protected] Anne Carroll, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences

[email protected] Ford, Anthropology

[email protected] Gayl Ness, Sociology

[email protected]

Global Change Course Instructors

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ESSE II Participants and Course Enrollments

ESSE Course Enrollm ent Sum m aryRev Septem ber 2001

AY 95/96 AY 96/97 AY 97/98 AY 98/99 AY 99/00 AY 00/01

California State U niversity M onterey Bay 88 79 190 208 318 Bill Head > Susan Alexander*N orth Carolina State U niversity 18 780 241 146 142 Bob Berem an > Vickie Connors > Dave DeM asterW est Chester U niversity 42 48 32 34 12 Richard M . Busch/Joan W elchU niversity of N orth Carolina 79 315 283 236 303 Douglas Craw ford-Brow nSouth D akota Schools of M ines and Technology * 29 25 Ron W elch > Edw ard F. DukeW estm inster College of Salt Lake City * 17 68 68 60 25 Robert E. Ford*California State U niversity Long Beach 340 540 388 447 484 Elizabeth Am bosSan D iego State U niversity 883 936 872 1075 est 900 Eric Frost/Kevin RobinsonM ichigan State U niversity 20 11 40 53 35 Stuart Gage/M anuel ColungaCoastal Carolina U niversity 42 45 47 13 Craig Gilm an*G eorgia Institute of Technology * 25 28 Dana Hartley > Phillip FroelichCarleton College 126 113 133 104 216 217 W illiam E. Hollingsw orthCornell U niversity 49 90 114 85 83 73 Bryan Isacks / Kerry CookBryn M aw r U niversity * 66 49 61 82 67 M ark J. Johnsson > Karen GreifU niversity of M ichigan * 75 155 150 259 273 216 Tim othy L. Killeen > Ben van der Pluijm*U nion College / Bates College * 30 64 57 Sharon M . Locke*Florida Institute of Technology 60 52 27 91 George A. M aul/Iver DuedallU niversity of M assachusetts 7 219 437 120 134 W illiam M cCoyU niversity of Illinois U rbana Cham paign 25 47 27 25 49 W alter A. RobinsonU niversity of O klahom a 13 38 22 29 25 John T. Snow*Clark Atlanta U niversity * 79 108 Denise Stephenson-Haw kU niversity of M aryland 112 143 285 164 175 239 Ow en E. Thom pson*U niversity of Colorado 392 286 279 272 160 330 Jam es W . C. W hite* - Original PI no longer w ith institution

Total 875 2610 4398 3665 3447 3593

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Summary of ESSE Accomplishments

ESSE Participants:• have embraced ESS as an important course of studies • are full partners and leaders in the wave of systemic

reform in ESS • were early adopters and now leaders in electronic

content delivery• have formed productive partnerships in expanding

content and courses ESSE as a Program:

• has demonstrated the success of leveraging resources in the college and university environment

• maintains a continuing web presence with active content creation and collection

• develops and contributes to new concepts - JESSE, EPOD, DLESE …

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Opportunities Continue in the 21st Century

• Striving for sustainability demands analysis of the Earth system• Wealth of data for global monitoring of the Earth from NASA missions • Opportunities for analysis and prediction abound• Pervasive use of electronic media and communications• Advancing pedagogical effectiveness through student discovery and creativity involving guided scientific research• Complementary focus of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in advancing Earth system science education • Need for assessment and evaluation

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Interdisciplinary concerns of Earth system science

• An understanding of Earth System Science requires both breadth and depth from the underlying scientific disciplines• Earth system issues (climate change, biodiversity, urbanization, etc.) remain central to mapping a sustainable future for society • Decision making must be based upon sound scientific characterization and understanding of the Earth system involving many disciplines• Discovery and critical thinking must be cultivated at all levels across disciplines• Disciplinary expertise is essential for interdisciplinary study

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• Broad awareness, appreciation and understanding of Earth system and global change science and the background necessary to address sustainability, environmental equity and other complex science/society issues• Expanded and continued opportunities for engaging traditionally underrepresented groups in science education and decision making

Societal Needs

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• Recognize the overall importance and relevance of Earth system science as an emerging course of studies of the 21st century • Develop and offer courses which describe the Earth system with fundamental understanding of the physical, chemical, biological and social processes • Access data and utilize models in the classroom for retrospective, interoperative and prospective studies of the Earth system• Attract and motivate students interested in careers across a broad spectrum of endeavors from environmental applications to the underlying fundamentals of the science.

As Only Colleges and Universities Can

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• Leverage existing investments in Earth observing from space to realize a world-view of Earth system and global change science• Migrate the results of NASA science, applications, and technology to the classroom, integrate core science and engineering competencies and collaborate with scientists, educators and students in the college and university community • Improve recruitment and retention in Earth system science and technology and foster the next generation of sophisticated researchers and data analyists with early introduction to new concepts and technologies such as NewDISS, SensorWeb, etc.

“As Only NASA Can”

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NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise

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ESSE 21 Goals

• Support and expand an active community of college and university educators and scientists as partners dedicated to developing and offering courses and relevant curricula in Earth system science by joining of faculty from different disciplines. When opportunity presents itself, departments and degree programs in interdisciplinary Earth system science will emerge.• Foster and enrich the grassroots development of quality shared content at the undergraduate and graduate level, incorporating Earth system science, research, data, models, visualizations, applications and technology for classroom and laboratory use.• Provide enabling infrastructure that fosters and supports broad collaboration among an interdisciplinary community in the development of content and serves as a focal point for sharing interdisciplinary ideas, resources, and talents.

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Without a common supporting infrastructurecommunity growth is scattered, content is developed independently and is often not available to the rest of the community.

ESSE 21 nurtures a productive community sharing diverse content building on a common supportive infrastructure

Community, Content and Infrastructure(Vines, Fruit and Trellis)

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ESSE 21 Objectives - Community

In fulfilling its mission, ESSE 21 will:• Support an interdisciplinary group of faculty and staff among colleges and universities committed to systemic change and collaborative offering of Earth system science courses in the classroom. • Provide opportunities for Earth system educators and the larger interdisciplinary community of researchers to partner with each other and share interests, new results, ideas, expectations, opportunities, products, learning tools, etc.• Promote Earth system science concepts for broader extension to national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education goals• Extend awareness of the NASA Earth Science Enterprise mission and strategic goals (characterize, understand, predict) to the college and university education community• Offer opportunities for international collaboration, contributions and participation

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ESSE 21 will: • Support involvement of under represented institutions and foster capacity building through collaboration

Facilitate a survey of the capabilities for Earth system science and identify current strengths and areas for expansion among

under represented institutionsAssist in establishing goals and objectives for an

Earth system science program appropriate to institutional strengths, aspirations and needs• Draw upon the broader resources and strength of established programs• Match goals and strengths of specific under represented institutions through teaming arrangements with each other and established programs

ESSE 21 Objectives - Community (cont)

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ESSE 21 Objectives - Content

In fulfilling its mission, ESSE 21 will:• Improve overall science literacy at the undergraduate level by developing learning materials that feature the scientific basis of Earth system concepts • Foster programs that promote core competencies in interdisciplinary Earth system topics and address recruitment and retention issues in ESS fields.• Support the adaptation and integration of existing Earth system science resources into undergraduate learning environments, extending local resources to broader audiences• Support the creation of new Earth system science learning resources, course and curricula as visions unfold and new horizons emerge, including development of degree programs in Earth system and global change science• Support the implementation of “best practice” pedagogies for student-centered learning, including sound evaluation and assessment strategies • Submit Earth system science resources developed to the NASA Product Review and encourage peer reviewed publication of content and concepts via the Journal of Earth System Science Education (JESSE)

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ESSE 21 Objectives - Infrastructure

In fulfilling its mission, ESSE 21 will:• Provide long-term continuing opportunities for participant interaction through annual meetings, special topical workshops, special professional meeting sessions, discussion forums, etc.• Create and maintain community Web resources, content repositories, listservers, discussion forums, summaries of news items of interest etc. • Serve as a broker for partner expertise, coordinating participant contributions to other projects seeking collaborators (e.g. in K–12 education, pre-service education, etc).• Serve as a hub for responding to external opportunities and seeking foundation support (e.g., sustainability, applications, technology, international programs).

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ESSE 21 Programmatic Activities - Community

• USRA plans to issue a series of Calls for Participation soliciting interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate faculty + Each Call to competitively select 5-8 teams+ Each team will be funded for 2 years, up to $35K/yr, and receive travel support for duration of program+ Over 6 years, 25 - 40 colleges and universities would be involved+ Extend involvement to international partners on a no-cost basis• Organize participant interest among the teams and beyond, to include collaborations with other NASA funded researchers and programs, at universities and NASA centers• Organize an annual meeting for participants to foster discussion, projects, and opportunities for collaboration• Coordinate opportunities for student involvement / internships / summer programs

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ESSE21 Call for Participation will seek creative and innovative proposals from college and university teams committed to furthering ESS in the classroom. Proposals will be solicited which:

• Develop new lower and senior level undergraduate interdisciplinary courses• Develop and implement an interdisciplinary Earth system science degree program leading to a major or minor. • Develop and offer courses leading to a certificate program aimed at improving competency in Earth system topics (e.g. remote sensing, image processing, GIS, etc.) • Develop network(s) including under represented institutions, statewide university systems and/or community colleges allied with a leading four-year institution(s) to develop and share common Earth system science expertise and resources• Create new comprehensive modular Earth system science content which promotes the interdisciplinary extension of science, technology, engineering and mathematics • etc.

Call for Participation

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Level 1 – Institutions without existing Earth system science course(s), seeking to develop and share new interdisciplinary courses and content in Earth system science.

Level 2 – Institutions already offering various courses emphasizing Earth system science content, seeking to develop and share additional courses with new content and formalize their Earth system science offerings through systemic reorientation of degree tracks, programs and/or departments leading to options for a minor or major in Earth system science

Level 3 – Institutions who have already adopted Earth system science through formal degree tracks, programs and/or departments, now seeking to develop interdisciplinary content in new areas leading to various degree options in Earth system science and bringing existing content to a level that will be mutually shared and potentially expanded through collaborations with other institutions such as state university systems including community colleges

Proposal Level

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ESSE 21 also seeks Associate participation:

• Extends opportunities to participate without funding

(e.g. government, non-US, institutions with interest)• Selected by letter proposal• Invited to all meetings, discussions, workshops• Some travel funds may be available• Provides a formal way to participate, contribute and benefit

ESSE 21 Associate Members

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ESSE 21 Programmatic Activities - Content

ESSE 21 will:• Facilitate and coordinate the content development by team participants

Stimulate and optimize a range of educational resources

Avoid duplication of effortsBalance materials developmentFormulate development guidelines for adapting products

Encourage using data in the classroom• Apply common assessment and evaluation rubrics to ESSE 21 content with the involvement of assessment experts• Work with teams to disseminate content via the NASA product review, and publish content via JESSE and/or DLESE

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ESSE 21 Programmatic Activities - Infrastructure

ESSE 21 will:• Organize and maintain a web presence and content supporting the ESSE 21 community, including list serves and discussion boards, NetMeetings, databases, mailing lists, etc.• Serve as a nucleus for discussion and community building and extension to other disciplines aligned with ESS interests (ie life science, social science, applications, technology, policy …) • Create collections, services, and modules to assist the participants• Seek ways to maximize participant interactions, exchange and collaboration• Coordinate travel for ESSE 21 exchanges• Generate an ESS speakers list and find speakers when required• Coordinate responses to funding opportunities and proposal solicitations• Represent ESSE 21 as a body at professional meetings and in response to opportunities that can extend and benefit the mission of ESSE 21

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Opportunities for additional impact and future contributions

• ESSE 21 programmatic activities will focus discussion and expertise in areas such as:

• Standards-based STEM education activities• State science education initiatives• Research/education partnerships• International programs• Sustainable development, environmental issues,

policy• Applications and technology related to ESS• Outreach to social science and life science

communities• Forum for common and special interests

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Summary of anticipated benefits

Partnerships. ESSE 21 will establish new, interdisciplinary partnerships creating communities of researchers and educators sharing a common interest in the Earth system and leveraging existing resources and capabilities.

Resources. ESSE 21 is important for bringing about the renewal, extension, and restructuring of existing resources. The Program will facilitate the timely development of new learning materials that ensure a firm foundation of science principles underlying the Earth system

Reform. The Program will motivate and contribute to systemic change from the grassroots level in how science and education departments and degree programs interface in structuring the study of the Earth system

Opportunities. As a collaborative group, ESSE 21can respond to other announcements of opportunity, extending the NASA-based Earth system resources to new audiences and applications.

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ESSE 21 Stakeholders and Goals

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• capacity building and mutual program stimulation• bottoms up, grass roots, in the classroom• collaboration, partnerships, teaming,

multifaceted• reinforcement, like minds• interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary• strengths of discipline, jointly pursuing common

interests• communication and exchange of concepts involving

science and sustainability• exciting science and applications involving

multidimensionalitywith intersecting spaces that remained to be

explored

The really unique aspect of earth system science lies within the problems and unexplored challenges lying within the intersecting spaces of disciplinary interests which remain to be addressed and and where applications remain to be developed.

Can you recognize the ESSE 21 keywords now?

Keys Words-Earth System Science Education

johnson on esse21

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