skip to main content

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Virtual Field Studies, Simulations and Role Play Resources: The Role Bivalves Play in Sustaining Local Watershed Ecosystems.
Title: Virtual Field Studies, Simulations and Role Play Resources: The Role Bivalves Play in Sustaining Local Watershed Ecosystems.
The Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) three-year National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant worked with four school districts along the James River in Virginia helped teachers and the students they serve understand the role bivalves play in sustaining local watershed ecosystems. Two colleges across three centers at VCU contributed to the grant, which include the School of Education Center for Innovation in STEM Education, and VCU Life Sciences that included the VCU Rice Rivers Center and the Center for Environmental Studies. External partners included the Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery-US Fish and Wildlife Service, the James River Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to help deliver a comprehensive program. Students shared their stewardship efforts at the Virginia State Capitol. Five free environmental science modules (a collection of thematic lessons coupled with digital media) developed through this NOAA grant are housed at the the Virginia Department of Education “Go OpenVA” education portal. The modules present lessons in the following areas: a) virtual field studies for mussels and oysters, b) online role-play experiences for mussels and oysters, and c) an online simulation integrating the impact and sustainability of mussels in an agricultural environment.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2120665
PAR ID:
10556317
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
National Earth Science Teachers Association
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Earth scientist
Volume:
XL
Issue:
4
ISSN:
1045-4772
Page Range / eLocation ID:
13-23
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ( , The Earth scientist)
    Five free environmental science modules, developed by the Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) School of Education, the VCU Center for Environmental Studies and the VCU Rice Rivers Center, explore the role bivalves (mussels and oysters) play in sustaining local watershed ecosystems. Developed in collaboration with teachers and their students from four school districts along the James River in Virginia, the modules (a collection of thematic lessons coupled with digital media) are housed at the Virginia Department of Education GoOpenVA Open Educational Resources (OER) Portal. The modules include: a) virtual field studies for mussels and oysters, b) online roleplay experiences for mussels and oysters, and c) an online simulation integrating the impact and sustainability of mussels in an agricultural environment 
    more » « less
  2. ( , 2021 American Society for Engineering Education Conference Proceedings)
    null (Ed.)
    Interactive science centers are in a unique position to provide opportunities for engineering education through K-12 field trip programs. However, field trip programs are often disconnected from students’ classroom learning, and many K-12 teachers lack the engineering education background to make that connection. Engineering Explorations is a 3-year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) program Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) (EEC-1824856 and EEC-1824859). The primary goal of this project is to develop and test engineering education modules that link K-12 students’ classroom learning to field trip experiences in an interactive science museum, increasing student learning and extending the field trip experiences. Each Engineering Explorations module consists of one 50-minute field trip program completed at an interactive science center and curriculum for three 50-minute lessons to be implemented by the classroom teacher before (2 lessons) and after (1 lesson) the field trip program. Our paper will present both development and research outcomes. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ( , Microplastics)

    Due to the prevalence of plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems, aquatic organisms are at high risk for accumulating microplastics (MPs). Filter-feeding bivalves, such as mussels and oysters, may be exposed to, and subsequently accumulate, MPs due to the high volume of water they pass through their bodies. This study assessed the levels of MPs within Atlantic ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa), a common filter feeder found along the United States Atlantic Coast, from 12 sites within Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay, collectively known as the Delaware Inland Bays. Composited mussels from each site were digested using potassium hydroxide and filtered. Microplastics were physically identified, sorted based on color, and counted using a digital microscope. Microplastics, almost entirely dominated by synthetic microfibers, were found in all mussels well above laboratory blanks. Across all sites, 40% of microfibers were black, and 27% of fibers were clear. The composite concentrations of MPs ranged from 0.25 to 2.06 particles/g wet tissue, with a mean of 0.08 ± 0.06. In general, higher concentrations were found in mussels collected at sites that were adjacent to more urbanized land use versus those from rural sites. At two sites, individual mussels, in addition to composites, were analyzed and had MP concentrations ranging from 11 to 69 particles/mussel. This study represents the first evaluation of MPs in this ecologically important coastal species and suggests its viability as a biomonitoring species for microplastic pollution.

     
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; ( , Humanities and Social Sciences Communications)
    When schools and universities across the world transitioned online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ed+gineering, a National Science Foundation (NSF) project that partners engineering and education undergraduates to design and deliver engineering lessons to elementary students, also had to shift its hands-on lessons to a virtual format. Through the lens of social cognitive theory (SCT), this study investigates engineering and education students’ experiences during the shift to online instruction to understand how they perceived its influence on their learning. As a result of modifying their lessons for online delivery, students reported learning professional skills, including skills for teaching online and educational technology skills, as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content. Some also lamented missed learning opportunities, like practice presenting face-to-face. Students’ affective responses were often associated with preparing and delivering their lessons. SCT sheds light on how the mid-semester change in their environment, caused by the shift in designing and teaching from face-to-face to online, affected the undergraduate engineering and education students’ personal experiences and affect. Overall, the transition to fully online was effective for students’ perceived learning and teaching of engineering. Though students experienced many challenges developing multimedia content for delivering hands-on lessons online, they reported learning new skills and knowledge and expressed positive affective responses. From the gains reported by undergraduates, we believe that this cross-disciplinary virtual team assignment was a successful strategy for helping undergraduates build competencies in virtual skills. We posit that similar assignment structures and opportunities post-pandemic will also continue to prepare future students for the post-pandemic workplace.

     
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al ( , Oceanography)

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC) was established in 2001 as a multi-institutional collaborative program with the goal of preparing a diverse future STEM workforce in marine and fisheries sciences. Using best practices for recruiting, mentoring, and training students, the Center has had a significant impact on the number of individuals from underrepresented groups earning degrees in NOAA-related sciences. From 2001 to 2022, the LMRCSC recruited and trained 1,092 students (516 BS, 241 MS, 89 PhD, and 246 non-degree students), and graduated 630 (401 BS/BA, 173 MS/MA, 56 PhD) students. About 77% of the graduates belong to underrepresented groups. Of the LMRCSC graduates, 41 work for NOAA or NOAA contractors. Since 2016, 67 graduate students have taken part in internships at NOAA Laboratories across the United States. Institutional capacities built using NOAA funds have enabled Historically Black Colleges and Universities collaborating with the Center to leverage funds to develop several programs, including a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates site in marine and estuarine science. The NOAA LMRCSC has become a model collaborative educational partnership that should be replicated elsewhere to enhance diversity in STEM disciplines, particularly the geosciences.

     
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email