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The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor withNew York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) seeks to integrate harbor restoration activities with science teachers inorder to provide their students with experiential learning through environmental impact in New York City with thevision that public school students in New York City can benefit from environmental science and experiential learningwork through authentic research, data collection, and experimentation. The purpose is to engage science teachers withexperiential learning opportunities in the New York Harbor that helps them create engaging lessons for their ownstudents. It was found that teachers responded most positively to workshops that included hands-on activities,specifically the oyster restoration station trainings, classroom oyster tank setups and activities with scientists. Teachersreported that the BOP-CCERS program prepared them to support student learning of the program content and scientificresearch activities. Students who engage in real-world science are more likely to see the relevance of science and seethemselves working toward a career pathway in STEM.
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This content will become publicly available on June 16, 2026
Integrating authentic geoscience research into K–12 education via measurement of microbial extracellular enzymes in natural waters: A case report of two initiatives
Participation in authentic scientific research has been shown to greatly benefit undergraduate students, both in terms of perception of science and knowledge of scientific concepts. We define authentic scientific research as projects in which results are unknown prior to performing experiments and are appropriate for presentation in peer-reviewed scientific journals and/or scientific conferences. Kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) students have less frequent opportunities to participate in authentic research than university students, and the effects of research participation on such students are less well understood. From 2013 to the present, we organized two collaborations with different groups of K–12 students and teachers, each aimed at engaging K–12 students in authentic geoscience research, with a focus on K–12 students from excluded backgrounds who may have had restricted access to resources. First, the Malcolm X Shabazz Aquatic Geochemistry Team was an initiative to involve high school students at Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey, USA, in research focused on the activities of microbial communities inhabiting streams and rivers in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Second, the Integrating Continuous Experiential Activities for Geoscience Education (ICE-AGE) project is a Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences (GEOPAths) project funded by the National Science Foundation that involves K–12 students in experiential learning through diverse means, including involving middle school students taking part in a summer program pseudonymously referred to as the Liberation Literacy Program (LLP) in geoscience research on a number of topics. Here, we report qualitative observations of the successes and challenges of these programs, as well as lessons learned, which may be useful for other researchers seeking to involve groups of K–12 students in authentic geoscience research education.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2145434
- PAR ID:
- 10621466
- Editor(s):
- MacDonald, James H; Clary, Renee M; Archer, Reginald; Broadway, Ruby
- Publisher / Repository:
- Geological Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Special paper Geological Society of America
- Volume:
- 564
- ISSN:
- 0072-1077
- ISBN:
- 9780813795645
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 9-18
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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