The study of organisms presents myriad forms, visualizations, and uses of data that stimulate new questions and engender new understanding of life on earth.  The theme for the 4th Life Discovery – Doing Science Conference (LDC) challenges educators to create environments and opportunities for their learners to:

Discover Data – where can existing datasets be accessed; what can instructors and students do with them; how can we work with various types of data including numeric, geospatial, specimen, images and sounds; what classroom materials and resources are available and how can they be adapted?

Investigate Data – how do we scaffold student experiences to collect, analyze and interpret data (including existing data); can we help students to use new available technologies to “Go beyond the bar chart” to visualize data in innovative ways; how can relationships be tracked, at different temporal and geospatial scales, in order to unfold the stories of life on earth?

Inform with Data – how do we design activities so students learn to assess the type, quantity, and quality of data needed to support a decision; locate relevant data; gain experience with data tools and statistical skills; discern appropriate scales for decision-making; and effectively communicate data?