Description

The 3d Naturalists RCN was built upon the framework of the Rocky Mountain Science and Sustainability Network (RMSSN*). It tapped into the experience of the co-PIs with other RCN-UBE’s such as EREN and AIM-UP and various citizen science projects; included student and faculty participation in bioblitzes collaboratively run for a decade through the National Park Service (NPS) and National Geographic; and relied on critical partnerships with academic institutions, federal agencies, professional societies (especially the Ecological Society of America and its SEEDS program), Esri Corporation, museums (especially the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, WY), and various non-profit organizations. Tools such as iNaturalist, eBird, Merlin, Seek, etc. were valuable for both learning and data collection.

Key questions asked were:

1) How can we best measure student learning along diverse dimensions (i.e., ability, motivation, and efficacy for higher level learning in environmental science, citizen science, and geospatial applications)?

2) What is the structure of the learning progression framework for higher level thinking in environmental science associated with sustainability and climate change – especially outside of the formal classroom?

3) Which of the elements of the informal experience are most important to foster or constrain student learning?

Although Covid disrupted some of the original plans for interdisciplinary workshops, we gathered at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park for a culminating event in August 2022. The overall workshop theme was Broadening Participation in Citizen Science with subthemes of:

a) How and where to apply citizen science in higher education, conservation organizations and the NPS with discussions of specific STEM field activities, research, and case studies.

b) Datasets (historical and current data) with associated questions of generating and using digital datasets and data validity, engaging students in research, and opening doors to expose new audiences to science.

c) The role of technology including app development, the ubiquity of access via cell phones, and usefulness to a wide array of audiences and participants.

d) Inclusion (Overcoming Barriers & Challenges) including discussions of effective models, cultural and place connections, stewardship, teams and social components of science.

d) COVID Lessons Learned.

e) Hands-on practice with field-based citizen science exercises.

An offshoot of this RCN was the formation of the Pollinator Hotshots summer program where students collaborate with various National Parks to conduct field surveys of pollinators to better understand changes in biodiversity and impacts of climate change.

*RMSSN has run a science-based academy since 2010 for which students from historically underrepresented groups are recruited. The intensive ten-day experience uses the Rocky Mountain landscape, national parks, and field stations as laboratory and classroom and focuses on research, global climate change, teamwork, leadership development, and sustainability issues in natural resource, land, and park management. Students explore organizational and leadership styles and learn about how this is applicable to science and policy development. Hallmarks of RMSSN include the diversity of participants (over 70% of the academy participants are from under-represented groups); hands-on science; collaborative partnerships with 24 academic institutions, the National Park Service and other federal agencies, and non-profit organizations; and tiered cohort-based mentoring and networking that persist long beyond the academy.

RMSSN, which was originally funded by an NSF Research Coordination Network in undergraduate biology education (RCN-UBE) grant, has also received financial and resource support from private donors, the National Park Service, and corporate sponsors. It was developed into a 501(c)(3) non-profit supported with generous support from Beacham O’Malley Charitable Trust, board members, and alumni of the RMSSN Academy. After over a decade, the academy boasts well over 100 alumni, many of whom have gone on to STEM graduate programs, or are with NGOs or federal agencies in science, conservation, or sustainability-related positions.

Ways to learn more:

• Halliwell, P., Whipple, S., Hassel, K. N., Bowser, G., Husic, D. W., & Brown, M. A. (2020). Twenty‐first‐century climate education: Developing diverse, confident, and competent leaders in environmental sustainability. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 101(2), e01664.

Ways to get involved:

• This RCN grant is coming to an end in August 2023 with a 1-year supplement grant from NSF to evaluate outcomes from the grant activities including the 2022 workshop in Acadia NP.

If you are interested in learning more and participating please email Dr. Gillian Bowser (CSU), Dr. Phil Halliwell (CSU), or Dr. Diane Husic (Moravian University)

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