The Nevada Climate Change High School Science Fair Network will create a collaboration between diverse high school students, their classroom teachers, and Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) faculty to use geosciences data focused on climate change science in the development of Intel International Science and Engineering (ISEF) quality high school science fair research projects. Leveraging a recent large NSF EPSCoR climate change infrastructure award to Nevada, we will work with Gathering Genius, Inc. a STEM non-profit, and UNLV's Dept. of Environmental Studies to: improve teachers understanding of climate change science; increase the quantity and quality of high school science fair projects based on climate change science being submitted to Nevada ISEF-affiliated science fairs; improve students chances of passing the Nevada state high school proficiency exam in science; and expand Nevada's climate change research community into rural schools and schools with large numbers of underrepresented students. Thirty high school teachers will participate in a statewide video-conference workshop then visit and subsequently have real-time access to data from state of the art environmental monitoring stations designed to monitor effects of climate change on Nevada. The project will provide a graduate level on-line course in climate change science during their participation. A network of faculty with expertise in climate change research, geosciences and related disciplines will then be provided to these teachers and students to create quality science fair projects. These teachers, from diverse rural and urban schools around Nevada, will recruit and mentor ~150 students to complete Intel ISEF quality science fair projects with emphasis on climate change science, who will submit science fair projects to one of three regional ISEF-affiliated science fairs in Nevada during the two years of the project. If judged to be of high enough quality, some may be recommended to the Intel ISEF in 2012 and 2013. These high school graduates will be excellent candidates for geoscience courses and degree programs of the NSHE, and their admission will increase the numbers and diversity of undergraduate students in the geosciences in Nevada.
" project is to increase the climate change science content knowledge and teaching effectiveness of in-service high school science teachers and increase the number of quality high school climate change research related projects competing in Nevada’s three regional Intel ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair) affiliated science fairs. Fifteen different high school teachers have been exposed to current information about climate change science, and provided local data on Nevada climate change for use in their own classrooms. Each teacher assisted 1 to 60 students per year in the completion of quality science fair projects to be entered in regional science fairs. Nevada System of Higher Education faculty mentored some teachers and their students in the classroom, on-line and via telephone. Another important goal is to increase the diversity of regional science fair competitors. The project included a research component whose purpose was the evaluation of the program effectiveness. SUMMARY OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. An external evaluator from the Nevada State College School of Education conducted a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the program in 2011 and 2012. 2010-2011. The participants consisted of six female and three male high school teachers. Eight of the participants were white and one was Asian. Five participants taught in Clark County, two taught in Owyhee, one taught in Elko and one taught in Spring Creek. Over 20% of the projects were noted (by the teachers) as being submitted by underrepresented students (in 2011 this percentage was 42%. Teachers missed fewer items on Parts 1 and 2 of the content post-test and improved from an average of 8 missed on the pre-test to an average of only 4 items missed on the post-test. In general, participants had a strong science efficacy. The item on which there was the most discrepancy among participants was on #10, the one stating that "The low achievement of some students cannot generally be blamed on their teachers." Most teachers completed an end of year program evaluation. All but one of the participants felt that the pace of the workshop was comfortable. All participants who used faculty mentors in helping their students rated their faculty mentors very highly. All participants rated the program content very highly in terms of clarity, organization, relevance, helpfulness and usefulness. All participants gave the program a very high rating overall and stated they would likely use the information to mentor future students and in instruction in future classes. 2011-2012. The participants consisted of 4 female and 3 male high school teachers. Six of the participants were white and one was Asian. Three of them teach in Clark County, three teach in Elko County and one teaches in White Pine County. The teacher participants took a pre and posttest of climate change science content and the Intel International Science and Engineering fair process and rules. Participants had a better understanding of scientific inquiry and ISEF rules than they did on the science of climate change. In general, participants had a strong science efficacy. The item on which there was the most discrepancy among participants was on # 15, Students’ achievement in science is directly related to their teacher’s effectiveness in science teaching. Teachers did not believe that their effectiveness (or lack thereof) was the main reason students have poor achievement in science. All participants (who had one to three faculty mentors) rated their faculty mentors very highly. All participants rated the program content very highly in terms of clarity, organization, relevance, helpfulness and usefulness. All participants gave the program a very high rating overall and stated they would likely use the information in instruction in future classes and to mentor future students. SCIENCE FAIR RESULTS 2011, 2012, and 2013. The science fairs are the culmination of the program. Teachers were required to have at least one student submit a project related to climate change science in their regional fair (otherwise no stipend). Students working with our program teachers submitted projects to Intel ISEF-affiliated fairs in Elko, Las Vegas, and Reno, NV in 2011, 2012, 2013. There were 70 climate change related projects submitted in 2011, 2012, and 2013 combined. Of these there were 12 first place winners, 11 second place winners, and 3 third place winners. Over half of the projects entered in the regional science fairs received an award. The reported student science fair projects relating to climate change include, among others: comparing CO2 emissions in old and new cars, comparing travel by mass transit with travel by private car, studying how CO2 effects global warming, studying seedlings in a climate controlled environment, studying the effect of climate change on hurricanes, determining ammonia emission from bovine manure, and studying the effect of Dendroctonus brevicomis on the depopulation of Pinus edulis and Pinus ponderosa due to climate change.
