This Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences planning grant is working to build a network of educators and administrators interested in strengthening geoscience education at the K-12 level throughout the state of Mississippi. A survey of Mississippi science teachers will establish a baseline of teacher attitudes toward science and the level of interest in the geosciences in the State of Mississippi. The survey will also help to identify those areas of the geosciences that science teachers find most engaging or relevant, in order to determine specific opportunities for K-12/University interaction during a subsequent summer planning meeting. Select K-12 teachers and administrators from 25 minority-serving school districts within a 100-mile radius of Mississippi State University will attend a summer meeting with university geoscience faculty members. The teams will develop geoscience-focused curriculum ideas that best fit with state and national standards and their district's existing science curriculum. In addition, the workshop will be used to explore opportunities to utilize university research and facilities in appropriate activities that can increase K-12 teacher interest and content knowledge in the geosciences. Appropriate curricular materials will be identified and made available through a website; the website will also facilitate participation of teachers who could not attend the summer workshop in person.
