IdahoWatch: Research in the Sagebrush Steppe, a Teacher-Researcher Partnership

Dr. Jennifer Forbey trialed a new STEM Service-Learning model this spring, called IdahoWatch: Research in the Sagebrush Steppe Teacher-Researcher Partnership. IdahoWatch is a unique Service-Learning model to Boise State University. The IdahoWatch: Teacher-Researcher Partnership provided six 5^th  - 12^th grade teachers the opportunity to experience an authentic field research experience focused on a local issue of concern, and provided Boise State University undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to help develop, and guide, the Teacher-Researcher experience.

2014 IdahoWatch: Research in the Sagebrush Steppe

One teacher participant explained, “It was non-stop learning!  There were in depth conversations in the vehicles traveling to our site, through amazing sagebrush country, until we reached our destination at Castle Rock State Park.  We learned how to identify different species of sagebrush by visual, chemical, and physical characteristics and how herbivores, like sage grouse and pygmy rabbits, can differentiate the quality of nutrition and cover.  Instructors demonstrated how to assess and manage for quality habitats of pygmy rabbits, a species of concern. We were trained by Marcella Femgren (grad student researching sagebrush and sagegrouse) on vegetation surveys using line transects and Daubenmire plots…I can now design and implement my own research from the activities learned from the workshop into my classroom.”

Collecting pygmy rabbit data.

The experience has helped 5^th – 12^th grade teachers gain the confidence needed to take the next step in implementing field research with their own students, while forging professional relationships between university STEM research faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and K-12 teachers.

In a blind at the sage grouse lek site.

Participant teachers received a field tool kit for participation in IdahoWatch, and will receive continued access to STEM resources and support. The teachers left the experience excited to implement what they had learned in their classrooms. One teacher explained, “Next Monday, students are going to do a sagebrush chemistry lab using samples I collected during the field experience and samples I have collected since.  The following week, they are going to do a concealment activity using hands-on tools and concealments photos from the thumb drive that we were given.”

Using telemetry.

The joint work of Dr. Forbey, Boise State University, University of California – Davis, University of Idaho, and Washington State University is contributing to conservation efforts for several sagebrush steppe species of concern, including the pygmy rabbit and greater sage-grouse. Dr. Forbey has received several NSF grants to help fund her research and outreach programs.

Running line transects.

In the Fall, Dr. Ken Cornell will launch another IdahoWatch: Teacher-Researcher Partnership, focused on the issue of antibiotic resistances. To find out more about implementing the IdahoWatch model, contact Kara Brascia, Director Service-Learning, karabrascia@boisestate.edu .

 - Jill K. Hettinger, Boise State University Service-Learning

Microgravity students make STEM Service-Learning a Priority

Boise State University students make a difference in our community and will represent Boise State University on the national stage.


Dr. Elisa Barney Smith, Barbara Morgan, and Dr. Julia Oxford are guiding ENGR 475 Microgravity University students on a yearlong journey, as students propose, design, fabricate, fly, and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment for NASA’s Reduced Gravity Educational Flight Program. Their chosen topic must align with NASA’s priorities for future research, outlined in NASA’s Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG) and Critical Technology Developments (CTD) documents. Like research proposals for the National Science Foundation, an important aspect of their research proposal is their outreach plan.

In December, the team learned that they had been chosen by NASA to conduct their research on “Gravitational Effects of Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure and Flow in an Anatomically Representative Model,” at Johnson Space Center. Their flight day is set for June, so there is much to do. This spring semester the students will not only get their experiment ready, complete supporting documentation, and fabricate the physical model used in their experiment; they will be out in the community conducting service-learning. Students in ENGR 475 have developed STEM service-learning opportunities with several community partners throughout the Treasure Valley. Their first service-learning event involved area elementary teachers in a workshop focused on connecting science and engineering to the Common Core State Standards.

In their most recent outreach event, they participated in the STEM Exploration Day at Boise State University. This opportunity engaged these undergraduates in educating the public about their microgravity research and providing opportunities for children and adults to engage with Toys in Space microgravity experiments, and in constructing and launching Stomp Rockets. Additional upcoming outreach activities include: a STEM day with the Girl Scouts, a Mini-Microgravity University Competition at a local elementary school, and a STEM day with young mothers and toddlers at Marian Pritchett School.

This semester is going to be busy as these students carry full academic loads, in addition to their reduced gravity research project. The students are enjoying engaging with the community and have found their experience rewarding on many levels. They will represent Boise State University as one of only 18 university teams selected to participate in NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program. These students from Boise State University will conduct research alongside NASA researchers and students from Purdue University, Stanford University, and Texas A & M University, to name a few.

To learn more about these students' academic journey, please visit the Boise State University Microgravity Research Team's website at http://bsumicrogravityteam2014.blogspot.com/

- Jill K. Hettinger, Boise State University Service-Learning

Using Service-Learning to Engage Students from Diverse Backgrounds in STEM

Biochemistry professor Ken Cornell championed efforts to involve Boise State University students in service-learning with traditionally under-served populations in STEM, through a partnership with TRIO. TRIO held its annual Student Leadership Conference on the Boise State University campus, October 4-5th. Boise State University professors saw the Student Leadership Conference as an opportunity to engage their students in service-learning and expose TRIO students to high quality STEM experiences.  

Dr. Ken Cornell’s CHEM 431 - Biochemistry Lab students developed activities for TRIO students to engage in learning about medical drug resistance and development research. A student from Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk’s BIOL 441 - Molecular Biology of Cancer class organized a lab experience investigating the molecular biology of cancer. The labs engaged TRIO students in laboratory science research that they would not have otherwise been exposed to until college. Seventy-five TRIO students participated in each of the three labs led by Boise State University students.


Mason Kreamer, from Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk’s class reflected on his service experience, “My service-learning activity with the TRIO students was an amazing experience. The students were great and were really interested in the biology of cancer. I learned a lot and it was a great way for me to gain some teaching experience. I would recommend service-learning to other Boise State University students”.

This model of STEM service-learning provides genuine learning for both Boise State University students who participated in the selection and delivery of the labs and the TRIO students who engaged in rich science experiences. Boise State University students deepened their understanding of the content as they prepared to demonstrated their understanding to the TRIO students, causing them to reflect and reassess their own understanding. This process creates a deeper understanding of the content  As students engage in service-learning they are giving back to their community, while extending what they are learning in the classroom. For these reasons, the National Science Foundation has endorsed service-learning a high impact practice.

-Jill K. Hettinger, Boise State University Service-Learning

"Sync"ed Partnerships

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the ladies at the Assistance League of Boise. During my visit with them, I took a tour of their Operation School Bell sight. Operation School Bell is an incredible philanthropy that touches over 3,520 Ada County elementary school children per year. From September through November the goal of the Assistance League’s Operation School Bell philanthropy is to dress every elementary school child in need within Ada County. The money earned through the Assistance League’s thrift store is used to purchase new clothes. Some of the clothing products come from large scale distributors nationally, while others are purchased from local retailers, such as the Bronco Shop.

My role at the Assistance League was to help make their vision, of engaging students in an educational experience while they are waiting to "shop", a reality. The challenge in making their vision a reality was in getting an army of volunteers trained to implement the lessons.  The Assistance League contacted two other community organizations that work with Boise State Service-Learning to help make their vision a reality, Foothills Learning Center and Boise Watershed. Each of these community organizations designed a lesson that could be easily implemented by Boise State Service-Learning students.  Boise State Service-Learning students from Environmental Studies 121 signed-up to share their understanding of the environment while engaging students in thinking about the water cycle and recycling.

   

The challenge then became making this vision come to life with a unified understanding of the lessons.  To create this unified understanding, I filmed the delivery of each of the lesson plans, edited the film, and uploaded the videos to the Assistance Leagues' OrgSync portal. Students who missed the orientation could then view those videos, as well as students who just want a review the material.

The Assistance League can now decide if they are going to grow their library of activities, by adding more lessons each year, or continue to use the same lessons with training just one click away. This form of training may become a great alternative to getting service-learning students off and running quicker.

 -Jill K. Hettinger, Boise State University Service-Learning

Taking the Last Flight Challenge by Investigating Sustainable Development

BIOL/GEOSC/GENSCI/ENVSTD 297 - Investigations into Sustainable Development

Spring semester was a whirl wind of great service opportunities, thought provoking case studies, great guest speakers, and connections to the campus read, The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw.  Students took part in service-learning through a survey model allowing them to participate in a range of sustainability efforts throughout the Treasure Valley.

Guiding our investigations were the three pillars of sustainable development: society, economy, and the environment. Everything we learned, evaluated, or took part in was connected back to these three pillars through reflection and class discussion. Students’ reflections were poignant and thoughtful. One student reflected, 

“The Lake Lowell case study provides a great example as to why conservation is so complex. Just like in The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, it's not as simple as having good guys who want to save the environment and bad guys who want to destroy it, which I feel is a common misconception. Social and economic issues are equally important environmental impacts when it comes to conservation issues. The Lake Lowell case represents the current messy style of many environmental issues where everyone talks about what they personally want or need, without taking the whole system into account. I noticed this in The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, as well, the government wants one thing, the zoo lady wants something else so it's just all out war from there. In order to come up with effective solutions to environmental issues, people need to view the system as a whole and work on new answers to problems rather than just choosing a winner or a loser. Build the dam and kill the macaws or don't build it and no one can have power, neither of those are good options”.

As we looked at local and global issues we began to see more similarities than differences. The survey model of service-learning enhanced our learning and helped us to make these local to global connections, from a variety of perspectives. Our community partners included: Foothills Learning Center Community Education -KidWind Project on Wind Energy; Idaho Fish and Game Planting Native Plants and Monitoring Wood Duck Boxes; USDA Rangeland Resources Research on Microclimates; BLM Triangulation of Riparian Vegetation and Water Quality Data; and Idaho Bird Observatory.

The semesters service-learning was kicked off with wood duck box monitoring with Idaho Fish and Game. During this experience we learned that the wood duck, like the scarlet macaw, is a cavity nester whose nesting habitat has been disrupted by the dam building here in the United States. Students felt a large sense of accomplishment after helping the community partners with their various sustainable development efforts.  Students also felt a strong sense of value in working with K-12 students in the KidWind Project because they felt it important to excite the next generation about STEM fields and the importance of sustainable development.

Highlights of the semester ranged from our invitation to dinner with Bruce Barcott, to the many service learning opportunities in the field and participation in a mock US Fish and Wildlife Services committee to determine if the scarlet macaw should be listed as endangered.

Investigations into Sustainable Development will be offered again Fall 2013. 

 -Jill K. Hettinger, Boise State University Service-Learning

Meaningful Math

Meaningful Math Activities at Victory Library

By Autumn Reese

The purpose of Meaningful Math was to give parents and children an opportunity to share "meaningful" and fun activities that enhance mathematical skills in children of all ages and abilities. The kids had a blast and the parents appreciated the resources provided for math activities to do at home. This was such a great experience for me. To see the community come together and support one another made all the hard work totally worth it. This was definitely the most worthwhile project I've done throughout my education at Boise State!