Climate Literacy Empowerment And iNquiry
August 1, 2011
Sample text for “Broader Impacts”
The project will support the efforts of CLEAN education
(http://www.cleaneducation.org) to teach the science of [the water cycle] in
Southern California classrooms in a grade-level appropriate way. CLEAN Education
is a non-profit organization founded and run by former and current ESS graduate
students who realize that education is an essential foundation for global climate
change solutions. Through a program designed by active climate science
researchers to supplement existing science education, CLEAN provides children
with the fundamental scientific background, tools and support they need to take
positive action. To facilitate public outreach of scientific research conducted within
the UCI’s ESS department, the project will fund [2] graduate students to incorporate
their scientific findings into active lessons for elementary classrooms based on
current curriculum standards. These lessons will be presented by graduate
students in at least [10] local classrooms over the two-year funding period, and will
also be made available for public use via the web at www.cleaneducation.org.
For example, a current CLEAN lesson focused on California water sources for
5th grade students contains information on the current major sources of water for
Southern California, including Owens Valley. The Pataki lab studies the relations
between water availability, nutrient cycling and plant species function and
distribution in Owens Valley. This information can be incorporated into this CLEAN
lesson to give students a real-life understanding of the ecological effects of water
redistribution and climate change in California. Additionally, plant species have
been shown to vary in water usage, which can influence urban water needs,
especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as Southern California. The Pataki lab
makes sap flux and water use efficiency measurements of many Southern California
trees and shrub species, which can also be incorporated into the California water
sources lesson as an example of ways to take positive action to reduce water usage
in Southern California. Finally, Pataki lab measurements of greenhouse gas nitrous
CLEAN education, Irvine, CA 92602
www.cleaneducation.org
info@cleaneducation.org
Climate Literacy Empowerment And iNquiry
oxide emissions from urban turf grass ecosystems in Southern California can be
incorporated into another CLEAN lesson, which focuses on greenhouse gases.
Benefits to local community
A goal of the UCI Department of Earth System Science is to inform and
educate the public at-large. CLEAN Education will assist in this by working with
graduate students to incorporate their research into lessons presented to
elementary school classrooms. Research from most departmental labs can be easily
incorporated into current and future CLEAN presentations as a means of public
outreach. CLEAN presentations reach thousands of elementary students and
teachers each year (2009: 1100 and 62, 2010: 1500 and 75), multiplying the
broader impact of a typical research grant by an order of magnitude.
Benefits to graduate student participants
There are documented professional development benefits to graduate
students. Professional development benefits to graduate students who participate
in K-12 teaching are well-documented (e.g., Trautmann and Krasny,
Bioscience 2006), and include improved teaching and communication skills, ability
to integrate teaching with research, and a broadened perspective on their
disciplines. Moreover, teaching with CLEAN education provides a valuable
opportunity for ESS students to hone their teaching skills. The National Academy of
Science recommends that graduate programs provide opportunities for students to
gain a variety of academic and other career skills, with a special emphasis on the
ability to communicate complex ideas to nonspecialists (National Academy of
Science Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy Study on Graduate
Education, 1995). The experience of translating research results to various
audiences is valuable for all graduate students, regardless of whether they continue
with research, teaching, or other career fields after completion of their PhDs.
CLEAN education, Irvine, CA 92602
www.cleaneducation.org
info@cleaneducation.org