Monday, August 12, 2019: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
M108, Kentucky International Convention Center
Organizer:
Kari E. B. O'Connell
Co-organizers:
Alan Berkowitz
,
Michael Giamellaro
,
Gillian Bowser
and
Maria M. Miriti
Moderator:
Luanna Prevost
The advancement of understanding ecological systems as they manifest in the field is core to the discipline of ecology. Therefore, field work and a natural history approach are two of the ecology practices in the recently unveiled and adopted Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework, the Ecology Curricular Framework Initiative of the ESA. For many, field work experiences have traditionally served as a rite of passage by cementing their identities as ecologists. For some, however, field work can be a barrier or a negative experience that discourages career choices in ecology. As the community of ecologists aims to be more inclusive, we need to consider the role of field work in engaging or discouraging students in ecology. To do so, we must examine how and why field learning experiences are transformative for some and limiting or discouraging for others.
This session explores the undergraduate field learning experience (from field courses to research experiences) and its role as an inspiration and learning experience, but also as a potential barrier to the profession, particularly for those from groups underrepresented in science. The session is sponsored by the Undergraduate Field Experiences Research Network, which focuses on improving undergraduate field experiences, and includes speakers from a variety of fields (geoscientists, social scientists, ecologists, and STEM educators) with broad perspectives on the field learning experience. The speakers will discuss what is distinctive about learning “in the field” and consider how we can remove barriers to create more inclusive field experiences.
Making fieldwork work as an essential element in ESA’s 4 Dimensional Framework for Ecology Education (4DEE)
Alan Berkowitz, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies;
Teresa Mourad, Ecological Society of America;
Kenneth Klemow, Wilkes University;
Carmen Cid, Eastern Connecticut State University;
George Middendorf, Howard University;
Bob R. Pohlad, Ferrum College;
Luanna Prevost, University of South Florida;
Jennifer Doherty, University of Washington;
Diane Ebert-May, Michigan State University;
Amanda E. Sorensen, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
