This year's American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from December 15 to 19, 2008. Over 15,000 scientists and educators from around the world are expected to attend. The Fall Meeting provides an opportunity for researchers, teachers, students, and consultants to present and review the latest issues affecting the Earth, the planets, and their environments in space.
The meeting will offer hundreds of sessions addressing diverse topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences, many of which will likely be of interest to members of the Google Earth Community. An example of a session that may pertain to those who engage their students in studying real world problems is ED22: Facilitating Literacy in Fundamental Earth System Concepts and Problems, with the following description:
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The current focus by the media on fundamental problems related to the sustainability of human society serves as an important motivation for citizens to understand the complex processes in the Earth system that sustain our environment and deliver energy, food, water, and shelter to our population. It is imperative that the public, students, and teachers achieve a scientifically-based understanding of key concepts in the geosciences which they can draw upon to make sound decisions concerning issues related to our health, security, and economic well-being. From a pedagogical perspective, complex problem solving is an effective means of learning to think creatively and serves as an ideal avenue for achieving multidisciplinary literacy.
Over the past several years a number of initiatives have developed or are developing literacy frameworks (Ocean Literacy, Climate Literacy, Atmospheric Science Literacy, Earth Science Literacy) to identify the key concepts and the "big ideas" that citizens should understand.
This session will include invited and contributed presentations that highlight efforts to provide guidance to educators and policy makers on the critical knowledge in the geosciences needed by citizens. A dialog will be facilitated among scientists and educators regarding education programs, aimed at various audiences that present Earth system problems at global, regional, or local scales. In many cases, these problems disproportionately impact minority groups, and educators who serve these groups are encouraged to participate in this session. Scientists who have multidisciplinary applications of science affecting societal well-being and that should be articulated in educational forums and programs are also encouraged to participate to strengthen the overall dialog in communicating science to broad audiences.
See American Geophysical Union for additional details about the organization and the meeting. The abstract submission deadline is 10 September 2008, 2359 UT (Universal Time).
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