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i~ ~ ~~ ~(~. ,~ ~~ r ,r_.m , ~ i UM biologists and researchers provide Minnesota science teachers with opportunity to bring the outside world inside the classroom All teachers look forward to their summer vacations -three peacefid months when they can dodge the spotlight and retool for the coming year. This summer, Minne- sota K-12 teachers will get another option--a chance ~-_--- to spend a week in the Field with working biologists and field researchers vrhile ~ receiving graduate credit at t llP C:11tlP tI TYIP The River Watch }3oot Camp For K-12 teachers is the brainchild of University of Minnesota-Crookston (LIMC) professors Dan Svedarsky and David De- muth, River Watch program coordinator Wayne Goeken, University of Minnesota Extension assistant professor Joe Cow-neya, and Interna- tional Watershed Institute Director Chuck Fritz. The program will be partially supported by a Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Program grant. Svedarsky, who is also a wildlife biologist with the University's Northwest Research and Outreach Center, is nationally known for his research on prairie chickens, and directs the Center For Sustainability on the Crookston campus, a eo-sponsor of the session. Svedarsky is a passionate advocate of teaching, having received the Morse-Alumni Award For Undergraduate Teaching, the highest teaching a.-yard given to University of Minnesota professors. "We believe that empowering teachers to see themselves as scientists can also transfer this excitement to their students," says Svedarsky. "And students who are excited about science not only perform better on tests, they often go on to become scientists and professionals themselves." The camp, set for )une 21-25, 2010, on the UMC campus, is designed for all levels of science teachers- from the reluctant biologist to the intrepid field explorer. The lesson plans will be based in part on curriculum of the River Watch Citizen Monitoring Program developed by Goeken, Wildlife biologist Dan Svedarsky in the field with his UM-Crookston field ecology students, exploring the same setting the River Watch Boot Camp participants will experience in June 2010. which engages K-~ z teachers and citizens in the protection of watershed ecosystems through formal and informal enviromnental monitoring and training programs. Subjects will include regional geology, biol- ogy of natural and reconstructed wetlands, climate dynamics, river and stream ecology, agriculture and watersheds, Sustainability principles, and scientific communications. During the day, teachers will participate in field excursions, and then join related classes and discussion groups in the after- noon and early evening. They'll learn from each other and share ideas on teaching science topics in the news-like how to cal- culate the carbon Footprint of their school and how to make scientific connections to everyday life. In addition to an unforgettable experience, teachers will receive graduate credit from the University. "Having graduate credit associated with this program will increase 0 a O 0 C its attractiveness to teachers-especially since an advanced degree typically results in a lane change and salary boost," says Svedarsky. Program instructors will include research- ers and ecologists familiar with the regional ecology such as Dr. Phil Gerla, a grom7d water hydrologist who works with The Natm-e Conservancy's Glacial Ridge Proj- ect. Glacial Ridge is the largest prairie and wetland project in North America located ten miles fi-om Crookston. For more infor- mation about the River Watch Boot Camp, call Svedarsky at the Center for Sustainability, 218-28]-8129, or contact him at dsvedars~mnn.edu. ®ecernber ~~ E