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Explore the role of energy in courses, major energy concepts, teaching contexts, and opportunities for enhancement. Collaborate, synthesize ideas, and report findings for all audiences.
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On the Cutting EdgeTeaching Energy Workshop Monday AM discussion: What is the role of energy in our courses? • Please reflect individually on the following questions for 10 minutes. a. What do you think students need to know about energy? What do geoscience majors need to know compared to non-science students? b. What are the major energy science concepts you are teaching? What other perspectives do you include? Why? c. In what context are you teaching energy? Where are there opportunities in your program or department to enhance the teaching of energy topics? 2. Discuss your answers with the others at your table and create a synthesis (20 minutes) a. Discuss and synthesize the range of topics, approaches, and opportunities within your group. b. Identify one or two important themes from the table. Ideally, the themes will help other faculty make decisions about how to incorporate energy into their courses. c. Using a workspace page, write up your statements. 3. Report out from each group while showing your workspace page (20 minutes)
Audience: all levels, all students, plus general public Energy topics: Evaluate personal energy use Energy sources (non-renewable and renewable) Where does my energy come from? Comparison of energy use in different areas of country and world The energy future What are the options for society? Energy replacement wedges How do individuals lower personal energy use? Group: Lisa Gardiner, Robert Meeks, Wendy Calvin, Dick Enright
Energy Audit • Audience: K-12, Undergrad, Graduate • Personal energy audit • Give the students a perspective that hits home • Put a Watt meter on appliances • Look at what the individual uses and scale up to the city, state, national levels • Show how personal choice can affect energy use • Economic impacts • Environmental impacts • Perspective: starting locally and extrapolating to the global scale Luke Dosiek’s group, slide 1 of 2
Field Trips • Again, K-12 through University • Field trips • Seeing where the energy comes from • Wind Farms • Nuclear Power Plants • Coal Plants • Oil Refineries • Economic Geology Luke Dosiek’s group, slide 2 of 2
Educational Opportunities: • An upper-level energy course for science majors • Get them to understand the socioeconomic and societal implications of energy science – how will their science be applicable to the world • Look across several scientific disciplines to develop integrated solutions to energy problems • An upper-level energy course for non science majors • Improve their science background and understanding of energy technology and issues • Let them use their social science or humanities backgrounds in a scientific setting – what will be the societal and socioeconomic effects of energy ventures? Group presentation from: Staub, Keita,Smaglik, Kettler and Schroeder
Audience: undergraduates filling a science (lab) requirement, life-long learning population, geology majors (smallest population). Topics: Fossil Fuels, alternative sources, basic physics, atmospheric science and climate change Underlying Concepts : Energy has a cost (social, environmental, economic), how do we use it, recognizing wants versus needs. Systems approach and understanding of the lifecycle of resource. Nature of science (“facts” versus assumptions, models and their limitations). Energy within the Social Context (political, ethical, social, cultural, economic). Opportunities: service learning for community engagement, student generated activities Group members: Bob Ford, Dave Mogk, Florence Bocquet, Alan Kihm
Role of Energy in Our Courses Energy Topics • Concept of “Deep Time” • Choices have Consequences • Societal and Ethical Issues Group: Lutz, Stermer et al
Citizen scientists Scientific literacy • context • skepticism • choosing your authority • “energy isn’t free” • energy as commodity • Basic science • energy conversion • Majors • careers • geologic history of resources • “doing” geology • Opportunities • testable hypotheses • examination of data • different perspectives • easy to embed in existing courses • Educational opportunities • Honors student course • Interdisciplinary environmental science/studies Group Anne Hall, Christine Metzger, Dale Easley, Greg Baker Kathy Ellis
Energy Discussion OutcomesTeaching energy – 6th grade to college qualitative to quantitative energy types energy sources fossil fuel dependence alternative energy sources Critical skills Rob Milne’s group
Scott, Trish, Jack, Martha, Mark • What does energy mean? • Personal • Physical • Educational • Personal engergy footprint as it relates to larger physical and social and context of energy • World regional geography as a set of energy alternatives
Educational opportunities • Develop and disseminate accessible introductory Earth system science courses at the undergraduate level, aimed at all citizens (featuring energy flow and resources) • Infuse energy topics into preparation of secondary-school Earth science teachers • Infuse energy science, topics, policy more richly into informal education: museums, parks, educational media • Encourage (provide incentives for) trans-disciplinary work on energy education in colleges and universities Steve Semken’s group