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WORKSHOPS

2009 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

OVERVIEW
Education and Public Outreach (EPO) activities in Astrobiology are designed around three areas of emphasis:

First: Educational workshops for high school teachers where participants actively collect and interpret data from laboratory and field experiments.

Second: Public outreach through a web site with premiere-quality digital media including animations and video that illustrate how and why scientists conduct research in deep mines.

Third: A series of modules based on the current research at Indiana University in the field of Astrobiology. These modlues are in workbook form and available for download from this site. "Exploring Deep-Subsurface Life. Earth Analogues for Possible Life on Mars: Lessons and Activities" is a NASA product produced at Indiana University and available freely to teachers for use in high school classrooms.

This module is written from research on extremophiles, conducted at Lupin MIne and High Lake Mine in Arctic Canada. A team of scientists from Indiana University, Princeton University, the University of Tennessee, and other international collaborators have been looking for extremeophiles in deep mines, as analogues for possible life on Mars.

Exploring Deep–Subsurface Life consists of a workbook with 3 lessons and a Capstone, a DVD with supporting video lessons, a CD with all materials available in Word format, and posters for printing and displaying in the classroom.

Image: drill rig at High Lake mine, Nunuvat Territory, Canada

Purpose and Goals
Education and public outreach in Astrobiology is targeted at high schools and middle schools in the State of Indiana, primarily, and later, nationwide. We are specifically designing materials for pre-college curricula, and for workshop participation by high-school teachers. The annually-hosted workshops will be the most visible and costly component of our EPO effort. Our past experience indicates, however, that a one-on-one approach is the most effective way to foster genuine engagement with future scientists and science educators. Workshops will target underserved school districts and will be supervised by IU faculty and graduate students in the Departments of Geological Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Summer teacher workshops will be conducted primarily at Indiana University Bloomington. and will introduce teachers to current work and field experiments at research sites in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and other extreme environments. Included within the workshop curriculum will be speakers from the NASA Astrobiology Institute and researchers who are working on current missions to explore for life on other planets.

Image: camp buildings at High Lake Mine, Nunavut Territory, Canada

Our over-arching EPO goals are:

• To engage students and teachers in multidisciplinary team research using internship and workshop activities. Particular effort will be devoted to minority and female students.

• To introduce high school and middle school teachers to research being conducted in field experiments at deep mines and the Arctic.

• To increase teacher and student awareness of career opportunities in astrobiology and in related growth industries such as geomicrobiology, biotechnology, bioremediation and environmental engineering.

• To recruit undergraduate majors and graduate students in astrobiology and geomicrobiology. The proposed educational experiences will explore the unusual geochemical and microbial environments that exist within and around the world's deepest mines. Astrobiology workshops will encompass environmental field techniques, microbial and geochemical laboratory exercises, and tutorials on a broad range of topics including controversial aspects of environmental remediation, origins of life, and genetic engineering.

Image: Helicopter brings supplies to High Lake camp

COPYRIGHT AND TERMS OF USE: all materials are produced by the bses media group, Indiana University, bloomington in. this work is copyrighted to the trustees of Indiana University and licensed under creative commons attribution-noncommercial 3.0 united states license. images included herein that are copyrighted to third parties are reproduced and licensed here with the permission of the copyright owners. materials are available free of charge for educational purposes only. they cannot be reproduced, copied, downloaded for use on another website or for commercial use without express permission from Indiana University. please contact RUTH DROPPO or BETH CATE for information.