| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 20, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 20, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 1031115 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
David B. Campbell
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 15, 2010 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $967,619.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $967,619.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
101 COMMONWEALTH AVE AMHERST MA US 01003-9252 (413)545-0698 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
101 COMMONWEALTH AVE AMHERST MA US 01003-9252 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ITEST-Inov Tech Exp Stu & Teac |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project will enable high school and middle school STEM teachers and students to conduct environmental research aided by the analysis of images from digital cameras, scanners, and the Internet. The project explores how digital image analysis can be applied to environmental quality issues that can readily be introduced into STEM courses, engaging students and encouraging them to think about related careers. The project will develop research agendas that will employ a variety of image analysis tools. The air quality theme will focus on the three components of the atmosphere that primarily affect visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, respectively: particulates and aerosols, carbon dioxide, and ozone. The water quality theme will look at the role of plant biomass on drinking water quality and on global carbon cycling. Arsenic is listed as number one in the US in terms of environmental contaminants that pose a potential threat to human health; research topics will include the identification and mapping of local arsenic contaminated sites and bioremediation possibilities.
The project staff includes UMass and school faculty with extensive experience in teacher professional development and curriculum design. STEM DIGITAL will use the AnalyzingDigitalImages software which provides free, easy-to-use tools for spatial, temporal, spectral, and intensity measurements. There will be three cohorts of 30 teachers. More students and teachers will be reached later by the dissemination effort. The first two groups will attend one week summer institutes in 2011 and 2012. During each of the following school years, the staff will continue working online with the teachers on approximately six more projects spread over the fall and spring semesters. The 2013 institute will be entirely online, with a 6 week summer course which will become part of an online M.Ed. program. Curriculum materials will reflect Pellegrino's "Construct-Centered Design" (CCD) model in which assessment is an integral part of their design and use. All the curriculum materials and software developed for STEM DIGITAL will be made freely available via the web. Additional dissemination will include journal articles and conference presentations. The evaluation will include a study of the effects on student career interests. It will also compare the efficacy of the face-to-face and online models.
STEM DIGITAL will enable teachers and their students to use digital images and image analysis software for qualitative and quantitative analysis, engaging students, improving their in-depth understanding of fundamental science and technology, and ultimately increasing their interest in STEM and information technology careers. It will add to our knowledge of important environmental processes related to the movement of arsenic compounds in the environment and the dissolution of natural organic matter. It will also allow the comparison of the efficacy of the in-person and online professional development programs. The project will demonstrate to the educational community that already available computers and digital cameras, along with online data, can easily and effectively serve as hands-on scientific instruments, adding a new dimension to the way STEM subjects are taught.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
STEM Digital Images in Geoscience Investigations: Teaching Analysis with Light (STEM DIGITAL) was a Strategies ITEST project from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). It enabled high school and middle school STEM teachers and students to conduct environmental research aided by the analysis of images from digital cameras, scanners, and the Internet.
Image analysis plays a large role in the workplace and offers excellent career opportunities. Digital cameras are powerful tools for inquiry based curricula, classroom research, and learning about image analysis. They have become ubiquitous as their prices plummet and capabilities improve, making them affordable for classroom use. However, teachers and students mainly used digital images for documentation: creating PowerPoint presentations, handouts, posters, etc. There are good examples in the literature of how to use digital imaging as an investigative tool, but these were seldom seen in classrooms.
STEM DIGITAL explored how digital image analysis can be applied to environmental quality issues that can readily be introduced into STEM courses, engaging students and encouraging them to think about related careers. The project developed research agendas that employ a variety of image analysis tools. The air quality theme focused on the three components of the atmosphere that primarily affect visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, respectively: particulates and aerosols, carbon dioxide, and ozone. The water quality theme looked at the role of plant biomass on drinking water quality and on global carbon cycling. Arsenic is listed as number one in the US in terms of environmental contaminants that pose a potential threat to human health; the project focused on the potentially dangerous levels in rice.
The project staff included UMass and school faculty with extensive experience in teacher professional development and curriculum design. STEM DIGITAL used the AnalyzingDigitalImages software and related materials which provide free, easy-to-use tools for spatial, temporal, spectral, and intensity measurements. A number of improvements were added during the project. There were three cohorts of 30 teachers who attended summer institutes, and another 20 teachers who participated in an online version that is now part of an online M.Ed. program. Over half of them came from districts with large numbers of poor and/or with large numbers of underrepresented minority students; they came from all parts of the country, and from as far away as Florida and California. Teacher incentives included stipends, food and housing as needed, and funds for materials. They received free “Professional Development Points” needed for continuing licensure, or optional reduced-cost graduate credits. All the curriculum materials and software developed for STEM DIGITAL are freely available via the web at www.umassk12.net/digital.
The intellectual merit of STEM DIGITAL was that it enabled teachers and their students to use digital images and image analysis software for qualitative and quantitative analysis, engaging students, improving their in-depth understanding of fundamental science and technology, and ultimately increasing their interest in STEM and information technology careers. It added to our knowledge of important environmental processes related to the movement of arsenic compounds in the environment and the dissolution of natural organic matter. Its broader impact was the demonstration to the educational community that already available computers and digital cameras, along with online data, can easily and effectively serve as hands-on scientific instruments, adding a new dimension to the way STEM subjects are taught.
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