Transcript Document 7393035

Place
Science Community
BIG SKY INSTITUTE
NSF GK12 FELLOWS PROGRAM
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
LOCATION:THE GREATER
YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
Lamotte
School
Arrowhead
School
Ophir
School
Yellowstone
National
Park
Wind River Indian
Reservation
PROGRAM FOCUS
PLACE
SCIENCE
COMMUNITY
PROCESS
• Educating the students
about the ecology and
history of their unique
environment
• Developing research
skills in the field
• Preserving this
knowledge by sharing it
with the community
• Consequently, creating a
sense of stewardship
OUTCOMES
• Observe Oddities of the
Natural World
• Make New Discoveries
• Connect to the Outside
World
• Solve Problems
• Develop Ownership
Sense of Place
Our place is one where people from
around the world seek to experience
wildlife in their natural environment.
One where moose, elk and bison graze
on our athletic fields.
Our place is one where the swings are
inches from the ground in the winter and
feet from the ground in the summer.
One where people are undaunted by the
weather.
Our place is one where the
outdoor P.E. class can’t help
but turn into a natural science
class.
One where we can see the
Spanish Peaks, Absoroka, and
the Gallatin Mountain Ranges,
all with the turn of the head.
Our place is one where the
resident ravens are a symbol of
the Sheep Eaters who
Once inhabited the land.
One where symbols surround
and constantly remind us.
Our schools are ones where
Lewis and Clark named the
rivers that flow in our front
yards.
One where history is brought
alive inside and
outside our buildings.
Our place is one where the
curriculum is built
around our surroundings.
One where we utilize the snow,
rain and sunshine.
Our place is one where students
can learn in an integral
ecological niche, important to
all the world.
One where students engage in
scientific discoveries
And naturally build a sense of
place.
Arrowhead School
Pray, Montana
K-8. 110 Students
Ophir School
Big Sky, Montana
K-8. 130 Students.
RESEARCH
Effects of Mountain Resort Development on
Watershed Nitrogen Export:
The Importance of Spatial Location
Kristin Gardner
PhD Dissertation
Water Quality Monitoring on the Gallatin River
Watershed lessons:
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Water quality
Macroinvertebrates
Stream flow
Watershed mapping
Land use impacts on
watersheds
• Math/Science integration
Watershed Lessons
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Hydrologic cycle
Aquatic plants
Water literature
River flow patterns
Indirect effects of wolves on elk foraging behavior,
nutrition, and reproduction
Dave Christianson PhD Dissertation
Wildlife ecology
lessons:
• Predator-prey
interactions
• Wildlife ecology
• GPS mapping
• Wolves and elk in the
news
• Math/Science
integration
Riparian Vegetation in the Northern Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem Across Environmental
Gradients
Levia Shoutis M.S. Thesis
Learning about the Yellowstone River watershed
River and riparian lessons:
• Stream flow and morphology
• Soils
• Plant-water relationships
• Watershed processes
• Math/Science integration
Impact on Fellows
•
Connections with the
local community
•
Connections with the
local environment
•
Increased
understanding of and
greater sense of value
of research subject
•
Increase in
communication abilities
Impact on Teachers and Students
Students receive unusual
opportunities to:
• Work with research students
• Learn in depth information to
which they would not normally
be exposed
• See their work benefiting their
community
Furthers the mission of the school
to:
• Encourage active learning
• Enhance critical thinking skills
• Foster an environment that
promotes citizenship and
provides a link between school
and community
Impact on the Community
• Evening talks presented by fellows
that include a wide variety of
community interests
• Research that is meaningful to
issues in this fragile ecological niche
• Synoptic sampling
• Community presentations by
elementary students
• Science fair project