Abstract
This chapter describes three different but related applications of IT in the sciences: measurement, modeling and mapping. Participating students’ learning experiences for IT/Science include making location measurements using Geographic Positioning System (GPS) and integrating the measurements in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), using temperature and light sensors for scientific measurement and creating mathematically based models primarily using such applications as the isee Systems’ STELLA Modeling and Simulation Software in such a way as to incorporate measured quantities and make scientific predictions about natural outcomes. Included are a description of the workshops of the capacity-building first year as well as the project-related work during the second year for both cohorts of students in the project. Activities and visitations made to research laboratories served to understand the applications and importance of science in STEM related fields. The experiences of the IT/Science team of the FI3T project are presented here to provide ideas and suggestions for instructors interested in teaching non-traditional aspects of science. This chapter offers online resources and opportunities for students and instructors interested in the science area of STEM. It also provides information about career opportunities and how the workshop themes align with the high school Common Core Standards.
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Acknowledgments
The Fostering Interest in Information Technology (FI3T) project reported in this chapter is funded by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program (Project Award#: 0737326).
The Science Team consisted of University of Michigan–Dearborn faculty member Jacob Naperialski (Professor of Geology), high school teacher Sharon Halloway of Northwestern High School in Detroit, who participated for the duration of the project, masters graduate students Nicholas Nalepa and Christy Steffke, the undergraduate science students, who participated for a semester or two each and then graduated, and the author of this chapter (Daniel Lawson, Professor of Chemistry) as director of the Science Team.
Jacob Naperialski brought to the project his expertise in Geographic Information Systems and GPS equipment their applications. He provided equipment and designed activities for the workshops pertaining to GIS as well as led the students through their assignments and provided feedback on projects. Graduate students Nicholas Nalepa and Christy Steffke provided support in both the GIS workshops and the modeling workshops, answering questions and helping to keep students on task. Christy provided one-on-one support for two of the students during the second cohort. Sharon Halloway, an experienced high school chemistry and general science teacher, kept the students on task and made herself available to the students outside of the campus activities. Sharon kept the student engaged, focused and motivated. Finally, we would like to thank Paul Zitewitz (Professor of Physics) for his original design of the Science Team.
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Lawson, D.B. (2016). IT/Science: Computer Modeling, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Probes/Sensors. In: Duran, M., Höft, M., Medjahed, B., Lawson, D., Orady, E. (eds) STEM Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26179-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26179-9_3
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