Science projects, which engage non-professional scientists in one or more stages of scientific research, have been gaining popularity; yet maintaining participants' activity level over time remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for a short-term, focused campaign to increase participant activity in a…

Due to increasing urbanization, wetlands and streams within city limits are being altered, filled in, and degraded. The habitat that remains is critical for providing urban areas with ecosystem services and maintaining biodiversity, yet is often insufficiently monitored by environmental agencies due to a lack of resources. To help fill this void,…

Encouraging nonprofessionals to participate in ecological research through citizen science programs is a recent innovation and an effective strategy for gathering ecological information across broad geographical areas. In this paper, we demonstrate how reporting field-based observations through eBird, a citizen-based birding and data-recording…

Programs should emphasize application, stress useful work, encourage student participation in planning, cross discipline barriers, and relate to real, human, and social problems. They should accommodate differences in student interests and abilities, teacher preference, and local conditions. (DF)

Describes an elective biology program offered at Lawrence High School (Kansas) that emphasizes basic field biology, ecology, conservation, camping, first aid, mountaineering, and map reading. Groups of students spend two weeks in the Rocky Mountains developing knowledge and skills in these areas. (JR)

Four middle/junior high school programs, winners in the National Science Teachers Association's Search for Excellence in Science Education are described. Programs focus on: (1) note-taking in the laboratory; (2) natural history expeditions; (3) environmental physical science (social and scientific ecological studies); and (4) use of teaching teams…

This article features a project at Ohio's Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) which has made a real difference in the wetland environment on campus. The goals of the wetland project were to replace a poorly functioning tile system and develop two wetland areas for local and migratory wildlife. The environmental/natural resources students…

Describes the Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program whose goal is to improve environmental education opportunities for students of all ages. Highlights the range of hands-on outdoor programs available for students. (JRH)

Evaluates progress made by the Smithsonian - Peace Corps Environmental Program in which biologists are recruited to initiate and administer research projects dealing with environmental problems in developing nations. (JR)

Describes a program of the American Institute of Biological Sciences that is concerned with the identification and preservation of research natural areas. (JR)

This paper describes a method that attempts to confront the challenges of developing an environmentally-based earth sciences program. The research scheme includes five stages: (1) predevelopment study; (2) curriculum development; (3) implementation; (4) formative evaluation; and (5) curriculum modification. The research results indicate that the…

Recognizing the confines as well as the potentialities of the urban environment, science educators in some of the cities suggest various approaches to providing relevant, meaningful and challenging science programs for the urban youth. Programs in Omaha, Denver, Wilton, Oak Ridge, and Milwaukee are described. Bibliography. (LC)

This article presents an interview with Paul Neff, a veteran teacher at Spokane, Washington's Lewis & Clark High. Paul Neff recently earned a $4,930 grant from the Toshiba America Foundation to purchase global-positioning systems and digital cameras for the Outdoor Living class he just took over two years ago. In an interview, Neff talks about…

Presented are summaries of various activities within a seminar organized by Unesco at Cali, Colombie, to examine scientific aspects of the mangrove ecosystem and the human impact upon it. Specifically, the aims of the seminar were: (1) to review studies on mangroves being carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean; (2) to foster contacts…

Environmental education and training have been key elements of Unesco's Program on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) since its inception in 1971. The MAB Program is an intergovernmental program of research, training, demonstration and distribution of information, aimed at providing the scientific background and the trained personnel to deal with…