POD Program Fuels Student Enthusiasm for STEM and GIS
Description
Congratulations to ITEST PI Lori-Rubino Hare and her Power of Data colleagues on their article in Directions Magazine, the geospatial industry’s oldest and most respected source of information and news. The below is a brief excerpt, be sure to read the full article: http://www.directionsmag.com/entry/pod-program-fuels-student-enthusiasm…
Imagine 27,000 middle and high school students rolling their eyes as they are asked the dreaded, inevitable question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Then imagine 27,000 students responding to this question with answers like: “I want to work for NASA to partner with nonprofits who help schools in the Middle East implement rain water harvesting,” or, “I’d like to work with the United Nations to help train government officials in developing countries on how to use ArcGIS online to respond to natural disasters.”
Now imagine how students might learn about these GIS careers, and consider the term: Geospatial Inquiry. That’s the crux of the NSF-funded Power of Data Project, a nationally recognized professional development program that has enabled secondary teachers to increase students’ content knowledge, 21st century workforce skills, and awareness of geospatial technology careers since 2009. The POD team and NSF want to know: can this successful professional development model work at scale, across the country, to increase all students’ interests in geospatial careers?
