Exploring Teacher Education: Interdisciplinary Teaching, Research Integration, and Community Engagement
As part of NSF funded projects (CZNet Big Data), I collaborate with the “Champlain Research Experience for Middle and Secondary Teachers” program, led by co-PI Regina Toolin to engage teachers in an exploration of land and water biogeochemical research in the Lake Champlain Basin. As part of this collaboration, we have intentionally integrated the Critical Zone concept as a framework that supports teaching in Earth and Environmental Sciences and beyond. Trough hands-on investigations with project scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, teachers have opportunities to integrate project, proficiency, and place-based teaching practices in alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and develop a project be implemented in their classrooms during the academic year.  
Here is a video we made for the program to describe the interconnectedness of land and water.
Teachers and scientists engage in place based and culturally sustainable activities that integrate systems level thinking into secondary education. This program runs every summer for one week and include teachers from Vermont and Mississippi though our partnership with Jackson State University.