PLANETARY GEOLOGY EDUCATION-ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATION AND SHARING THE EXCITEMENT

The excitement of planetary geology provides a tremendous opening to interest students of all ages and diverse backgrounds in science. Through programs supported by many agencies, the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico has provided programs for K-12 students from New Mexico, their teachers, and the general public. Our efforts have led to many lessons learned that will enhance future efforts. The biggest challenge for teachers and our educational outreach effort is convincing students who do not have professionals as role models in their life that they can become scientists, engineers, etc. This issue is especially common in New Mexico, where there is a very diverse population and a paucity of educational funding. Therefore, we have made a strong effort to reach out to the community and promote geoscience education by visiting the local public schools and doing hands-on science activities with the students. We have found that programs for K-12 students are most successful when used to address misconceptions about who can be a scientist or be involved in the broader scientific endeavor. Most students think scientists never struggled and never received a bad grade, much less failed a class. The message that anyone can find a way to be involved and it does not have to be the traditional academic path, is critical. This message must also be reinforced by teachers, and teaching this concept should be part of any teacher-training program. Teacher training in activities and content is critical and results in a huge multiplying effect, whether the teachers are elementary education majors, or accomplished teachers with science degrees. Teachers must be taught how to use and talk about an activity. We have created activities specifically for teachers to use in the classroom, and worked with the teachers at local events so they feel comfortable with the activities. A new and exciting challenge for geoscience education is reaching students and the general public through non-traditional means, for example, utilizing social media, like Twitter. The astronaut corps, and their use of social media, provides an excellent example of how we need to embrace new technology while continuing to improve the old.