ADVANCING THE LANDSCAPE OF PLANETARY SCIENCE AT SMALL COLLEGES: CREATING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS (Invited Presentation)

Faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) are well-practiced in the challenges of being excellent teachers; providing service to the college (e.g., advising, assessment); attempting to acquire, maintain, and manage (federally) funded research programs; and balancing a career with a personal life. However, many faculty whose primary area of study is Planetary Science find themselves siloed in their host departments, and conversations with peers at similar institutions are few and far between. Though less than 50% of members of the Planetary Science community engage in teaching of any kind, almost 20% spend the majority of their time teaching. As a result, access to networking opportunities (e.g., regular conference participation, invited talks) may be infrequent, and opportunities for faculty at PUIs to be included in large-scale research collaborations and/or to participate in high-level NASA-sponsored activities (e.g., missions) may be rare.

Though there are few blueprints for success in any field, a wide-reaching effort to collect and disseminate information via a central website or mailing list would benefit members of the Planetary Science community. Sharing meaningful and useful practices, teaching resources, opportunities, and advice (among other items) would specifically educate and support the current and next generations of instructors at PUIs (and other institutions). Students would additionally benefit from effective pedagogy and learning experiences that can be translated into undergraduate research projects, potentially directing them into careers in the Planetary Sciences and certainly increasing their enthusiasm and support for space in general.