EDGE Institutes
A Year of Geoscience for Alaska's Secondary Teachers and their Students
FIELD GEOLOGY COURSE for TEACHERS
JUNE of each year, Juneau-based, 3-credit course
The first component of the EDGE project is a summer, 3-credit, 2 week-long, lower division Earth System Science Field Methods and in-lab GIS concepts course conducted at the UAS in Juneau. 
This will provide teachers with training and experience in observing and recording glacier, fluvial, mass movement, and coastal processes utilizing the Global Positioning System (GPS) for data collection and the Geographical Information System (GIS) concepts needed to transfer spatial data onto maps. This course will model GIS project development for teachers and guide them in forming their own testable hypotheses for later use in their own classrooms. It will also prepare them for the following UAS one-semester, 1 credit, Earth System Science (ESS) Essentials distance course that follows in the fall. Finally, the summer course will also allow the UA faculty to become personally acquainted with the teachers, and the teachers to create networks that will facilitate future communication and mutual support. 
During the summer courses, teachers and students not from the Juneau area will be housed and fed in UAS campus facilities. By providing for their transportation, tuition, room, and board, we believe it will be easier to attract the rural students and teachers who often have tremendous potential, but who might otherwise not be able to afford the costs.
GIS/GPS COURSE for HIGH and MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
August of each year, Juneau-based, 2-credit course
High school and middle school students of EDGE teacher participants will be invited to enroll in two, one-credit, lower division UAS- ENVS (110, 111) courses entitled Introduction to Global Positioning System (GPS) and Introduction to Geographical Information System (GIS) that will be taught in mornings and afternoons for a one week period. 
These students will learn GIS concepts, collect their own datasets with GPS receivers, differentially correct their data, and produce GIS maps. UAS has a dual enrollment program that enables students who have not yet received their High School diplomas to earn university credit.
GEOLOGY ESSENTIALS and GIS EDGE PROJECTS COURSE for TEACHERS
Fall Semester 1-credit ONLINE course for teachers
Teachers will participate in a web-based, one credit, lower division “ Earth System Science Essentials” course. In addition to gaining more content knowledge, University faculty instructors will guide teachers through implementation of the Earth Process projects that they designed for their students during their June field course. Weekly web lessons, DVD content lessons, textbooks assignments, and quizzes will enable transfer of addition earth systems science content. Weekly audio conferences that both teachers and students can participate in will enable University faculty to help with assessment and evaluation of student GIS project progress, to mentor teachers and students with GIS software, to trouble shoot problem areas, and to provide support opportunities for teachers. A modest site visit budget has been built into the proposal to help correct technology failures and to remediate other school site problems that may occur.
EDGE SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM for TEACHERS and STUDENTS
Mid-March of each year
All participating 15 teachers and at least two of their students (30 students) will attend an EDGE Symposium at UAS in March to present their projects and experiences. Students will gain the experience of presenting their work to peers and experience oral evaluation and real-time feed-back from university faculty and UAS ENVS and Education Department undergraduates. Student GIS projects will be uploaded to the EDGE project website. Students and teachers will also attend and participate in the Southeast Alaska Regional Science Fair held at Juneau Douglas High School held at this time. Regional Science Fair winners go on to compete in the International High School Science Fair.
