The University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute invites interested K-12 teachers to apply for a summer professional development workshop, “Florida’s Connection to the Biosphere,” which will focus on life in the oceans and lands on Earth — past, present and future.

During this hands-on workshop, UF scientists and K-12 teachers will work together to develop lesson plans to take back to the classroom. The workshop will take place July 7-12, 2019 at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus.

The study of the biosphere hits many important topics, and Florida learning standards. These include but are not limited to biodiversity, invasive species, big data, ecology, the nature of science, climate responses and evolution. The workshop will also include an introduction to careers and role models in earth systems science.

Because biology, environmental science and other related topics are taught in most grades, and in many contexts, this workshop is open to K-12 teachers at any level.

The workshop is funded by the Scientist in Every Florida School Moonshot project, a pilot project started it 2018 that is currently targeting five counties. We are particularly interested in recruiting public school teachers in Alachua, Escambia, Lee, Palm Beach, and Seminole counties. Teachers from other counties may apply and will be accepted on a space-available basis.

Interested teachers can submit their application by May 20, 2019 at the following link: Florida’s Connection to the Biosphere application

For more information, visit: TESI K-12 Professional Development

For further questions, contact Bruce MacFadden by emailing bmacfadd@ufl.edu