Traineeships News

iUTAH researcher Jackie Grant's work doing science outreach to school children was recently featured in The Spectrum newspaper.

For three years the Garth and Jerri Frehner Museum of Natural History and the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery on the campus of Southern Utah University have been partnering to offer science and art in a unique way to K-12 students in Cedar City. “Scientists are far more creative than most people assume,” said Jackie Grant, museum curator and professor at SUU. “When we pair science with art it is more engaging to general audiences such as elementary school children.” The Fall Education Program has reached over 2,000 elementary and high school students since it’s beginning…

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For more on iUTAH's involvement with SUU, visit “SUU museums partner to teach science with art and play,”  published on Nov. 06, 2015, on SUU News

March 14 marked the day of iUTAH’s spring Taking Learning Outdoors Workshop at the Ogden Nature Center.  Teachers investigated and measured water quality from various water bodies around the property, honed their bird watching skills, discovered the problems of invasive plant species, and even tried their hand at removing these plants. The Cache Valley teachers, who have been participating in outdoor field workshops and classroom visits with the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) educators since September, had the opportunity to learn from iUTAH and Nature Center experts about ecological processes in northern Utah. They also learned how water impacts everything from biological diversity to bird migration.

The Spring T.L.O. Workshop is the last interaction teachers have with NHMU educators and iUTAH scientists before the final symposium May 21 at Utah State University.  At this symposium, teachers will share what they discovered throughout their yearlong program participation and highlight their experiences engaging their students in outdoor learning while using the natural world as a classroom.  

iUTAH sponsored a scholarship to provide the funding for 500 elementary students to attend a series of in-depth water workshops offered by the Leonardo Museum from Oct. 19, 2012 to Jan. 15, 2013. 

The Natural History Museum of Utah sponsored a series of outdoor learning activities for K-12 students to provide them with the opportunity to conduct their own hands-on water research at the Bear River Watershed in Northern, Utah.

Activities included a series of water workshops, water tests and scientific discussions focusing on the topic of water sustainability."The outdoors is a great place to integrate the curriculum!" said Jessica Wright, a participant from Viewmont Elementary. "There are so many subject areas that can be integrated through learning outdoors. Students can use research skills as they research to find out more and they can use math skills as they analyze data they find."

Aaron Daniels, a participating teacher from Murray High School,  commented on the impact of the outdoor learning activities had on his students."Learning outdoors allows for an authentic experience where  students are involved in their own learning. They are observing, questioning, making inferences and writing it down so they can learn from it. They are thinking about themselves and how they are a part of their surroundings. They can learn that they can make a difference."

Additional iUTAH outdoor learning activities will strive to promote these same educational learning values within educational institutions throughout the state.