Global Evolution
Education Project
©Bob Field 2005
The Global Evolution Education Project (GEEP) offers people
opportunities to explore the influence of evolutionary processes on the sea, sky,
land, and life itself. The GEEP develops and distributes educational materials
and programs to individuals and organizations with interests in nature, natural
history, and/or natural science. The GEEP translates complex scientific
principles into plain English in entertaining and stimulating ways using a
variety of media and personal experiences for professionals, volunteers,
educators, students, group members, and visitors.
The GEEP can adapt its materials and programs to any
park, nature preserve, natural history museum, nature center, botanical garden,
aquarium, marine park, zoo, science center, library, school (K-16), or other
educational institution. The GEEP creates nature walks, field trips, facility
tours, animated slide shows, lectures and discussion groups, poster displays,
training programs, student science projects, educational courses, summer
workshops, multimedia resources, reference materials, books, pamphlets, modules
of instruction, short stories, and web sites.
The
GEEP uses thematic interpretation which is the gold standard for non-captive
audiences. Everything you see has a natural history. Everything evolves: the
oceans, atmosphere, solid Earth, Sun, galaxies, molecules, cells, organisms,
ecosystems, and even civilizations. The concept of a natural history implies
that something has changed over time, that it was different in the past. Natural
systems make no sense without evolutionary processes.
Change over time is the simplest statement of physical or biological evolution.
The GEEP uses concrete examples to illustrate concepts and observes and analyzes nature
using inquiry-based approaches.
Any
outdoor or indoor venue could host a nature walk or talk entitled “Exploring
Evolution at ---”. For example a nature walk on the Montana de Oro bluff trail
has this description: “The rugged beauty of the evolving coast reveals the
powers of the sea, sky, land, and life itself. Seasonal change and tides may be
discussed.”
An
Ocean Science Quest program includes a provocative fictitious tabloid newspaper
poster display that uses humor and artistic license to discuss sea otters, kelp
forests, ocean systems, seasonal change, animal diversity, tide pools, and
global climate. Additional programs focus on the origin of life, its
diversification from Darwin’s “warm little pond”, its adaptive radiation onto
the land, and the frequent migrations back to water. Highlights involve the
interactions of all five kingdoms with each other and with the physical
environment. The Global Natural Science Quest includes animated slide shows, a
web site, and many Cal Poly student projects.
The
GEEP seeks to follow the best practices and standards of informal and formal
education including the California state science framework and standards. An
educator might say that interactions of energy and matter determine the
structure and evolution of natural systems including their patterns of change,
stability, and scale.
As a science advocate, the GEEP
avoids political and religious positions. The untrained mind cannot imagine how
complex systems evolve naturally when energy flows. The National Academy of
Sciences states that the role of science is to provide plausible natural
explanations for natural phenomena. Scientific observations and analyses
indicate that everything in the universe from the smallest subatomic particle
to the largest galaxies appears to have evolved for over 13 billion years by
natural processes. The evolution of physical and biological systems is the most
plausible natural explanation for everything we see around us. Global evolution
is the process by which a giant cloud of cold dilute gas turns into stars and
planets and life.
Individuals and organizations can
express their support for the concept of global evolution education by joining
the GEEP’s “Friends of Global Evolution”. To be a friend, send your name and
phone number to calpoly.edu at my email address of rfield. Friends may request
educational materials and programs and/or offer advice, but friendship is free
and participation is optional. The GEEP’s opinions and actions are not
necessarily those of its friends. The GEEP is the brainchild of Dr. Bob Field who is a Cal Poly adjunct physics professor
and a state park and natural history museum docent. The GEEP is enriched by student
science projects and advice from scientists, nature-lovers, and educators. Two
GEEP charts are at www.calpoly.edu/~rfield/GEEPchart.htm.
GEEP Products and Services
The GEEP has six products and services:
1.
Prepare global
evolution reports by researching facts, concepts, themes, and questions
2.
Supervise student projects in natural science and
science education
3.
Prepare exploring
evolution guides and related educational materials for nature-oriented venues
4. Organize and conduct field trips, seminars, and related educational programs for nature-oriented venues
5. Create modules of instruction for K-12 and environmental educators
6. Organize and conduct courses and workshops for students and educators
Typical GEEP Tasks
1. Review, revise, and prioritize this list of goals and tasks periodically based on relative importance, local interests, and available labor and resources.
2. Recruit friends, helpers, advisors, funding sources, and other resources including a lead organization like Cal Poly.
3. Review, evaluate, and summarize the work of leading scientists and educators on the subject of global evolution including scientific publications, textbooks, popular science books and articles, and websites. Use the ROAD reporter methodology where applicable (Read, Observe, Analyze, Discuss, and report).
4. Formulate a plausible sequence of events in the formation and evolution of natural systems including the oceans, atmosphere, solid Earth, Sun, molecules, cells, organisms, and ecosystems.
5. Develop a chronology for the plausible sequence of events.
6. Specify the interactions of energy and matter that influenced the natural history of these systems.
7. List questions, problems, and uncertainties in the sequence of events.
8. Use global evolution concepts to provide thematic interpretation of local natural history at important representative regional natural attractions and education and interpretation centers.
9. Write and illustrate field trips, poster displays, pamphlets, guides, nature books, animated slide shows, and modules of instruction based on plausible natural history or exploring evolution themes for local venues, starting with MdO State Park, MBSP Museum of Natural History, SLO Botanical Garden, and Atascadero’s Paddock Zoo, and followed by Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and other state and national parks.
10. Develop courses and workshops on global evolution for students, volunteers, professionals, and educators.