Department of Geosciences Community Connections Outreach Program

In addition to serving the community through research and education, Boise State University and the Department of Geosciences are committed to public service through outreach efforts.  If you have any questions concerning the initiatives outlined below, please contact Dr. Karen Viskupic at 208-426-3658 or karenviskupic@boisestate.edu

GK-12 Project    
The NSF-funded GK-12 project gk12.boisestate.edu is a partnership between the Departments of Geosciences and Biology at Boise State University and local science learning centers. This project pairs graduate students in biology, raptor biology, geology, geophysics and hydrology with educators at the Foothills Learning Center, the Boise WaterShed Environmental Education Center and the Discovery Center of Idaho to develop and deliver learning activities to the K-12 community.

K-12 Outreach Activities

The Department of Geosciences is eager to work with local teachers and classes to enhance Earth Science education in the K-12 community.  Please contact Dr. Karen Viskupic, karenviskupic@boisestate.edu, if you are looking for someone from the department to give a special presentation to your class, assist with developing classroom activities, serve as a science fair judge or advisor, speak at a “career day”, assist with Science Olympiads, etc.

Classroom Materials

A variety of materials have been produced within the geoscience department by faculty, staff, students and volunteers. These include field trip guides, lab activities, career resource materials, local geoscience content and related instruction materials. We expect the number and variety of items available for download on this site to increase each year. Please contact us with further specific classroom material requests and/or suggestions to improve our materials available.

PDF Files Available for Download:
Boise Area Environmental Ed
Geoscientist Profiles

Community Outreach Activities

Every Monday afternoon at 3:40, the Department of Geosciences hosts a lecture regarding various Earth science topics.  Speakers in the lecture series include scientists from around the country as well as BSU faculty and students.  Lectures are free and open to the public, and are a great way to learn about current research.  For more information on locations and speakers, please call (208) 426-1631.

Earth Science Exploratorium

Nation Science Foundation Program: Utilizing local resources and educational settings to stimulate K-12 learning.  http://gk12.boisestate.edu

Boise State University’s GK-12 project focuses on using local and regional science issues to stimulate learning in the K-12 community. Graduate GK-12 Fellows will partner with three local learning centers to develop and deliver educational activities in biology and the geosciences. K-12 classes that visit the learning centers will use some of the developed activities, while other activities will be used in traditional classroom settings through outreach. The project will help K-12 students to increase their understanding of science topics, and how those topics relate to their lives, through the use of local and regional themes. Together, the partner learning centers will serve a total of over 40,000 K-12 students each year, and the project has the potential to affect a large percentage of Idaho students.

Expected outcomes of the project include: 1) Funding many graduate students’ educations, which will allow them to pursue diverse research goals in science fields; 2) The infusion of research-based science and its importance into the consciousness of local students; 3) Training several graduate students in curriculum development and communicating science to non-technical audiences; 4) Enhancement of K-12 students’ understanding of science concepts, which may lead to increased interest in pursuing careers in these fields; 5) Development of educational activities that can be used by teachers and classes not directly participating in the project; and 6) Development of a sustainable collaborative partnership between Boise State University and the K-12 community.