Murie Science and Learning Center Science Education Award Program

Open to National Park Service employees (and partners through their NPS contacts), this award seeks to support interpretation and education that communicates resource issues, research, and resource management activities to variable audiences throughout the Arctic and Central Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Networks. The next call for applications is anticipated to be in 2012.

Sample Application

2010 Murie Science and Learning Center Science Education Awards

The following projects were recently awarded:

Creation of educational materials portraying the common lichens and mosses of Denali (Denali National Park and Preserve)

Continuation of Yellow-Billed Loon Education Outreach (Western Arctic National Parklands)

Printing and distribution of resource management and science "fact sheets." (Denali National Park and Preserve)

Support of Alaska Regional "Teacher-to-Ranger-to-Teacher" Programs

2008 Murie Science and Learning Center Science Education Awards

Western Arctic National Parklands: Yellow-billed Loon Education Outreach, partially sponsored through this award, created a high school curriculum on the Yellow-billed Loon (species of special concern in Alaska) to accompany a mounted skin. Students learn about the process and reasons for current research on this species.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: The inaugural Wrangell-St. Elias Research Summit, partially sponsored through this award, was held successfully in McCarthy, at the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, on July 6-7 2009. The event was conducted primarily at the Old Hardware Store, headquarters for the Wrangell-Mountains Center, but included events at the Kennicott Recreation Hall, as well. Highlights included:

• Keynote talks by leaders in their fields including both national park service and academic scientists.
• A public potluck at the Hardware Store, followed by a well-attended public lecture by
Professor Bill Morris of Duke University.
• A round-table discussion of research priorities and needs, including a presentation by
National Park Service on park permitting procedures.
• A poster session at the Kennicott Recreation Hall.
• A second public potluck, this time at the Recreation Hall, followed by “Changes in the
Land,” a moderated panel discussion featuring long-time local residents of the park.

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve: “Science for Everyone”, partially sponsored through this award, brought park researchers, technology, and teachers together to create relevant science-focused podcasts focused on nearby communities. You can view some of the podcast products here.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve: Anatuvuk Pass Species of Concern Monitoring Junior High Program, partially sponsored through a Murie Science and Learning Center Science Education Award, will allow students from Nunamiut School (Anatuvuk Pass, AK) to learn scientific monitoring techniques and enter their data via the internet.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve: MSLC Science Education Awards partially supported the creation of five vodcasts, available on youtube.com on the subject of “Uncovering a Paleoeskimo Camp”:

4000 Year Old Bones

Across the Arctic in an Archeological Instant

Fishooks, Fishbones and Fishing

The Dirt on Archeology

What's in My Pocket

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve