New Mexico EPSCoR is committed to K-12 education and is active in assisting with the development of climate change curriculum for K-12 students. Currently, New Mexico EPSCoR partners with the Northern New Mexico Network to provide a summer institute for teachers with year-long follow up on implementing science inquiry activities in the classroom. NM EPSCoR also participates in outreach activities with K-12 students, including Math and Science Day at the New Mexico State Legislature.

Summer Teacher Institute

The Summer Institute for Teacher Professional Development brings together small teams of high school teachers with project scientists in a five-day Summer Institute held at the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP). The teachers participate with project scientists in field activities, such as equipment deployment and data collection, and they develop activities to take back to their classrooms. The teachers gather for two weekend workshops, one in the fall and one in the spring, to strengthen the bonds within the teacher teams, provide updates and expand the scientific content delivered during the summer, and allow the teachers to share best practices for science teaching.

In Years 1 and 2 of the project, the Summer Institute included teacher participants from a total of 16 districts in northern New Mexico. In Year 3, 12 teachers and 1 principal from 8 districts attended. Teachers received a stipend, on-site housing, meal and travel allowance. Teachers participated in field studies in water, soils, botany, and sampling methods. Follow-up work will include a focus on developing classroom materials and working with teachers to use field data effectively with their students.

The VCNP also provides education programs for students. View the Fall 2012 Brochure here (front) and here (back).

The NM STEM Database

NM EPSCoR has developed and maintains the NM STEM Database, a searchable listing of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, opportunities and events for students, teachers, and members of the community. Listings include resources at the K-12, undergraduate, and graduate level as well as information on public STEM events. Check it out at www.nmstemed.org

The Supercomputing Challenge

NM EPSCoR partners with the NM Supercomputing Challenge through both its Western Consortium (Track 2) project and its C2 project as a means of contributing to the improvement of the human component of the state's cyberinfrastructure. Open to all students in New Mexico schools in grades 6-12, the Supercomputing Challenge is a year-long team competition in which students employ computing simulations to address science and societal questions. EPSCoR has supported the expansion of the program to additional schools, especially those in rural areas with high Native American and Hispanic student populations.

At the Awards Expo for the 2010-2011 Challenge, NM EPSCoR presented a climate change award for the first time to the project that best represented climate modeling and climate change study. View the winners of the NM EPSCoR Climate Change Award below.

• 2011-2012 Challenge: Team 94 (Mohit Dubey, Samuel Thompson, Milada Guenther, and Noah Caulfield) from the New Mexico School for the Arts - Water You Waiting For Santa Fe?
• 2010-2011 Challenge: Sara Shiina from Aspen Elementary - Global Warming: What can we do about it?

For information on the Supercomputing Challenge and how you can get involved for the 2012-2013 competition, visit the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge website. For information on past Challenges and all the winners of previous Challenges, visit their archive.