The National Science Teachers Association is holding their 2009 National Conference in New Orleans, this coming March 19–22. ESRI education manager Joseph J. Kerski notes, “We will be participating again in the conference this year with exhibits (what we call the ‘geospatial zone’) and workshops. The geospatial zone is an excellent way for us to meet many of the 12,000 science educators expected to attend, where they can try some hands-on GIS, meet with our educational partners, review curriculum, test GPS receivers, and connect with other educators using GIS. Using GIS has been shown to advance science inquiry by incorporating spatial analysis, real-world data, field work, connection to community issues, and provide career pathways.”

The workshops include “GIS for Earth Science Inquiry” and “GIS for Earth Science Inquiry”, which will explore how and why GIS and other geospatial technologies (GPS and remote sensing) are essential in earth and environmental science education and careers. Local to global topics will be investigated via practical classroom activities supporting science standards and inquiry. Participants will receive free GIS software and classroom resources. These topics include hurricanes and earthquakes, biodiversity, energy, water resources, urban sprawl, climate change, and more. For more information, see edcommunity.esri.com.

For more information on the National Science Teachers Association, visit their web site at www.nsta.org. More details about the 2009 National Conference can be found at www.nsta.org/conferences/2009new/.