Smart, Wired & Alive, Conference, 28-30 October, Athens, Georgia

When: 1:00PM, Sunday, 28th October, through 12:30PM, Tuesday, 30th.

Where: Room R, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, 1197 South Lumpkin Street, Athens
See details regarding lodging, transportation, directions, registration and special needs.

Vision: Empower all K-16 teachers, students and other interested citizens with the tools, training and support networks to conduct original research; to unlock the mysteries of the natural world around them; to discover the joys and wonders of nature; to make scientific findings that society needs to better understand and manage our environment, and to learn creative, thinking skills for tomorrow's workforce. In short, let's make school curricula more exciting and meaningful, better understand nature, and save the planet to boot!!!

Overview: The conference will focus on three areas: education (Smart), technology (Wired), and biological research & management (Alive). We'll bring together organizations and individuals with expertise in these areas from around the nation. Participants should expect to share ideas and refine the vision. They will be asked to identify partners who are likely to join our endeavor, to develop specific goals, and to create a strategic planning process and board of advisors. To move forward rapidly, our process should be both inclusive and informal -- one that encourages integration across disciplines and builds a network of established organizations as it's foundation.

Smart Goals:

• Discovery curricula: ones that teach creativity, originality, thinking, & problem solving and are FUN
  (e. g., see Natural Pathways, Pinellas County Schools, Florida, and Object Lessons, Buffalo Public Schools & Museum, New York).
• Teacher training (e. g., see Discover Life).
• Community outreach & mentoring programs that involve retired naturalists among others (e. g., see Florida Master Naturalist Program).
• Teach technical skills: photography, image processing, graphic design, mapping, etc.

Wired Goals:

• Electronic research journals in schools and community libraries
• Identification guides to nature (e. g., see IDnature).
• Image-based portal to other Websites and databases with information about nature (e. g., see All Living Things).
• Remote databasing of personal life lists, collective sharing of these data, mapping distributions, seasonality, etc. (e. g., see Life lists).

Alive Goals:

• Develop showcase programs that can be exported to other regions with students and other citizens collecting large quantities of high-quality data that are useful scientists and resource managers (e. g., see Biodiversity Days, Massachusetts).
• Document and understand the biology, distribution & environmental requirements of all life forms

In Georgia:

• Within 5 years, all students before they graduate from high school should at least once study in a National Forest, National Park, or regional park or conservation area and collected data there that are of value to scientists and resource managers.
• Within 10 years, study and make information on 99% of all life forms within Georgia available through super-friendly Web identification guides. Thus, students, teachers, gardeners, farmers, foresters, hunters, hikers, naturalists and other outdoor types should be able to identify and learn about any living thing that they find.

Potential Participants: Federal & state agencies concerned with education, science, and resource managent. NGO's with similar interests. School districts and libraries. Garden clubs, naturalists, technology companies, community outreach and volunteer organizations, philanthropists... Hopefully everyone.

Anticipated number of participant: We estimate 15-20 participants.

Registration:

Participants can register for Sunday, Monday, and/or Tuesday either on-line, by phone (706-542-2134), by mail, or at the conference. Costs are as follows:

• Sunday afternoon, with snack, & evening pizza & beer reception, $35.00
• Monday, with 2 snacks & lunch, $40.00
• Tuesday morning, with 1 snack, $15.00
• TOTAL early registration: $80.00
• Registration after 25th October, add $10

Sponsors:

• US Forest Service
• Participants
• Still looking for contributions!!!

Contact:

• Venue and registration -- Melanie Baer, 706-542-4643, <melanie_baer@gactr.uga.edu>
• Program and goals -- John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens

Program:

• Sunday: 1:00-6:00PM
  • Welcome
  • Overview
  • Introductions of programs & individuals
  • Technology demonstration
  • Discussion -- setting of goals
• Sunday: 7:00-10:00PM
  • Reception with pizza & drinks at Pickering/Guerrero's, 275 Blue Heron Drive, Athens -- 706-353-7076
• Monday: 9:00-6:00PM
  • Working session to formulate mission statement and 5-year & 10-year objectives
  • Development of draft strategic plan
  • Homework assignments
  • Wrap-up
• Tuesday: 8:30-12:30PM
  • Technical session on database needs & building IDnature Guides

Participants include:

• Peter Alden, Concord, Massachusetts -- naturalist and author of 9 Audubon Society Field Guides
• Sharon Ballew, Athens, Georgia -- undergraduate biology student & builder of IDnature guides
• Cindy Brady, Gainesville, Georgia -- environmental educator
• Bob Coulter, St. Louis, Missouri -- manager of curriculum development
• Liz Domingue, Sevierville, Tennessee -- naturalist and educator
• Sam Droege, Patuxent, Maryland -- biologist with the USGS Biological Resources Division
• Patty Gowaty, Athens, Georgia -- biologist and educator
• Stella Guerrero, Athens, Georgia -- high school science teacher & parasitologist
• Barnie Gyant, Eatonton, Georgia -- district ranger, Oconee National Forest
• Steve Hubbell, Athens, Georgia -- botanist and founder of the National Council for Science &, the Environment
• John Pickering, Athens, Georgia -- biologist developing Web-based identification guides to nature
• Tomas Pickering, Athens, Georgia -- high school student, photographer, thinker, & reality check
• Bill Rogers, Buffalo, New York -- educator linking natural history museum and school programs
• Elizabeth Skillen, Athens, Georgia -- ecologist and educator
• Michael Skinner, Atlanta, Georgia -- naturalist and host of Georgia Outdoors on Georgia Public Television
• Wally Warren, Cornelia, Georgia -- librarian
• Kay Yatskievych, St. Louis, Missouri -- botanist and author of field guide to Indiana wildflowers

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Updated: 28 September, 2001