Cary Institute is accepting applications for a Program Leader to bring cutting edge Earth science to high school students and educators in Baltimore and other East Coast urban areas.

START DATE and DURATION: This is a full time, exempt, and benefited grant-supported position for up to 4 years. Preferred start date is on or before January 8, 2023.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Program Leader will join the Cary Institute Education team and help lead two grant-supported projects based in Baltimore, MD. The Program Leader will be based in or near Baltimore, with occasional travel to Cary Institute in Millbrook, NY. Responsibilities include:

EarthX: Advancing Earth Science Instruction across High School Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in Baltimore City Public Schools. (80% time)

  • Coordinate all aspects of the project working closely with Baltimore City Public Schools staff and participating teachers, and the research and development team of scientists and educators.
  • Help lead all professional development (PD) activities, including intensive multi-day summer institutes and monthly after school workshops for EarthX teachers; and as part of systemic PD days for all City Schools’ high school science teachers.
  • Contribute to developing EarthX student assessments and associated teacher support resources.
  • Provide in-school support for the EarthX teachers as they implement the embedded assessments and responsive instructional practices in their classrooms.
  • Support research components of the project, helping arrange for and in some cases conducting classroom observations, student interviews, teacher interviews, and collection of student and teacher work.
  • Support project data analysis activities, joining small research teams headed by Co-PIs Covitt and Grooms for intensive coding campaigns.
  • Help recruit and support high school science teachers involved in the project, arranging for agreement forms, stipend payments, and other logistics.
  • Schedule, set agendas for, and take notes at all project meetings: bi-weekly Leadership Team meetings, bi-monthly All Hands meetings (including one 2-day in person meeting), and annual Advisory Board meetings.
  • Track and document all project activities, participation statistics and products, and lead the preparation of annual reports to the National Science Foundation.
  • Manage designated parts of the EarthX budget (participant support costs, project travel, consultant costs, office supplies, and related expenses).
  • Supervise assistants, interns and other personnel if present.

Urban Critical Zone (Urban CZ) Cluster education initiatives (20% time)

  • Recruit, provide ongoing support for, and collaborate with CZ Teaching Fellows to develop and pilot test educational resources to infuse CZ science in secondary science classroom instruction. The CZ Teaching Fellows will work with a mentor scientist and the education team to create a Data Nugget using urban critical zone research and data. Data Nuggets (https://datanuggets.org/) are free classroom activities, co-designed by scientists and teachers, to bring contemporary research and authentic data into the classroom.
  • Develop professional development (PD) opportunities for secondary science teachers in Baltimore and the other Fall Zone cities involved in the Urban CZ cluster (Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Raleigh) to help further develop and disseminate CZ educational resources in classrooms across the region.
  • Connect with CZ Citizen Science leaders in project urban areas and engage them in quarterly project science meetings. The goal is to leverage the tremendous wealth of organizations and associated data and data collection capacity in our region, while also engaging other stakeholders (agency scientists and managers, NGO’s, etc.) in considering ways that the urban CZ project can contribute to and benefit from related activities in each region.
  • Help connect the CZ project’s research and findings to the communities where the work is taking place through accessible communications and social media channels.
  • Participate in the Critical Zone Thematic Cluster Network’s Education and Outreach Working Group.
  • Track and document all Urban CZ education activities, participation statistics, and products, and lead the preparation of annual reports to the National Science Foundation.
  • Manage designated parts of the CZ education budget (participant support costs, project travel, consultant costs, office supplies, and related expenses).

 REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Master’s degree in one of the environmental sciences, or in education.
  • Coursework in Earth and environmental sciences.
  • Earth or environmental science teaching experience with K-12 students.
  • Experience developing science curriculum materials for high school students.
  • Ability to communicate and work with a wide range of scientists, educators, and members of the public.
  • Excellent writing and organizational skills.
  • Must be able to work periodic evenings (usually one night per month) and occasional weekend days.
  • Full vaccination against COVID-19 is required for employment.
  • Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Coursework in education.
  • Experience helping lead professional development programs with teachers.
  • Classroom teaching experience in science with high school students.

 REPORTS TO: Dr. Alan R. Berkowitz, Head of Education

CLOSING DATE: November 11, 2022 or until filled.

TO APPLY: Visit our website at http://www.caryinstitute.org/who-we-are/jobs and complete the online job application. Please submit one document that includes a cover letter, resume, and the names and full contact information (including e-mail address) for three professional references.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Alan Berkowitz at berkowitza@caryinstitute.org or 845-677-7600 ext. 311 (office) or 845-797-1590 (cell) with any questions regarding the position.

The Cary Institute is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) employer. It is the policy of the Institute to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.