About BAESI

What is the Bay Area Earth Science Institute ?

The Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI) was founded in 1990 for pre-college science teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. A nonprofit organization supported by the National Science Foundation, San Jose State University, Chevron, and a consortium of other government, corporate and academic partners, BAESI offers a comprehensive, year-round program for training elementary, middle, and high school teachers in earth science concepts and teaching strategies. BAESI promotes earth science, with its multi-disciplinary approach and relevance to everyday life, as a powerful tool for attracting more students, particularly under-represented students, to the sciences. BAESI's uniqueness and strength lie in its broad community resources to improve science literacy in the Bay Area.

BAESI is directed by Ellen Metzger and Richard Sedlock, faculty of San Jose State University's Department of Geology, with outstanding support from Bridget Wyatt, who is a graduate student in geology at SJSU.

What the BAESI program offers...

The Bay Area Earth Science Institute begins by offering two programs, Geo-Connect and EarthComm. Selected teacher applicants get a stipend and university credit for participating in either one of these programs both of which include an intensive summer workshop. In both programs, they work with BAESI staff, earth scientists, and industry professionals to develop and evaluate earth science activities for their classrooms. Approached from a regional perspective, BAESI's program is designed to offer hands-on experience with resources that complement and integrate the California Science Framework.

A summer workshop is just the beginning of a year-round program that includes follow-up field trips and seminars, one-day workshops, opportunities to serve as a paid intern at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, and access to an Earth Science Resource Center at San Jose State that lends videos, slides, books and other resources for teaching earth science. BAESI also publishes quarterly newsletters which includes information about both programs.

 Why Teach Earth Science?

• Earth science is a wonderfully effective tool for interesting students in science: kids of all ages and backgrounds enthusiastically welcome news of dinosaurs, hurricanes, earthquakes and Alvin dives.
• Earth science provides an outstanding opportunity to integrate physical and life sciences, math skills, language arts, and social sciences.
• Earth science is relevant: earthquakes, landslides, air pollution and water quality are natural forces and issues that touch our daily lives.

Benefits of the BAESI program...

• Puts national and state recommendations for science education reform into action: BAESI models a thematic, hands-on approach to science teaching.
   
• Builds upon the uniqueness of earth science as an interdisciplinary science relevant to students' everyday lives.
   
• Targets the needs of all teachers, elementary through high school. To date, 197 teachers representing 92 schools have participated in a month-long summer workshop and supporting academic year activities. An additional 333 teachers attended the Institute's one-day workshops. Up to 30 new teachers are recruited each year.
   
• Offers more than a summer workshop: The summer workshop is just the beginning of a year-round program that includes follow-up field trips, one-day workshops and access to an Earth Science Resource Center at San Jose State University. Additional components include a leadership program and internships for teachers. The Best of BAESI, a collection of 19 activities and recommended resources for teaching earth science is now available.

Any comments or suggestions?
Please contact Ellen  (the webmaster) at:  metzger@geosun.sjsu.edu