ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. ***************************************************************************** Hi, I received this from a friend who is a geological engineer. I thought perhaps the creativity of the ASTC community (if you haven't already heard of this) would be great for the feedback they're seeking. Please reply off-list to [log in to unmask] Thanks, tracy nolan -------Begin Forwarded Message--------- Some earth science geeks got this list together of the most important things every person should know about earth science. Sorry to say it isn't funny. It is currently in draft form and we are trying to get non earth science people with brains to read it and provide comments before finalization. I think you guys qualify, mostly. :) If you want and/or have the time to read 8 pages of pretty basic science, please do and send in your comments or complain about it here and I'll summarize and submit them. The NSF-supported Earth Science Literacy Initiative has prepared a draft document outlining what every citizen should know about earth science, and we are seeking community input on the draft. We hope that you will take the time to provide your input, because this document will provide a clear and concise summary of the fundamental ideas in earth science for policy makers, educators, students, and the general public. In order to read and comment on the draft, please go to <http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org> before October 31st, 2008. We will then incorporate community comments, add graphics, and release a revised draft by early December. The final document will be printed toward the end of January. This document complements the efforts of the Ocean, Climate and Atmospheric science communities in defining the big ideas and supporting concepts essential for an earth system literate public. The Earth Sciences draft was developed through an NSF-supported, 350-participant online workshop held in May, 2008 and a 35-participant, in-person writing workshop held in July, 2008. These workshops brought together scientists from a broad representation of the geosciences, including mineralogists, petrologists, resource explorationists, sedimentologists and stratigraphers, paleontologists, tectonicists, geophysicists, geomorphologists, low-temperature geochemists and biogeochemists, continental dynamicists, volcanologists, geohazard specialists, and members of the freshwater hydrologic science community. This is a critical time for our science - the geosciences can play a critical role in helping society meet the challenges of natural hazards and human impacts on the environment. Please help us make this document the best it can be! *********************************************************************** For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org. Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org. The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html. To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to [log in to unmask]