Assistant Professor receives National Science Foundation award for SUNY Empire-led research initiative

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – JUNE 27, 2024) Karis Jones, assistant professor, received an award from the National Science Foundation to serve as a principal investigator for a group research initiative.

Her project, GP-IN: Communities of Aquatic Sciences in Teaching and Learning (COASTAL) Research Partnerships for Equity, is a two-year initiative that will examine educational programming related to geosciences, including field trips and other outreach programs among middle and high school aged students. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. NSF 22-555 GEOPaths.  

“This COASTAL Research partnership will build a cross-region innovative research group focused on equitable educational innovations to support historically excluded middle and high school youth in geosciences communities,” Jones said.

Jones will be working with a team of researchers, educators, and scientists from New York and Maine; including Nadia Harvieux from the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith College, Melody Lindsay from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine, Amy Sheldon from SUNY Geneseo, and Monica Miles from SUNY University at Buffalo.

Jones said the team hopes to create a network of researchers, teachers, and students across the two states to collaborate and develop equitable paths for participation in geoscience communities.

“We intend to co-create educator toolkits and resources as well as models for program redesign to disseminate with the larger STEAM educational community,” Jones said.