Abstract
By its very nature, a study of the natural environment is complex and challenging. To unearth new and to refine previously known geophysical knowledge requires systematic, sustained, and interdisciplinary methodologies that are seamlessly integrated and cohesively knitted. Therefore, to understand and teach the physical laws that govern the equilibrium and the perturbated states of the natural environment, strategies that employ interdisciplinary pedagogy are needed. Such was the case with Superstorm Sandy. The cyclone provided a classic, ready-made entree to a geophysical, interdisciplinary, and place-based learning course that has been transformational. Study results from the course show statistically significant increases in knowledge of the science, impacts, preparation and adaptation measures, meteorological dynamics, and reduction in the vulnerability and risk associated with the storm.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Blake, Reginald A., and Janet Liou-Mark. “Authenticating Interdisciplinary Learning through a Geoscience Undergraduate Research Experience.” In Interdisciplinary Pedagogy for STEM, edited by R.D. Lansiquot, 105–125. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
Blake, Reginald A., Janet Liou-Mark, Noel Blackburn, Christopher Chan, and Laura Yuen-Lau. “Engaging Undergraduates in the New York City S-SAFE Internship Program: An Impetus to Raise Geoscience Awareness.” Journal of Geoscience Education 63, no. 3 (2015): 176–184.
Blake, Reginald A., Janet Liou-Mark, and Chinedu Chukuigwe. “An Effective Model for Enhancing Underrepresented Minority Participation and Success in Geoscience Undergraduate Research.” Journal of Geoscience Education 61, no. 4 (2013): 405–414.
Blake, Reginald A., Janet Liou-Mark, and Reneta D. Lansiquot. “Promoting the Geosciences among Grades 8–12 Minority Students in the Urban Coastal Environment of New York City.” Journal of Geoscience Education 63, no. 1 (2015): 29–40.
City of New York. “One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City.” 2015. Accessed February 15, 2017. http://www.nyc.gov/html/onenyc/downloads/pdf/publications/OneNYC.pdf.
Espinosa, Lorelle. “Pipelines and Pathways: Women of Color in Undergraduate STEM Majors and the College Experiences that Contribute to Persistence.” Harvard Educational Review 81, no. 2 (2011): 209–241.
Mascarelli, Amanda. “Sustainability: Environmental Puzzle Solvers.” Nature 494, no. 7438 (2013): 507–509.
National Research Council. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2010. Accessed February 15, 2017. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12999.
National Research Council. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2011. Accessed February 15, 2017. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12984.
National Research Council. Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2012. Accessed February 15, 2017. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13362.
National Research Council. Emerging Workforce Trends in the U.S. Energy and Mining Industries: A Call to Action. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2013. http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Report/18250.
National Research Council, Committee on Trends and Opportunities in Federal Earth Science Education. Preparing the Next Generation of Earth Scientists: An Examination of Federal Education and Training Programs. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2013. http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Preparing-Next-Generation-Earth/18369.
National Science and Technology Council, Committee on STEM Education. Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education 5-Year Strategic Plan. 2013. Accessed February 15, 2017. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/bestPractices/stem_stratplan_2013.pdf.
Newman, Christopher B. “Engineering Success: The Role of Faculty Relationships with African American Undergraduates.” Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 17, no. 3 (2011): 193–207.
New York City Panel on Climate Change. Building the Knowledge Base for Climate Resiliency, edited by C. Rosenzweig and W. Solecki. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1336, (2015). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.
Olson, Steve, and Donna Gerardi Riordan. “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Report to the President.” Executive Office of the President. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2012.
Perkins, Sid. “Geosciences: Earth Works.” Nature 473, no. 7346 (2011): 243–244.
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.” 2012. Accessed February 15, 2017. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-engage-to-excel-final_2-25-12.pdf.
Wilson, Carolyn E. Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2014. Alexandria, VA: American Geological Institute, 2014.
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education GEOPATH grant No. 1540721 and by the American meteorological Society’s Climate Studies Diversity Project. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation on the meteorological Society. The authors would like to thank their colleagues at New York City College of Technology, particularly Dr. Hamidreza Norouzi and Dr. Viviana Vladutescu, who are the Co-PIs on the grant and are frequent guest lecturers for the course, Ms. Laura Yuen-Lau, who is the project manager for this grant, and Ms. Malika Ikramova, who helped to compile the data for this study. The authors also appreciate Dr. Valerie Sloan for her expertise in evaluating the program. And last, the authors are grateful for the students who showed the passion to learn about natural disasters, particularly about how Superstorm Sandy impacted their lives, their communities, and their world.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Blake, R.A., Liou-Mark, J. (2018). Cyclonic Pedagogy: Learning Interdisciplinary Lessons from a Hybrid Storm. In: Lansiquot, R., MacDonald, S. (eds) Interdisciplinary Place-Based Learning in Urban Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66014-1_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66014-1_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66013-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66014-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)