EDUCATOR’S CORNER
category belong to the Earth Science in a broad sense. Note that most of the discoveries related to “Archeology” were con- cerned with the evolution of humans (human paleontology or physical anthropology), and hence should be included in “Earth Science.” Thus, the Earth Science category topped the list for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; it was second only to “Medicine and Life Sciences” for the years 2012, 2013 (see Figure 1). Although there is some subjectivity in choosing the “best” science discoveries for a given year, it is reasonable to assume that the editors of the Discover consider the impor- tance of the discoveries as well as public (readers’) interest in them. All this is good news to Earth Scientists. The challenge is how to utilize this resource in our education (both formal and public), research projects, policy debates, and contributions to our culture as a whole. And let me end this brief article with a testimony from NASA. In November 2016, the space agency, given concerns that the Trump administration may reduce its budget, emphasized: “NASA’s work on Earth Science is mak- ing a difference in people’s lives all around the world. Earth Science helps save lives. It also helps grow companies and creates an awareness of environmental challenges that affect our lives today and tomorrow.”3
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Overall, earth science education is underrated in our middle and high schools. As practicing geolo- gists, we hope that earth science becomes an integral part of second- ary (K12) education in the country.
Figure 1 - “100 Best Discoveries of Science” reported by the Discover magazine (January - February issues, 2013 - 2019) and categorized by subject
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The good news is that the public has an enormous interest in Earth Science. This is evident from the coverage of science news by the mass media.
3. NASA emphasizes importance of Earth science given concerns about budget cuts, by Jeff Foust. SpaceNews, November 11, 2016
http://spacenews.com/nasa-emphasizes-importance-of-earth-science-given-concerns-about-budget-cuts/.
www.aipg.org Jul.Aug.Sep 2019 • TPG 45
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