Hiring K-12 In-Service & Pre-Service Teachers

Join our NSF Smithsonian drone mapping team along the Pacific Coast of North America.

As part of our NSF & Smithsonian drone mapping project, we are creating partnerships with K-12 teachers in the summer of 2021 and throughout the school year to transfer teachers’ experiences in field-based research to educational lessons and content in their classrooms.

The application link for K-12 in-service and pre-service teachers can be found below.

The 2-page personal statement must include: 1) a description of education interests, including how this work fits into these interests; 2) an explanation of what it means to engage in team science to understand coastal change; and 3) a discussion of how you and your students might benefit from lessons and data created in the program.

Potential candidates may be contacted for a follow-up video interview within one month of the priority application deadline.

Teachers will be trained with our drone training materials for eelgrass mapping, including drone flying, image processing and analysis, and FAA part 107 regulations. We will work with teachers to develop drone mapping and field research skills that can be included in their classrooms during the school year.

Funding Support for Teachers

Teachers will receive a financial package from the NSF grants to UCF as part of this work:

$5600 stipend for participating in the 7 week summer fieldwork experience
All fieldwork travel expenses covered

If teachers agree to incorporate the data and fieldwork into K-12 lessons in their classrooms, they will also receive the following:

An additional $5000 stipend for the academic school year to work on continued incorporation of lessons and data in their classrooms.
Classroom drone kits to support continued engagement with their students, including 1 DJI Mavic Mini fly more combo pack and 3 DJI Tello education packs.
Teachers will also receive $2000 for travel support to co-present findings at a professional conference (virtual or in-person), such as Ocean Sciences, National Science Teachers Association, Esri Education, or National Council for Geographic Education.

Teachers will be expected to complete the following as part of their additional stipend for the school year:

Co-author science education articles with our team for submission to high-impact journals;
Share their experiences and lesson plans at a 2021-2022 UCF Citizen Science GIS teacher workshop to stimulate interest in the work with other U.S. teachers and networks;
Co-author video and blog posts for our Citizen Science GIS website and social media channels.