The Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI) was established in October 2018, and awarded funding in 2019 for the moonshot initiative: Scientist in Every Florida School (SEFS).

Mission: Through this free program, our mission is to build long-term collaborative relationships between teachers and scientists, to better integrate current scientific research and big data into classroom lessons that adhere to Florida Sunshine State Standards; and in so doing, will connect a scientist with every Florida school in the state. 

SEFS is one of just eight projects awarded funding through a $17 million University of Florida moonshot initiative, aimed at tackling some of society’s most urgent issues. Scientist in Every Florida School has the potential to impact nearly 2.3 million K-12 students and 1000s of teachers statewide. As the name implies, the project mission is to connect all Florida schools with scientists yearly through a variety of platforms. 

Participating scientists must have a research focus related to Earth systems—air, water, land and life — which is in line with TESI’s mission to advance public understanding of environmental issues.

Pilot program:

In its first three years, the program aims to connect scientists with every K-12 public school in five target counties:

• Alachua—48 traditional schools, 2000 teachers and 27,000 students 
• Escambia—51 traditional schools, 2700 teachers and 40,400 students
• Lee—96 traditional schools, 5500 teachers and 94,500 students
  • Lee County is the 9th largest school district in  Florida
• Palm Beach—180 traditional schools, 13,000 teachers and 176,000 students
  • Palm Beach County is the 10th largest district in the nation
• Seminole—58 traditional schools, 5000 teachers and 67,000 students 

Program components

• K-12 teacher professional development
• Scientist classroom visits (in-person & virtual)
• Facilitating teacher-scientist relationships
• Webinar series for teachers

K-12 Professional Development & Resources

As part of this program, the Thompson Earth Systems Institute hosts a series of teacher professional development workshops. During these workshops, teachers work alongside scientists to learn the latest research trends and develop hands-on lesson plans. To learn more about upcoming professional development opportunities and to access resources developed during past PD, visit our K-12 Professional Development & Resources page.

Interested in participating?

Teachers:

Teachers, schools and districts in Florida interested in participating in the project should reach out to the project outreach coordinators. If you are a teacher in one of our five pilot counties, you can and fill out our “Request a Scientist” form​. Teachers from outlying counties can fill out the “Outlying County Teacher Form”.  For recent and upcoming K-12 professional development opportunities, be sure to check our Upcoming Professional Development Calendar and join our teacher-scientist Facebook Group.

If you have already participated in a scientist visit, please leave your feedback by filling out our “Post Scientist Visit Evaluation” form. 

Scientists:

Are you a scientist or graduate student interested in visiting a Florida classroom? Does your research focus on air, water, land or life? We would love to help connect you to a classroom. Please fill out the “Scientist Participation” form and we will contact you shortly.

Contact

Brian Abramowitz
K-12 Education & Outreach Coordinator
Phone: 516-225-9390
Email: babramowitz@floridamuseum.ufl.edu

Stephanie Killingsworth
K-12 Education & Outreach Coordinator
Phone: 561-644-2397
Email: skillingsworth@floridamuseum.ufl.edu

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