Presentation from the 2nd Scientix Conference, 24-26 October 2014, Brussels, Belgium

1. Curriculum and Community Enterprise for
New York Harbor
Restoration in New York City Public Schools
Dr. Lauren B. Birney (PI)
Scientix Conference Europe
Brussels, Belgium
October 24, 2014
Pace University
School of Education
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2. Presentation Summary
I. Overview of Curriculum and Community Enterprise
Project
II. Components of the Project Pillars
III. Details of the Partnerships and Enterprise
IV. Anticipated Project Outcomes
V. Questions and Answers
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3. I. Billion Oyster Project STEM C
Project Summary
Abstract
Research consistently shows that children who have opportunities to actively investigate natural
settings and
engage in problem-based learning greatly benefit from the experiences. They gain skills, interests,
knowledge,
aspirations and motivation to learn more. But how can we provide these rich opportunities in densely
populated
urban areas where resources and access to natural areas are limited? This project will develop and
test a model
of curriculum and community enterprise to address that issue within the nation’s largest urban
school system.
Middle-school students will study New York Harbor and the extensive watershed that empties into it,
and they
will conduct field research in support of restoring native oyster habitats.
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4. Billion Oyster Project
Lauren Birney, Principal Investigator
Samuel Janis, Project Manager
Peter Malinowski, Billion Oyster Project Director
Murray Fisher, President New York Harbor
Foundation

5. Primary Project Goals
BOP STEM-C Curriculum and Community Enterprise
• INCREASE STEM STUDENTS Increase public middle school student access to high quality, engaging and
authentic STEM-C learning in both formal and informal settings, thereby (a) increasing student STEM-C
content knowledge; (b) improving student self-efficacy and confidence in STEM-C; and (c) presenting
students with new role models from STEM-C related career fields.
• INCREASE STEM TEACHERS Increase the number of teachers, OST educators, and STEM-C professionals
involved in creating and teaching authentic STEM-C curriculum - particularly in the context of local species
restoration and environmental studies - to NYC public school students, particularly those from economically
disadvantaged neighborhoods by (a) creating an accredited teacher training program at Pace University (b)
expanding New York Academy of Science’s successful STEM-C mentoring program to Good Shepherd
Services afterschool sites; (c) creating a program for applied learning at local aquariums/marine science
research facilities and enabling students to carry out scientific data collection at local oyster restoration sites;
and (d) building a comprehensive online platform for teacher-centered training and curriculum development
and student-centered environmental monitoring, data collection, and statistical analysis.
• EFFECTIVE STEM CURRICULUM Evaluate the overall effectiveness and impact of the combined curriculum
and community enterprise on STEM-C teaching and learning in middle school grades of urban public schools
by (a) evaluating each of the five main pillars of the model independently on students and teachers through a
comparison/treatment group methodology and (b) by evaluating the model holistically through social network
mapping and context based analysis (CIPP 2009)
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6. II. BOP STEM C CCE PILLARS
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Teacher
Training
Curriculum
Student
Learning
Curriculum
Digital
Pla orm
Aquarium
Exhibit
& Guide
OST
Program
BOP STEM-C CCE: 5 Educa on-Resource Pillars
Teacher Training
University Classrooms
Sites: 1 (Pace)
NYC Public Schools
Classrooms
Sites: 16 per year
Waterfront Field Site
Restora on Research
Sites: 8 or more
Aquarium / Marine
Research Facility
Sites: 2 (NYA and TRP)
OST/ A erschool
Program Sites
Sites: 7 (GSS)
BOP STEM-C CCE: 5 Physical Se ngs
(Applicability and Support)

7. III. Partnerships and Community
Enterprise
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8. III. Partnerships and Community
Enterprise
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9. New York Harbor
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10. BOP STEM C LITERACY

11. Oyster Growth

12. IV. Project Based Learning
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13. Sample Oyster Filtration
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14. Manhattan, New York
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15. Eco-Dock New York Harbor School
Governors Island, New York Harbor
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16. Oyster Reef Restoration
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17. BOP STEM C CCE
Lauren Birney, Project (PI) lbirney@pace.edu Sam Janis sjanis@nyharbor.org
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18. Press Conference
Press Conference and Launch; New York, New York
October 30, 2014; 14:00 – 13:00, Pier 15
“Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration
of New York Harbor in New York City Public Schools”
This Project is funded by NSF – The National Science
Foundation
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