NREL Director/Research Scientist, Colorado State University
John Moore is a professor and head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and director of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University. Since the 1990s, Moore has been a national leader in developing ecology education programs based on innovative active learning exercises. These educational lessons are located in all types of easily accessible habitats, are available to K–12 teachers and students and undergraduate and graduate students, and emphasize outreach to minority and low-income populations. Moore's integration of research and education encompasses soil foodweb dynamics, impact of climate change on ecosystem processes, and the ways in which humans interact with ecosystem function through invasive species distribution; engages audiences of varied interests; and helps them to become active environmental stewards. Moore is the principal investigator of the NSF-funded project, Targeted Partnership: Culturally Relevant Ecology, Learning Progressions and Environmental Literacy.
Culturally Relevant Ecology, Learning Progressions, and Environmental Literacy
Our Mathematics and Science Partnership focuses on enhancing environmental literacy in K–12 schools and beyond through research on student and teacher learning, professional development informed by the research, and institutional reform. We work at the critical education juncture of middle school through high school (grades 6–12). The project connects the research strengths in the environmental sciences and education of our partner universities and sites within the NSF-funded Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network with K–12 teacher professional development in science and mathematics of our partner schools. The program takes advantage of the local and regional partnerships between the universities and the K–12 districts and provides a common research framework and professional development model. Read more
