The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has selected the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Dr. Heather Stone as one of five early-career research fellows.
Stone, an associate professor in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 , is among the 2023-2025 cohort for NASEM杏吧专区檚 Education Research track announced Tuesday. The fellowships bring a $76,000 award and mentoring from the nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. Established in 1863, NASEM provides expert advice to address international challenges and to advance science, engineering and medicine.
杏吧专区淥ur early-career research fellows are exceptional professionals pursuing innovative and applicable research with the potential to address complex issues challenging the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska regions,杏吧专区 stated Karena Mary Mothershed, a senior program manager for the Gulf Research Program, in a press release.
The five fellows will contribute to the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education and to environmental education, Stone said. 杏吧专区淭he fellowships are designed to further education and research that contributes to the understanding of coastal issues and incorporate that knowledge into K-12 classrooms and the community,杏吧专区 she explained.
Stone brings a proven track record of scholarship and research 杏吧专区 and unique perspective 杏吧专区 to the effort. Much of her recent work blends elements of education with coastal issues. That includes through a range of grant-funded research that has involved educating middle and high school students about effects the environment has on coastal communities.
As part of one recent project funded by the National Science Foundation, Stone is helping to coordinate a program that pairs undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members and community mentors with high school students. The focus is examining geosciences content relevant to addressing environmental challenges and research-based service-learning.
Students learn about interactive web-based mapping software, and conduct activities such as deploying kites developed by NASA that are equipped with devices to capture images of Earth. Students examine water movement and implement design variances and control structures.
Another project, funded by the Louisiana Board of Regents, is centered on researching social, economic and environmental sustainability through oral history and virtual reality. Stone杏吧专区檚 research centers on Isle de Jean Charles in Terrebonne Parish. Coastal erosion has wiped out more than 98% of the ancestral home of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation of Native Americans.
Stone杏吧专区檚 research includes collecting oral histories from members of the tribe that will be featured in a forthcoming book about the story of the fractured island, its people and its history. Her research has also yielded information that is educating students in area K-12 classrooms.
A virtual reality lesson that included 360-degree videos of tribal members speaking about how the land has changed over their lifetimes has enabled middle school students to learn about land loss over the last 50 years.
杏吧专区淭he work is all based on a sense of place. For me, it杏吧专区檚 helping students understand communities around them so they can become more knowledgeable about what杏吧专区檚 happening along the coast and how that杏吧专区檚 going to impact them,杏吧专区 Stone said.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Dr. Heather Stone, an associate professor in the College of Education & Human Development, is one of five early-career research fellows selected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for its Gulf Research Program. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区