U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Range Management Research: Las Cruces, NM
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Comprehensive Publications
                    Research SummarySearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Las Cruces, New Mexico Range Management Research Docs







Businessheadline bar Our education/partnering program has four main components devoted to the transfer of science-based information to K-12 students and teachers, land management agencies and their personnel, other partner institutions, private land managers, international collaborators and institutions, and the general public. **The Asombro Institute for Science Education** -Fortunately, we have an outstanding working relationship with one of the premier non-profit organizations devoted to K-12 science literacy in the nation, the Asombro Institute for Science Education. This award winning organization improves existing science literacy for over 15,000 students and teachers each year. In addition, the Asombro Institute is responsible for several highly creative and instructional programs including: the Schoolyard Desert Discovery Project and
the Desert Data Jam The **Desert Data Jam**, started in 2012, is the newest science education collaboration between Asombro and the Jornada, and met with tremendous success in its inaugural year. The program is devoted to encouraging high school students to utilize and communicate in original and creative ways any of the historic data collected from our research projects over the history of our science program. Projects, either entered as individual or team efforts, are competitively judged and students compete for cash awards. Project winners are announced in a ceremony at the conclusion of the academic year. **Applications** -We also develop tools to collect, store, and/or analyze information related to inventory, assessment and monitoring of land resources. Two key examples of these applications are: the Database for Inventory Monitoring and Assessment (DIMA) and
the Landscape Toolbox Both of the applications and associated products are freely available on our website and actively updated and improved. These applications, and the many newer applications in development, are widely used by our partners and clients. These applications are results from our research program. **Training materials, webinars, workshops, and field schools** -Throughout the year we offer either hands-on programs on-site or instruction programs delivered over the internet to communicate our latest science based technologies. Examples of these activities include: our Botany Field Workshop offered bi-monthly to improve plant I.D. skills and is open registration
workshops such as the Pedoderm and Pattern Class and
webinars on different topics available upon request **Cooperative agreements** with over two dozen collaborators, institutions, agencies, or land owner groups - In prior years our research unit maintained a focus group drawn from numerous client, partner, and stakeholder organizations that would meet annually to provide input and critical review of our research program. We have evolved this focus group into a number of separate cooperative agreements with each of these groups to more specifically address common needs and objectives. These cooperative agreements are listed at /research/projects_programs.htm?modecode=62-35-15-00. However, we are now developing a new approach to these collaborations. We are developing portals through our website that organize many different types of information important to us and our partners in a single web-based location. These portals contain information that is transparently stored, accessed, added-to, shared, and utilized to address our common objectives and the common management problems facing our partners in a data-based, scientifically rigorous manner. This effort is new. Two portals now under development are: the Malpai Borderlands Group portal and
the Las Cruces District Office of the Bureau of Land Management portal A number of new portals, with new useful applications, are under development.  **** Some of the over 15,000 students participating annually in the science education activities organized by the Asombro Institute.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov