The challenge of teaching our students grows as they come to us with less preparation and motivation than previous generations. We face these challenges with new possibilities that offer the chance to increase our effectiveness in the classroom and with the public at all levels. Online resources, national collaborative efforts for curriculum development, and new multimedia offerings make this an exciting time to be an educator. We must help our colleagues stay informed, and we must work together to expand and multiply our efforts. By using technology to disseminate and explore the latest research results in all fields, and by increasing our students' contact with the world, we can give science an immediacy and lucidity unavailable to previous generations.
Leadership takes many forms.
I believe that one must be effective in one's specialty to have the ability to influence the highest levels of policy in both disciplinary and educational settings. The main trait a leader can bring to others is a vision, and a committment to fullfilling the vision together. My main effort has been to explore new ways of presenting science, beyond lecturing into a first-hand experience for the students. I have worked hard to develop ties with NASA, and with other institutions to provide internships for students that give them real-life experience doing science. I would like to develop regional networks of educators, who can collaborate in developing course materials for interdisciplinary subjects like atmospheric sciences, environmental studies, and archeoastronomy.