Biocomplexity Teacher Workshop May 31 – June 2, 2008 University of Puerto Rico

Goals and Objectives Introduce concepts associated with biocomplexity Introduce concepts associated with watershed ecology Discuss the physical, biological, and social settings and the individual models Identify tools to explore biocomplexity Introduce biocomplexity concepts Discuss integrated (biocomplexity) models

Project Description Broader Impacts: Our proposed research has several integrated educational and policy components. In terms of education, high school teacher workshops will demonstrate the use of web-based GIS models to actively engage high school senior (and their teachers) in Puerto Rico and Colorado in biocomplexity research.

What is Biocomplexity? “Biocomplexity arises from the multitude of behavioral, biological, social, chemical, and physical interactions that affect, sustain, or are modified by living organisms, including humans” “Integrated research teams are the way to study complex research questions”  Rita Colwell

Characteristics of Complexity Nonlinear or chaotic behavior Interactions that span multiple spatial and temporal scales or levels Unpredictable behavior (hard to predict) Hierarchical structure, scalable Self organization Emergent properties Adaptive Behavior Cascading effects Must be studied as a whole, as well as piece by piece Relevant for all kinds of organisms in all kinds of environments Surprise: Natural Disasters; unintended consequences of human behavior

Goals of Biocomplexity Research “understanding how components of the global ecosystem interact—biological, physical, chemical, and the human dimension—in order to gain knowledge of the complexity of the system and to derive fundamental principles from it” ( Colwell, 2000 ).

Goals of Biocomplexity Research “examining the self-organization, hierarchical structure, and dynamics of communities and ecosystems over time and space requires new approaches and a new generation of nonlinear modeling, designed by collaborators in the natural, social, and computational sciences” ( Covich, 2000 ).

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues Requires collaboration, integration and an interdisciplinary approach Employs multiple modes of understanding and learning Engages students in a diversity of techniques and hands-on inquiry Allows for participation in contemporary scientific research (questions and results)

Education Challenges Biocomplexity is a complex topic Non-standardized comparisons are difficult Cultural differences are challenging Multiple goals are hard to pin down

Education approach Key Considerations Accessibility Relevance Educational Cultural Transferability Feasibility

Tools of Biocomplexity Statistics Maps, tables, graphs Geographic Information Systems ArcExplorer Remotely sensed data Google Earth Modeling NetLogo Field Observations State of the Watershed Handbook

Outcomes Interdisciplinarity Modular research Communication Common definitions Innovation Identify new methods Integration Understanding interrelationship, thresholds