The Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE) is seeking an Outreach and Education Specialist to support growing community engagement and k-12 programming. The Specialist will teach a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in Natural Resources, assist with community outreach and engagement activities, and provide support to CFRE students and staff. The Specialist will work with Brimley Schools, the EUP Intermediate School District, the CTE Advisory Committee, LSSU Office of Charter Schools, LSSU faculty and students, and CFRE partners to ensure program quality, access, and sustainability.
Duties & Responsibilities:
The Specialist’s role will be two-fold: 1) deliver on-site programming at CFRE to ~22 high school students during the k-12 school year calendar, and 2) assist with other programming at CFRE as needed, such as social media, program assessment, community outreach and engagement. Specifically, the Specialist’s role will include, but not be limited to:
- developing programming that aligns with the state of Michigan’s requirements for CTE programs in natural resources
- delivering class lectures and hands-on experiences to the CTE students from 9-11 am daily (weekdays) during the k-12 academic calendar
- working with LSSU faculty and administration to align CTE curriculum with university course outcomes in the School of Natural Resources
- Arrange field work experiences and labs for CTE students and LSSU students
- serving on the CTE Advisory Committee
- assisting with grant writing to acquire funding to sustain innovative k-12 programming across the state and at CFRE
- assisting CFRE staff and community partners with organizing and conducting outreach events (e.g., St. Marys River Day) and k-12 activities, including LSSU Charter schools
- contribute to the operations of the Great Lakes Discovery Center
- designing and implementing evaluations of programing to assess learning outcomes
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Earned Bachelor’s degree in natural resources, education, or related field
- Enthusiastic about teaching high school students
- Demonstrated success working with partners
- Valid driver’s license
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- At least 2 years of professional experience in the natural resources field
- Experience working with high school students and classroom management
- Master’s degree in natural resources, education, or related field
- Demonstrated experience in Great Lakes ecology, wetland ecology, aquatic botany, aquatic entomology, fish culture, and fish identification
- Certification environmental educator (NAAEE or affiliate), training or certification in environmental curriculum (e.g., Project Wet, Aquatic WILD)
- Experience in STEM education programming
- Completion of Next Generation Science Exemplar (NGSX) or familiarity with NGSS and facilitating 3-dimensional learning
- Evidence of grant writing and fundraising
- Demonstrated experience with K-12 curriculum development
