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Education,
Community Outreach, and Training
In
addition to graduate and postgraduate education, the USFS-SR
manages two other educational efforts. The Natural
Resources Math, Science, and Engineering Education Program
was initiated at SRS in fiscal year 1994. The program
operates in cooperation with the Ruth Patrick Science Center
at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, and serves elementary,
middle, and high school students in South Carolina and Georgia.
The Ruth Patrick Science Center manages the academic aspects
and provides class instruction and teacher workshops.
USFS-SR provides the classroom facilities and outdoor study
areas. The objective is to provide hands-on activities
to stimulate math, science, and engineering skills, particularly
among women and minorities.
The
second education program is the Savannah River Environmental
Sciences Field Station. This program was initiated in
fiscal year 1997 in cooperation with South
Carolina State University. The Field Station is
currently composed of 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
and 6 other institutions in South Carolina and Georgia.
It is the only field station in the nation that focuses on
providing field research opportunities for undergraduates
of minority schools. 
USFS-SR
also provides community outreach and training activities.
Outreach activities are typically focused on recreation and
tourism development in the area. Training classes and
workshops have been offered in recent years on a variety of
topics, including wetlands delineation and construction, erosion
control technologies, and ecosystem management.
The following
are services that these programs provide to partners and SRS
cooperators:
- Management
of program logistics, liaison, safety, and security for
12,000 to 15,000 student-visits each year to the Natural
Resources Math, Science, and Engineering Education Program.
- Management
of program logistics, liaison, safety, and security for
the Environmental Sciences Field Station at SRS, including
day field trips and multiweek summer classes.
- Training
workshops on various natural resource topics. These
are normally 1-to-2 day sessions that are open to the public
at minimal cost.
- Planning
and other assistance to local communities to develop assets
related to natural resources. The staff links communities
to other agencies and organizations to find the right mix
of skills for economic development projects.
- Administration
of small grants for Natural Resource Conservation Education,
a program funded by the Forest Service. Grants defray
the costs of curriculum development, supplies, and teacher
training.
USFS
and DOE volunteers have also tutored and helped develop curricula
and an educational trail at Jackson Middle School in Jackson,
South Carolina. This is part of DOE's "Partners in Education"
program, and USDA's "Adopt-A-School" Program.
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