iScience Workshop for Teachers

Join us for a free virtual workshop to learn about our iScience biodiversity program for middle schools. This workshop is open to all educators although iScience is specifically geared toward grades 5-8. It will follow the Science Colloquium (also free) and we encourage participants to attend both events.

About the workshop

In this virtual workshop you will learn how to increase students’ awareness and appreciation for the incredible biodiversity around us through the iScience program. We’ll learn about iScience, DLiA’s schoolyard biodiversity program in cooperation with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for grades 5th-8th. This program uses the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) model, bringing ATBIs to schoolyards within the TVA Program Area. We’ll also explore how to use the iNaturalist app into both in-person and virtual classroom settings. In the program, students use iNaturalist to conduct ATBIs on their school grounds, acting as citizen scientists and collecting real scientific data about their local biodiversity. 

Who can attend?

The workshop is open to anyone including teachers, other educators, and parents but will be aimed toward those educating 5th to 8th graders.

Location and registration

The virtual workshop will take place on Zoom on Thursday, March 4th from 3:00 to 5:00 PM ET. Register below to receive a Zoom link.

Before the workshop

Before the workshop, please download iNaturalist on your Apple or Android device and follow instructions in the app to create an account. Feel free to explore the app beforehand and bring your questions about it to the workshop.

Join the Science Colloquium

We encourage participants to join the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Science Colloquium, a series of virtual presentations from scientists working in the Smokies. Talks range from biology to meteorology and are geared for a general audience. It will take place the same day (March 4th) from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET, also on Zoom. Learn more and register for that free conference at this page.