Zooming Out for a Global View International Leadership Challenge Project

Sponsored by the Office of International Outreach, the European Union Center, the College of Geosciences, and the Academy of Future

International Leaders at Texas A&M University

Mary Tess EggebrechtSiddharth Thawrani

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to inspire high school students from Texas schools to think and learn on a globally connected level. We plan to do this by organizing and hosting the fourth annual Zooming Out for a Global View Conference. This conference requires students to research an issue of global importance and tie it to effects at the local, regional, and national levels. Culmination of this research results in a day-long conference on the Texas A&M Campus at which they are given the opportunity to present their work and be evaluated.

Conference Agenda•Place: Rudder Theater, Texas A&M University•Date: Thursday, May 5, 2011•Time: 8:00-9:00 am Registration & Poster Session set-up

9:00 Keynote Address – “A Geological Perspective on the Need for Sustainability” by Dr. Debbie Thomas 10:15 “Zoom In” Small Group Discussions facilitated by AFIL students 10:45 “Zoom In” Group Challenge” Solving Global Issues 11:30 Lunch provided by the Office of International Outreach 12:00 to 1:00 Poster Session

1:00 pm Presentation by A&M Colleges 2:00 Awards Ceremony and featured student presentations

3:00 Optional opportunities

•Space: Spots will be given to the first 300 students to submit projects

* Note: To be eligible to register, the student(s) must submit a global project either individually or in teams of no more than 4 students.

Implementation

• Determine student project requirements and limitations• Publicize conference information to High Schools

– Website– Powerpoint– Flyers

• Prepare facilitators– Recruit– Develop curricula– Train facilitators

• Receive and judge projects– Communicate with winners

• Host conference

Improvements from Last Year

• Unexpectedly large attendance– Preregistration– Only for grades 9-12– Larger space (Rudder Complex)

• Behavior problems– Security present– Bush Library activities optional– Facilitators more accountable for students

Desired Outcomes

• Successful conference – 357 expected attendance!• Develop mentorship skills in Texas A&M students• Inspire international interest in students through

research and problem-solving• Promote Texas A&M as a potential university

choice for high school students• Sustain AFIL interest in the “Zooming Out

Conference” for next year’s class

Why Attend?

•Be a Global Investigator! •Make connections between Global Sustainability Issues and the area where you live.

•Interact directly with Texas A&M students, professors, and peers from across Texas.

•Excellent way to enhance future scholarship applications.

•Opportunity to visit one of the nation’s premier public schools and learn about Texas A&M traditions.

•Opportunity to engage in issues facing the world today.

•Grasp concepts that world leaders are being faced with internationally.

Project Requirements1. Must pertain to a global sustainability issue that falls within one

of the categories listed on the following slide.2. Must include a written component:

1000 word research paper explaining the project’s relevance to a global issue.

3. Must include a display board and multimedia presentation4. Must be mailed according to the “Submitting Project” slide

Global Issues Categories

Environmental Sustainability Issues:Organic Food • Genetically Modified Organisms • Resource

Disputes • Clean Water • Sustainable AgricultureEconomic Sustainability Issues:

Black Economy (smuggling) • Consumerism • Consuming vs. Saving • Pirates • Poverty • Fair Trade

Societal Sustainability Issues: Disaster Aid • Globalization • Pharmaceutical Corporations

• Territory Disputes • Genocide • Health Care • AIDS

Online ResourcesFor more project ideas visit:

Global Trends 2025: A Transformed WorldNational Intelligence Council

http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_2025_project.html

Global Issues website http://www.globalissues.org/

The Cyber Schoolbus: United Nations http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/

Submitting Projects

Written submission includes 3 parts:1. Registration Forms (one per student)2. Project Submission Forms (one per group)3. 1000 word research paper

The multimedia visual aid must be submitted along with the written summary.

These forms can be found on the World Room website at:http://worldroom.tamu.edu

Submitting Projects Cont’d

All projects must be received by Wednesday, April 13th. Written projects should be printed before they are sent, and multimedia projects should be burned to a disk and must function when received.

Projects must be submitted to:

Global Issues Conference Project SubmissionAnnenberg Presidential Conference CenterOffice of International Outreach1245 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1245

Poster Session•During the Conference, students will display their projects through a display board (along with any other visual aid that their project includes).

•Display Boards:•Science Fair Style•Bullet points and large fonts are better than large paragraphs.•Boards should look neat and professional.•Information should be organized like a newspaper so the flow of the project is easy to follow.•The title should be big and easy to read from across the room.•A picture speaks a thousand words!

*Recommended to use a tri-fold display board that unfolds to be approximately 36 inches tall and

46 inches wide.

POSTER SESSION EXAMPLES

Students will be expected to provide insight about their projects similar to that of a Science Fair.

Project Judging Guidelines

The projects will be judged by a panel of qualified Texas A&M students based on:

• Creativity/ Originality• Global Insight

•Relevance to an important Global Issue• Overall Quality

Judging Rubric

The 5 Criteria

• The project ties to a specific global sustainability issue

• The project demonstrates creativity and originality.

• Quality of data in terms of research and presentation of data.

• Quality of project in terms of presentation and organization.

• Quality of project in terms of grammar, language use, and neatness.

Each criteria is given a score on a scale from 1-5 All judging takes place before the conference

Plagiarism

We take plagiarism seriously. Make sure to give credit to all resources you use in creating your project.

Any plagiarism found will result in disqualification of the project and students involved will not be allowed to attend.

Plagiarism is defined as…“…Presenting someone else's work, including the work of other

students, as one's own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, […] including:

1. Directly quoting another person's actual words, whether oral or written;

2. Using another person's ideas, opinions, or theories;3. Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others,

whether oral or written; or4. Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material.”

(quoted from Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct)

Contact Information

PLEASE VOLUNTEER!AFIL Student Coordinators

Mary Tess Eggebrecht and Siddharth Thawrani:zoomingoutconference@gmail.com