Why Earth Science? Now Available in Spanish

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute’s publication Why Earth Science?, promoting the importance of earth science in K-12 education, has been disseminated to more than 100,000 people through geoscience agencies, organizations, and schools. In an effort to address the growing concerns about the health of earth science within the Spanish-speaking community, Why Earth Science? has been translated into Spanish.

It was decided to translate the publication into Spanish “to reach a wider, more diverse audience with the message that earth science knowledge is important to all citizens,” says Ann Benbow, Director of Education and Outreach at AGI. The geoscience community recognizes that there is a greater demand for minority participation in the sciences, and in the United States, Hispanics are now the largest ethnic minority with a population of more than 40 million.

The publication is designed to help teachers, parents, industry leaders, and geoscience advocates explain the importance of earth sciences in today’s educational environment. Why Earth Science? provides descriptions of the reasons we, as citizens, look to earth scientists to understand and manage our planet and the importance of earth science education for success in school, careers, informed decision-making and civic engagement.

Copies of the newly translated version, entitled Por Qué Ciencias de la Tierra? can be obtained by contacting Geoff Camphire (gac@agiweb.org) at AGI. Both the English and Spanish versions are available online at http://www.agiweb.org/education/teachers/online_resources.html.

“Nearly everything we do each day is connected in some way to Earth: to its land, oceans, atmosphere, plants, and animals.”

“Casi todo lo que hacemos diariamente esta vinculado de algun modo a nuestro planeta Tierra, a suelo, a sus océanos, a su atmosfera, a sus plantas y animals.”