Funded since August, 2009 by the Learn and Serve America Higher Education program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, GLISTEN (the Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship through Education Network), is a Great-Lakes-wide environmental service-learning project sponsored by the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (www.ncsce.net) that supports the integration of Great Lakes ecosystem stewardship and restoration with undergraduate coursework in the STEM disciplines through the incorporation of environmental service learning components into these courses.

Vision and Mission: By focusing undergraduate curriculum development efforts, academic courses, research, fieldwork, and other resources on a single but multi-faceted civic issue, GLISTEN will build the capacity of STEM faculty and departments to:

• improve learning in the STEM disciplines
• engage students in direct action (i.e., service-learning) and community-based research to benefit resource-strapped governmental and community-based organizations
• position students to take advantage of “green” professional opportunities upon graduation,
• provide students with the 21st Century skills (such as critical thinking, capacity for collaboration, as well as associated civic engagement skills), and
• help students as well as members of the involved communities become enlightened stakeholders who practice active stewardship behaviors in their private and civic lives.

How GLISTEN works: GLISTEN is organized into “Collaborative Clusters” of higher education institutions, community-based organizations and institutions of information science education (ISE) in the 8 Great Lakes states. The Cluster model promotes synergy among the collaborating institutions and effective service-learning experiences for undergraduates in the STEM courses linked to the project. Regular communication among the Clusters promotes sharing and dissemination of best practices and curricular models. The Clusters share goals in the following three areas:

• Undergraduate student leadership development and career preparation Colleges in each cluster recruit and employ undergraduate stewardship liaisons, who serve as the logistical “glue” linking participating faculty and community-based organizations who will benefit from GLISTEN-sponsored service-learning and research activities. These students provide critical project leadership, ensuring that the cluster maintains an optimal balance among curricular goals, community needs, and student interests. Student leaders also receive specialized training to prepare them to excel in the “green jobs” of the future.
• Curriculum development, dissemination and the creation of a community of practice In each cluster, faculty collaborate across institutions to integrate on-the-ground stewardship activities that improve learning in their undergraduate STEM coursework. Summer Institutes and other resources of SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) support curriculum development on GLISTEN-affiliated campuses.
• Evaluation and assessment to promote program effectiveness To assess learning and civic engagement outcomes, GLISTEN-affiliated faculty utilize the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) and other assessment resources of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement.