HR: 09:30h
AN: ED41A-07    [PDF]
TI: Field/Lab Training Workshops in Planetary Geology and Astrobiology for Secondary School Teachers
AU: * Treiman, A
EM: treiman@lpi.usra.edu
AF: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 77058 United States
AU: Newsom, H
AF: Dept. Earth Planet. Sci., Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 United States
AU: Hoehler, T
AF: NASA Astrobiology Inst., NASA Ames, Moffett Field, CA 94035 United States
AU: Tsairides, C
AF: NASA Astrobiology Inst., NASA Ames, Moffett Field, CA 94035 United States
AU: Karlstrom, K
AF: Dept. Earth Planet. Sci., Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 United States
AU: Crossey, L
AF: Dept. Earth Planet. Sci., Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 United States
AU: Kiefer, W
AF: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 77058 United States
AU: Kadel, S
AF: Depts. Biol. & Geol., Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ 85287 United States
AU: Garcia-Pichel, F
AF: Depts. Biol. & Geol., Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ 85287 United States
AU: Aubele, J
AF: N.M. Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Rd., Albuquerque, NM 87104 United States
AU: Crumpler, L
AF: N.M. Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Rd., Albuquerque, NM 87104 United States
AB: Thematic field-lab-classroom workshops can be successful in training secondary teachers in planetary geology and astrobiology, from the LPI's 4 years experience. A typical workshop includes $\sim$4 days of field study and $\sim$3 days of related classroom/lab lectures and exercises. Up to 30 teachers have participated at once, and the staff averages 5 researchers and educators. The 2003 workshop, The Great Desert, focused on geology and life in the Colorado Plateau as analogs for Mars. Specific emphases were on geologic processes exemplified in the Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater and Meteor Crater, and on biotic communities in desert soils and hot springs. The classroom portion, hosted by UNM, included lectures, lab work, and teaching exercises keyed to the field experience and its extensions to Mars. Formal followups: non-directive exit questionnaires; email list-serves for participants; websites with images, presentations, and exercises from the workshop, and links to related materials (e.g., http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/EPO/yellowstone2002/index.html); and interviews for six-month retrospective. Graduate and continuing education credit are available. Past workshops, all relevant to Mars, have targeted: geology and extremophiles of Yellowstone NP, geology of the Cascade volcanos; and giant floods and lava flows of central Washington. The greatest benefit of this workshop format is the teachers' intense, deep experience, emphasizing scientific content. They learn from field, classroom, and laboratory perspectives, and work with PhD level researchers who contribute their excitement, demonstrate and teach critical thought processes, and provide authoritative background and answers. The small group size permits personal interactions (among teachers and presenters) that complement each other's understanding and appreciation of the subject. They log $\sim$65 contact hours with the staff, in small groups or one-on-one. Teachers return to the classroom with personal experiences, with heightened appreciation, excited, and energetic. The teachers are asked to share their knowledge in their districts (in one case, saving the district thousands of dollars). For the presenters, the workshop format allows personal interactions with the teachers, leading to enhanced appreciation of their perspectives and needs. This year, teacher input assisted with an NSF-sponsored National Park education initiative. And in one case, a meaningful research collaboration has come from these workshops. Logistics is the greatest challenge of this workshop format. Hosts and teaching/lab venues need to be arranged early in sites dictated by science content, not convenience. Travel and lodging must be arranged for teachers and presenters at several sites, usually all distant from the organizing institution. Logistics also dictates that each workshop cannot serve more than about 30 teachers. The depth of knowledge imparted and its long-term effects on the teachers and their districts offsets the small number of teachers reached per year. Authors here are the 2003 organizers and presenters. Many others have organized and presented at past workshops - especially Dr. A.J. Irving of U. Wash. We are grateful for past support from NASA Broker/Facilitator, and now from Sandia National Laboratory and NASA OSS/EPO.
UR: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/EPO/yellowstone2002/index.html
DE: 5400 PLANETOLOGY: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS
DE: 6225 Mars
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting