HR: 09:30h
AN: ED51A-07    [PDF]
TI: Modeling and Databases for Teaching Petrology
AU: * Asher, P
EM: pasher@gasou.edu
AF: Georgia Southern Univ., Dept. Geology \& Geography P.O. Box 8149, Statesboro, GA 30460-8149 United States
AU: Dutrow, B
EM: dutrow@geol.lsu.edu
AF: Louisiana State Univ., Dept. Geology \& Geophysics, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4101 United States
AB: With the widespread availability of high-speed computers with massive storage and ready transport capability of large amounts of data, computational and petrologic modeling and the use of databases provide new tools with which to teach petrology. Modeling can be used to gain insights into a system, predict system behavior, describe a system's processes, compare with a natural system or simply to be illustrative. These aspects result from data driven or empirical, analytical or numerical models or the concurrent examination of multiple lines of evidence. At the same time, use of models can enhance core foundations of the geosciences by improving critical thinking skills and by reinforcing prior knowledge gained. However, the use of modeling to teach petrology is dictated by the level of expectation we have for students and their facility with modeling approaches. For example, do we expect students to push buttons and navigate a program, understand the conceptual model and/or evaluate the results of a model. Whatever the desired level of sophistication, specific elements of design should be incorporated into a modeling exercise for effective teaching. These include, but are not limited to; use of the scientific method, use of prior knowledge, a clear statement of purpose and goals, attainable goals, a connection to the natural/actual system, a demonstration that complex heterogeneous natural systems are amenable to analyses by these techniques and, ideally, connections to other disciplines and the larger earth system. Databases offer another avenue with which to explore petrology. Large datasets are available that allow integration of multiple lines of evidence to attack a petrologic problem or understand a petrologic process. These are collected into a database that offers a tool for exploring, organizing and analyzing the data. For example, datasets may be geochemical, mineralogic, experimental and/or visual in nature, covering global, regional to local scales. These datasets provide students with access to large amount of related data through space and time. Goals of the database working group include educating earth scientists about information systems in general, about the importance of metadata about ways of using databases and datasets as educational tools and about the availability of existing datasets and databases. The modeling and databases groups hope to create additional petrologic teaching tools using these aspects and invite the community to contribute to the effort.
DE: 3210 Modeling
DE: 3600 MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY (replaces
DE: 3625 Descriptive mineralogy
DE: 3640 Igneous petrology
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting