HR: 16:15h
AN: ED24A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Fostering Education and Research Goals Through Partnerships Between Academic Programs and Geoinformatics Projects
AU: * Block, K A
EM: kblock@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, United States
AU: Lehnert, K A
EM: lehnert@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, United States
AU: Johansson, A K
EM: annika@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, United States
AU: Herzberg, C T
EM: herzberg@rci.rutgers.edu
AF: Rutgers University, Wright Laboratories, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
AU: Stern, R J
EM: rjstern@utdallas.edu
AF: University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 North Floyd Road, Richardson, TX 75080, United States
AU: Bloomer, S
EM: sbloomer@eden.rutgers.edu
AF: University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 North Floyd Road, Richardson, TX 75080, United States
AU: Gerard-Little, P
EM: pag2107@columbia.edu
AF: Columbia College of Columbia University, 1140 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, United States
AU: Paul, M
EM: mnp2105@columbia.edu
AF: Columbia College of Columbia University, 1140 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, United States
AU: Raye, U
EM: uraye@utdallas.edu
AF: University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 North Floyd Road, Richardson, TX 75080, United States
AU: Sou, N
EM: nsou@eden.rutgers.edu
AF: University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 North Floyd Road, Richardson, TX 75080, United States
AB: Geoinformatics resources are indispensable tools for researchers and educators at the forefront of geoscience. One example is PetDB (http://www.petdb.org) which serves as a data resource and reference in a broad suite of studies of the solid earth and is cited in over 160 peer-reviewed articles. The ongoing success of geochemical and petrological database projects, such as PetDB, SedDB, and the EarthChem Deep Lithosphere dataset depends on addressing disciplinary interest and scientific need. A new generation of scientists who understand and utilize online data resources therefore possess a unique advantage over researchers with limited experience using online databases in that they can help shape the way the resources evolve. In an effort to foment awareness and further research goals, students and faculty from the University of Texas at Dallas, Rutgers University, and Columbia University have partnered with researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to provide training in the use and development of geochemical databases to undergraduate and graduate students. Student internships lasting between 6 weeks and two months consisted of familiarization with relational databases at every level. Internships were developed to extend and apply students' prior knowledge to the development of data resources, to nurture interest in geochemistry and petrology, and to encourage students into pursuing graduate studies by engaging them in current scientific topics. Students were mentored one-on-one and assigned to data compilation in specific topics with the intent of providing background in the literature that can be used in future research papers. Outcomes of the internships include the development of a new petrological dataset of samples from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), expansion of a database of mantle xenoliths (EarthChem Deep Lithosphere Dataset) that will serve as a major component to a doctoral dissertation, and the development of a classification for mantle peridotites. These efforts are expected to have a significant impact on long-standing research issues and will provide insight into the processes involving the breakup of Pangea, the influence of large igneous provinces on mass extinctions, and the evolution of the North American lithospheric mantle.
UR: http://www.geoinfogeochem.org
DE: 0525 Data management
DE: 0530 Data presentation and visualization
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 3640 Igneous petrology
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting