February 13, 2019
Geologic Column: Newspeak for kids
“Once upon a time, words began to vanish from the language of children. They disappeared so quietly that at first almost no one noticed — fading …
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41 articles · Page 1 of 2
August 31, 2018
Comment: Why is it so hard to teach climate change?
Climate change was in the national spotlight this past summer when The New York Times Magazine devoted its entire Aug. 5, 2018, issue — except …
July 2, 2018
Place-based education: Teaching geoscience in the context of location and culture
When geologist Kent Kirkby first joined the faculty in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Earth Sciences in 1994, he was assigned to …
May 23, 2018
Down to Earth With: Michael Novacek
When it comes to fossil hunting, Michael Novacek has just about seen it all. As a paleontologist, senior vice president and provost of science at …
May 23, 2018
Down to Earth With: Sharon Mosher
Sharon Mosher was born with a rock in her hand, as her mom used to say. As a child in Illinois, she was fascinated by geology, conducting mineral …
May 1, 2018
Fieldwork among the pixels: Virtual and augmented reality diversify geoscience education
by Sarah Derouin Weeks after taking his students on a field trip to the Sierra Nevada, Ryan Hollister, a high school earth science teacher in …
December 11, 2017
Comment: Making the first (and last) geoscience class count
Imagine that no one had ever taught a general education geoscience course for college students, and that you were given the job of designing such …
January 25, 2017
Down to Earth With: Mountain biking geologist Kurt Refsnider
Growing up in Minnesota, Kurt Refsnider spent a lot of time exploring old clay and limestone quarries along the Minnesota River, where he …
January 17, 2017
Comment: High school earth and space science should be taught by geoscientists
A recent survey of U.S. science teachers’ understanding, perspectives and teaching of climate change — an important earth and space science (ESS) …
April 13, 2016
Benchmarks: April 22, 1995: GLOBE is launched
Studying the global environment requires collecting numerous detailed observations. And although it may seem today like we’re awash in such data, …
February 8, 2016
Urban geology: An emerging discipline in an increasingly urbanized world
The mass urbanization of the human race is a relatively new phenomenon in the history of civilization. In 1900, when geology was maturing as a …
December 29, 2015
Geologic Column: Decades later, Mr. Keene's earth science class sticks with me
My earth science class at Staten Island’s Curtis High School in 1959 presented a dilemma for me: My teacher, Mr. Melvin Keene, had a great sense …
January 27, 2015
Down to Earth With: Matt Kuchta
Matt Kuchta is the geology program at the University of Wisconsin at Stout (UW-Stout), located in Menomonie, Wis. It’s a young program: Kuchta is …
December 16, 2014
Down to Earth With: Kirk Johnson
In 1967, at a family picnic in Casper, Wyo., 6-year-old Kirk Johnson stumbled across a fossil that looked to him like an ancient rattlesnake tail …
December 9, 2014
Down to Earth With: Eric Riggs
Eric Riggs says he often tells students the story of how he got into geoscience as a cautionary tale. That may seem ironic given his current …
November 4, 2014
When science meets film at MIT
Across the Internet, science shows abound, such as “Crash Course,” “The Brain Scoop” and “Vsauce.” A good educational video is like watching a …
July 11, 2014
On the Web: Ka-pow! Superhero short films get kids thinking about climate change
The Green Ninja may sound like a spin-off of the “Power Rangers,” the live-action children’s television series featuring color-coded superheroes. …
June 24, 2014
Geologic Column: Beyond geology, field camps teach teamwork and inspire leadership
For undergraduate geology students, field camp is a rite of passage. And the importance of the experience, in terms of properly training and …
April 25, 2014
Beyond rocks for jocks: Elevating geoscience education
When I was an undergraduate student, all liberal arts students were required to take a science course as a general education requirement. If I …
August 5, 2013
Geologic Column: Assessing energy and mining workforce needs
In his 1971 book, “Encounters with the Archdruid,” John McPhee quoted Charles Park, an economic geologist who worked at the U.S. Geological …
August 5, 2013
Core skills in the geosciences: The geoblogosphere chimes in on what students need to know
Last April, I had a discussion with some of my fellow graduate students in the geology department at the University at Buffalo, the State …
July 24, 2013
Blogging on EARTH: A letter from field camp
Bryce Mitsunaga, a recent graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., is currently attending field camp at the Yellowstone-Bighorn …
July 19, 2013
Location, Location, Location
Although field camps based east of the Mississippi River do exist, and a handful of American schools run camps abroad in places like Ireland, …
July 19, 2013
Home sweet home for field campers
With a few exceptions — including available meal choices and entertainment options for when students have limited free time — accommodations at …