Steven A. Ackerman, University of Wisconsin
“Developing a Virtual Museum Using the World Wide Web”

The PI will create a virtual museum depicting the contributions to the geosciences of the late Verner E. Suomi, the father of the geostationary weather satellite, and to help teach people the practical ramifications of his work.  Professor Suomi's research and inventions have led to many scientific breakthroughs in our understanding of the Earth's energy budget, as well as new techniques for indirect measurements that are widely used across many disciplines.  The idea is to use the Web in new, interactive ways to encourage learning at all levels (public, primary and secondary, college) by showing not only some historical perspectives, but more importantly by using highly interactive learning modules to provide opportunities for better understanding the meaning of everyday experiences.  Modules will be created for the virtual museum, using Professor Suomi's work as the theme.  The virtual museum concept reflects an approach to designing educational Web activities.  The Web should flow like a museum and not a book.   Books need to be read from front to back, whereas we enter a museum and then go to the rooms that interest us most.  This museum design concept allows learners to choose a particular module that interests them, and then provides links and thoughts that relate the current exercise to other activities.  In true museum fashion, Web pages will be linked together in a variety of different ways, and not force the visitor to strictly follow any preconceived path.  The Web has an advantage over the museum in that one can better link relationships between rooms.  The highly interactive approach reflects the nature of a hands-on museum.  There are substantial numbers of applications for this work, ranging from summer workshops for high school teachers, to kiosks in actual museums, to classroom use in teaching concepts of remote sensing.  Properly designed activities could also serve the community at large by providing a reference for understandable explanations of difficult concepts.  This is groundbreaking research that has immediate widespread potential.

Don W. Byerly, University of Tennessee
"Development of Web-Based Instructional Modules to Facilitate Geoscience Education Using the Theme, Geologic Controls of Landscape Evolution"

The National Science Education Standards, the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061, and the Tennessee Science Framework Grades K-12 recognize the value of natural systems as embraced by geoscience for promoting interdisciplinary curricula; however, before a level of geoscience education in the K-12 classrooms can be consistent with these curricular guidelines, new tools (methods) for teaching Earth Systems Science and new opportunities for professional development in geoscience education for all science teachers must be available.  These needs will be addressed by constructing three virtual field trips as instructional modules that emphasize Earth systems.  Several information visualization methods will allow evaluation of each as potential learning vehicles.  Modules suitable for K-12 and collegiate freshman-level geoscience students, as well as the public-at-large, will be interactive, taking full advantage of multiple ways to access information, at the same time encouraging self-paced study and learner-centered activities.  Collaboration of K-12 and collegiate teachers to construct, test and assess the modules will afford opportunities for mutual professional development in Earth System Science.  Although Tennessee teachers and students are the focus for this project, web-based modules will be "free" instructional tools readily transferable to all educators (K-16) having access to the Net.  "Geologic controls of landscape evolution" is the chosen thematic vehicle for generating geoscience education modules because: 1) it is germane to Earth System Science education initiatives; 2) landforms are familiar to everyone, providing a natural platform for cognitive learning; 3) it is pertinent to the paradigm, "landforms, climate, and resources of the earth's surface affect where and how people live and how human history has unfolded"; 4) the scientific method involving multiple working hypotheses can be applied during exploration of contrasting landforms from diverse physiographic settings that include the Mississippi Embayment of the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Ridge and Valley and Appalachian Plateaus provinces, and a portion of the Central Rocky Mountains.  Given the weak initial background in Earth system science of many educators, these modules will not be generating new science, but will be achieving the important results of involving the users in the scientific process.

Rosemary C. Capo, University of Pittsburgh
“Enhancing Geoscience Education and Public Outreach: Partnership Between the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History”

This award supports a partnership between the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Geology and Planetary Science (G&PS).  The primary objective of the partnership is to provide an understanding of geology and the environment, including the role of geologic processes on human activity, and the impact of humans on the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and global climate, to a broad spectrum of the general public.  CMNH has excellent facilities, a large and diverse audience, and a strong staff involved in Earth science research and exhibit development.  Collaboration with G&PS would expand this base of expertise to include an earth science group involved in research and teaching in three primary areas: (1) geologic and environmental hazards, (2) planetary science, and (3) plate tectonics.    This collaboration will take advantage of the strengths of both institutions to link graduate and undergraduate training with precollegiate and non-classroom geoscience education.  Specifically, an integrated approach will be taken that involves partnering for (1) development of earth science-focused museum exhibits; (2) a distinguished geoscience lecture series aimed at the general public, and   (3) involvement of talented minority high school students as interns in this process.  These activities will enhance earth science education outside the classroom, involve students from high school to graduate level with interdisciplinary earth systems science research, and aid in development of programs to encourage minority high school students to pursue careers in geoscience.  Educational materials developed will be extended to a worldwide audience through WWW site development and interactive museum exhibits.

Ian Carmichael, University of California
“Student Geoscience Research Opportunities (STUDENT GRO)”

The University of California at Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) will carry out a project that will provide opportunities for urban secondary school students to participate in ongoing geoscience research efforts.  This two year project-Student Geoscience Research Opportunities (STUDENT GRO) will result in 1) Creation of 10 Student Radon Research Kits, containing all of the equipment necessary to conduct radon and meteorological research at school sites.  Together these kits will comprise a "lending library", which will provide opportunities for a multitude of students in grades 9-12 to collect, analyze, and display important geoscientific data; 2) Production of an associated guide for teachers outlining the use of all equipment contained in the radon research kits.  This guide will also contain several inquiry-based classroom activities related to important geoscientific concepts, as well as data collection, analysis, and presentation; 3) Presentation of an annual Teacher Workshop that will support teachers in the use of the research kits; 4) Establishment of a World Wide Web site to be devoted to the publication of results derived from student radon research; and 5) Establishment of the Geoscience Research Intern Program, a pilot program that will provide secondary students with an opportunity to work directly with geoscience researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and California State University at Hayward.  The primary goal of the STUDENT GRO project is to develop resources that facilitate an improvement in geoscience understanding among secondary school students.  To accomplish this goal, the project will engage in activities that will result in an innovative program that meets the following objectives: a) derives benefits for both geoscience education and research; b) brings cutting edge research into classrooms; c) provides a means by which students may engage in research of real value to geoscientists; d) provides students and their teachers an opportunity to develop a greater working knowledge of the nature and conduct of scientific inquiry; e) emphasizes the interconnectedness of science, mathematics, and technology; f) provides teachers with an educational resource that fosters a high degree of active student involvement; g) taps student's natural curiosity; and h) encourages students to pursue careers in science.  Project staff will also develop a system of assessment that will facilitate effective measurement of participating student growth and development.

Susan B. Cook, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
“Planning for the Future of LPA-Harborside, A School Within a Workplace at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution”

The purpose of this project is to plan for the expansion and institutionalization of a marine science academy for high ability high school students within the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. This is a partnership with Lincoln Park Academy, a public academic magnet school. During a well-received pilot program, the LPA students and teachers have come to HBOI for about 1.5 hours at the end of their normal school day.  This proposal requests funding to sustain, evaluate and enrich Year 2 of the pilot program and to hold a workshop to improve and expand the program, particularly for minorities and economically disadvantaged students.  Considerable cost-sharing from the school district, HBOI and corporate sponsors is provided.

Barbara C. Cooper, Indiana University
“Using Local Geoenvironmental Projects to Achieve National Science Education Standards: A Pilot Summer Course for In-Service Teachers”

According to a 1996 NRC report, fewer than 25% of teachers in grades 5-8 majored in science, and less than 45% completed more than 10 credit hours of college science.  The goal of this project is to improve the quality of science teaching in grades 6-12.  Improving science teaching requires a complete overhaul of the traditional science-teaching models; however, in-service teachers have few opportunities to see alternate techniques modeled.  The PI will develop a pilot short course that will help in-service science teachers incorporate inquiry-based and research-based education into their teaching techniques.  During this short course, the teachers will do their own geoscience research on a local watershed and develop instructional plans to take their research activities into their classroom.  The course is based on a similar course that was developed for instruction of undergraduates and graduate students.  Although this course will be based on the local watershed, the result will be a model workshop that could be adapted for any location.

John I. Garver, Union College
“Enhancing Cross-Disciplinary Learning Through Limnological Research in an Environmental Studies Program at a Liberal Arts College”

The Environmental Studies (ES) Program at Union College has a program-wide limnological focus, the Ballston Lake Initiative, which is designed to foster interdisciplinary teaching and cooperation among departments.  This Initiative is scientifically sound, provides interesting and challenging problems, and uses a study area that is convenient to campus.  This award addresses two fundamental issues of curricular development at Union College: lack of interdisciplinary teaching and research, and lack of a unified focus for the ES Program.  The Initiative is designed to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration among faculty who, for the most part, have not been involved in interdisciplinary teaching or research.  The Initiative gives the ES program focus by integrating a common limnological theme into many of the ES course offerings.  By providing a framework for interaction, the Initiative will bring together faculty with a wide range of expertise and interests, thereby cultivating a more integrated approach to teaching.    The award offers the best chance of getting the faculty to interact and to inject this common limnological focus into the ES curriculum through a coordinated summer research program in which student projects are mentored by faculty from two or more academic departments.  Faculty and student workshops are intended to maximize interaction between the faculty, and a winter seminar series is designed to give the program participants needed exposure to other scientific, political, and social aspects of lakes.    The Ballston Lake Initiative focuses on Ballston Lake as an environmental system that has evolved through time.  The Initiative includes an understanding of the formation of the lake basin, post-glacial sediment record geochemistry of spring waters, record of climate change in lake sediments, wetland ecology, predator and prey relationships between the fauna, recreational use, historical land use and housing development, and watershed hydrology.   To accomplish the goal of fostering interdisciplinary teaching and cooperation between departments, six broadly defined interdisciplinary projects have been identified: 1) lake and wetlands flora and fauna; 2) watershed hydrology; 3) hydrology and chemistry of springs and spring communities; 4) lake sediment record in relation to lake evolution, climate change and land use; 5) historical land use, including development of camps and issues associated with water use; 6) monitoring instrumentation for climate, and lake water, and springs.  Collectively, these projects could involve collaboration and interaction between the departments of Geology, Biology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Anthropology, and Sociology.

Teresa Greely, University of South Florida
“Geosciences and Society – A Multimedia Approach by Teachers and Scientists”

The PI's will provide affordable, up-to-date geoscience information and hands-on, interactive curriculum to middle school science teachers.  The project will involve faculty from the University of South Florida (USF), middle school science teachers, and an editorial staff consisting of USF marine science graduate students and a scientific writer, who will work together to write concise, provocative articles on cutting-edge geoscience issues such as El Nino, sea level rise, coral reefs, etc.  The articles will be published in six bimonthly editions of Interactive Teacher, a magazine reaching 185,000 teachers nationwide.  Each article will reference a web site that offers middle school teachers an original curriculum guide designed by a team of teachers and scientists.

Ray E. Habermann, University of Colorado at Boulder
“Collaborative Web-Based Tools for Learning to Integrate Scientific Results Into Social Policy”

This project blends an award-winning middle school science project with community mentors representing those perspectives in an innovative World Wide Web environment.  The science project involves testing the effectiveness of several types of artificial wetlands in abating the negative chemical effects of drainage from an abandoned mine in the Rocky Mountains.  Over the last five years students identified those effects and their source, researched methods for abating the effects, and participated in the design and construction of the artificial wetlands.  They are ready to tackle the next obstacle: integrating those results into an action plan that considers the needs of the communities with stakes in that plan.  Students will form teams corresponding to each of these groups.  They will research their team's perspective individually with guidance from the teacher and from representatives of those communities that have agreed to act as mentors.  They will then bring together their individual results into a team perspective and the perspectives of all of the teams will be considered in the action plan.  The teamwork processes required for these two phases is directly supported by the technology that will be used.  The technological framework is expressed in a tool called WebGuide.  This tool allows individuals to record and annotate their research into "perspectives".  It then provides tools that support collaborative processes: proposing ideas, comparing and assessing ideas, negotiating, and reaching consensus.  It provides an ideal environment in which students can actually practice these processes, observe how to do them well, and improve their skills.  It also allows the community mentors to directly observe and facilitate these processes from their offices or homes.  This is fundamentally different than throwing a group of students into a room with instructions like "do a team project".  It actually provides an electronic venue in which they learn how to do team projects.  Not only is the technology of this project ideally suited, the school is as well.  The Logan School for Creative Learning is centered around a strong individually oriented and project based curricular approach.  The project will clearly fit in to this situation; it will receive the support that it needs to flourish.  This project will have an impact on advancing knowledge and building an important human resource for the Geoscience community.  The approach will be guided by a specific case, but the system can work in many environments including K-16 classrooms, university research centers, government agencies, and NGO's.  All of these groups have stakes in the environmental decisions of the future.  This project will build the Web into a venue for sharing the information required to inform those decisions on whatever spatial scale is required.

Genevieve F. Healy, University of Miami
“South Florida Science Teacher Institute”

Project INSTAR is a three-phased teacher enhancement program.  The first phase is an annual field-intensive two-week summer Science Teacher Institute.  This Institute is followed by regular academic year training and participation in the GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), a global environmental education program that encourages science inquiry skills and coordinates data collection and entry by students into an international data base through the Internet.  During these two phases, science teachers work collaboratively in teams with research scientists and experienced master teachers to improve their knowledge and skills in the content area, develop appropriate and useful activities and materials to use in the classroom, and distribute this knowledge base throughout their home schools.  They gain scientific knowledge about their local environment, and learn data collection techniques and the use of technological tools to conduct research.  The 1998 Dade county middle school Teacher Institute focused on four active research programs in South Florida - coral reefs, biotoxins, hydrology, and beach renourishment.  The third phase of the program provides training in geographic information systems (GIS), a technology tool that allows teachers to geographically analyze, interpret, and process the data collected in the first two phases of the program.  Project INSTAR includes instructional materials and equipment kits that can be readily integrated into classroom learning and teaching, and offers teaches the opportunity to exercise leadership, teaching, and inquiry skills to help change the way they teach and ultimately the way their students learn science.

Jacqueline E. Huntoon, Michigan Technological University
“Geology of Utah’s National Parks and Monuments: A Field-Based Education Program”

The aim of this project is to develop, conduct, and assess the effectiveness of a new, field-based course designed to give beginning geoscience and earth science education students and professional earth science educators an opportunity to obtain hands-on experience solving research-type questions.  The mix of students is targeted so that professional educators can act as mentors for undergraduate students during the course and encourage undergraduates to pursue a career in teaching.  The general goals of the project are: 1) an increase in motivation and technical competence of participating university students; and, 2) an increase in the number of technically competent and motivated professional geoscientists who pursue careers in teaching.    The course will be taught primarily in southeastern Utah, and will use the excellent geologic features exposed in Canyonlands, Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks, and Natural Bridges and Dinosaur National Monuments as teaching aids.  Key components of the course that are expected to contribute to attainment of its goals are: a field-based learning environment, a focus on problem solving, use of experimental learning methods, use of intensive instruction modules, encouragement of group learning, emphasis on development and testing of hypotheses, the requirement that information from a variety of sources be integrated, an emphasis on the processes responsible for producing what is observed in the field, extensive incorporation of communication experiences, and the course's ability to provide students with a framework for future learning.    The course's success at meeting the goals will be assessed using a suite of pre-course/post-course attitude surveys and an instrument designed to measure higher-order cognitive skills.  A diagnostic learning log instrument will be used to measure students' progress during the course.

Karen Johnson, Discovery Science Center
“Earthquakes”

Discovery Science Center plans to develop an exhibition entitled "Shake, Rattle and Roll" which is based on the topic of earthquakes, a highly relevant subject to the Southern California community.  The exhibit will be designed to engage the visitor in scientific query and lends itself through inquiry based instruction to accommodate for varied learning styles and gender equity.  Strong educational programs for families and school groups will be developed to support the exhibition.  Discovery Science Center plans to develop a 1500 square foot exhibition with seven to ten exhibits based on the Unifying Concepts and Processes and Science and Technology Standards as defined by National Science Education Standards (NSES).  The exhibition follows the engineering process and presents opportunities for families to engage in innovative problem identification.  A comprehensive educational program will provide teachers with workshops on earthquakes so that they gain knowledge and confidence in teaching the subject, provide teachers with resource kits containing a teacher's guide, reproducible materials and manipulatives that they may keep in order to teach their students, provide an interactive demonstration that will be performed by Science Center staff at students' schools and at the Science Center itself, and provide a public service by teaching earthquake preparedness and how to respond during and after an earthquake.  A Web page that can be used by the community, teachers, students and other science centers that will be based on earthquakes will be developed.  The exhibitions and programs will be fully evaluated by Discovery Science Center.  The Science Center will work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a local advisory committee comprised of scientists, teachers, and experts in the field including the Southern California Earthquake Center and Caltech to develop the programs and exhibition.  It is estimated that 325,000 guests will visit Discovery Science Center annually and experience the Earthquake exhibit.  The program will also reach the community through outreach programs into schools and the Web site.

Kent Kirkby, University of Minnesota
“Development of Interactive Visualization Modules for Use in Geoscience Education”

Visualization modules will be developed for use in introductory Earth Science courses, as lecture demonstrations, laboratory exercises, or individual tutorials.  Each module will consist of several three-dimensional visualizations and electronic text that can easily be combined or separated to fill a variety of educational uses.  Students and instructors will be able to interactively manipulate the visual components in three, and often four, dimensions.  Modules will run on either MacIntosh or IBM-compatible personal computers, and can be downloaded over the Internet or distributed as CD-ROMs.  By translating the modules into HTML format, they will run on public software and be immune to future changes in Internet operating systems.     Three initial modules will be developed the first summer that will be disseminated and extensively tested during the academic year.  Modules will be distributed to over 2000 students in introductory geoscience courses at the University of Minnesota and to instructors at other institutions.  Modules will be revised on the basis of student and instructor evaluations during the second start.  In addition, the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota will host a series of workshops the second summer with local elementary and secondary education teachers to develop module versions for pre-college levels.  A proposed cooperative venture with Encyclopedia Britannica will make the modules immediately available to over half the nation's universities and colleges that are current subscribers to Encyclopedia Britannica On-line.  Free access to the modules will be maintained through servers at the University of Minnesota, which will retain all proprietary rights to the modules, text and visualizations.    These initial modules are a pilot program.  The University of Minnesota has been a pioneering institute in using computer visualizations in geoscience research.  It now will use this expertise to develop materials for geoscience education.  This pilot program is designed to prove the technical feasibility of exporting, supporting, and disseminating the modules, and more importantly to determine how to maximize their potential use by extensive classroom testing.  Additional funding will be pursued to move beyond this pilot program into a larger series of modules, to incorporate more faculty, expand the program across institutional lines, and involve more undergraduate research assistants in geoscience visualization.  A series of workshops will be initiated to promote visualization use in geoscience education (elementary through graduate) and to facilitate visualization efforts between institutions.

R. Heather Macdonald, The College of William & Mary
“Preparing Geoscience Graduate Students for Teaching: NAGT Workshops to Examine Current Practices and Design Programs for the Future”

This project will offer two National Association of Geoscience Teachers workshops on the Preparation of Geoscience Graduate Students for Teaching in conjunction with meetings of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union.  The workshops will bring together faculty from departments or programs representing an intentionally varied set of established and successful teaching preparation programs with others who want to implement or improve their teaching preparation programs.  The emphasis will be on demonstrating best practices for preparing graduate students to teach in inquiry-based instructional settings.  Dissemination will include an interactive Web-site, publication of a short synopsis of the workshop, and to a longer summary article describing successful models for TA and future preparation in the geosciences.

Mary Marlino, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
“Multimedia Data Access System for Undergraduate Geosciences Education”

This project will support undergraduate geosciences education, including curricular and faculty development, by providing to the national undergraduate geosciences community a broad, inclusive array of multimedia educational materials, the technological capacity to continuously expand the materials base, and the expertise to successfully utilize the materials.  The prototype project will be a World Wide Web (WWW)-based, community-wide, data access system focused on geoscience multimedia educational materials.  This effort will provide a facility and a forum to gain experience with relevant emerging technologies, gather feedback from both users and individual contributors, and establish partnerships with other organizations that may have large collections of data to contribute in the future.  The prototype will utilize Web technology, be modular in nature, and be suitable for use in a wide variety of geosciences educational settings and applications.  This proposal responds to the strong recommendations provided by 38 participants in six geographically disbursed, NSF-sponsored focus group workshops conducted by UCAR's Program for the Advancement of Geoscience Education (PAGE) and the first meeting of the PAGE Steering Committee.  The priority recommendation from both the community and the PAGE Steering Committee was the implementation of a system which would serve as a clearinghouse, but also provide a facility for making available collections of multimedia materials to undergraduate geosciences faculty which they can incorporate into their own, locally-developed courseware.  The primary objectives of the proposal are to strengthen undergraduate geosciences curricula and faculty development by establishing a prototype index/catalog/search engine system that will give users a central site where they can search for and contribute to geosciences course materials that may reside at any of the participating institutions as well as at the central site, demonstrating that the catalog/search facility can be used to index geosciences course materials housed at university WWW sites as well as those at the central site, starting the online collection with components of the UCAR/COMET learning modules and ensuring that the tools will be useful in the broader geosciences disciplines which have similar collections of multimedia materials, and developing a plan for copyrighted materials.  However, the prototype development and interactions with other potential contributors will help determine the magnitude of the copyright problem and point to possible solutions.  The main product of this effort will be a prototype facility, which allows the national community to both contribute to and access a central site for geosciences educational materials.  The primary goal is to provide a mechanism that will make it easier for the entire geosciences community to collaborate. It is anticipated that this effort will, in time, reach a larger audience, and that the data sets and community of users may spread well beyond formal undergraduate education.

David W. Mogk, Montana State University
“Characterization of Earth Materials”

Educational modules will be developed which demonstrate the characterization of Earth materials using a variety of modern analytical techniques.  Each module will simulate authentic research experiences through presentation of a hierarchy of research-related questions and integrated datasets of images and analytical results will be accessed by students to develop their own tests and interpretations.  Each module will include information on the geologic context, capabilities and limitations of analytical techniques, research-related questions, images that range in scale from mesoscopic to atomic embedded analytical results   (e.g. X-ray diffraction data, compositional and chemical data, etc.), and links to similar projects that have been reported in the literature.  The modules will promote discovery-based learning as students will focus their own observations and choose appropriate tests.  Earth materials that will be presented in these modules will include samples from common rock types and soils (representing a variety of Earth processes), materials of interest to industry (e.g., mineral and energy exploration; environmental remediation), and exciting new fields of investigation such as geomicrobiology and the surface chemistry of minerals.  The analytical instruments that will be used are housed in the Imaging and Chemical Analysis Laboratory at Montana State University, and include scanning electron microscope equipped with back-scattered electron detector, cathodoluminescent detector with spectrometer, energy dispersive spectrometer, and cryo-preparation stage; X-ray powder diffraction; Auger Electron Spectrometer; X-ray photoelectron spectrometer; Time-of-flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer; and Atomic Force Microscopes.  All images and spectra will be digitized and distributed through the WWW.  Development of the multi-media educational modules will be done with the assistance of the Burns Telecommunications Center at Montana State University.

Gary A. Novak, California State University, Los Angeles
“Geology Labs On-Line”

The PI will develop a set of five virtual applications and Web sites related to geoscience education, including 1) Radioactive dating techniques, 2) groundwater hydrology, 3) earthquakes, 4) coastal wave refraction, longshore currents and littoral drift modeling, 5) slope stability modeling for landslides. Development of these virtual courseware will involve a team of faculty members and website and computer programmers. The PI will also involve the staff of the Center for Usability in Design and Assessment to help assess the effectiveness of the computer interface designs.  The PI will make this project available on a Web server. This Web server currently handles between 60-90,000 accesses per day from about 2000-3000 students for two existing virtual programs designed by the PI.

Andrew Nyblade, Pennsylvania State University
“Seismology and Verifying Nuclear Test Ban Treaties: An Initiative to Link Geosciences and Public Policy in Undergraduate Education”

An initiative in undergraduate education will link the geoscience of seismology with the public policy issue of verifying nuclear test ban treaties.  This initiative consists of designing two new undergraduate courses, modifying two existing graduate courses, and creating a universally available Web resource at Penn State University.  The Web resource will consist of learning modules, simulation software, and a database that will facilitate hands-on, discovery-based learning in the courses and information for the national and international public.  Course development includes a general education course, "Seismology and Monitoring Nuclear Test Ban Treaties" that will expose students to concepts in geology, geophysics, and international policy centered about the Comprehensive Ban Treaty (CTBT).  "Forensic Seismology" will be an upper level geosciences majors course based on the same principles of discovery-based learning that will cover technical material in greater depth.  Both undergraduate courses will also expose students to actual seismic data collection through hands-on work with an inexpensive broadband observatory and field deployments of 5 refraction seismographs.  The Web resource that will form the core of these courses will be freely available to other institutions to disseminate these courses elsewhere.  The Web resource will also be an educational instrument for the general public in the important area of the role of geosciences in nuclear non-proliferation and verification of the CTBT.  The development, implementation, and assessment of the undergraduate courses will be formally accomplished with the expertise of Penn State's Schreyer Institute for Innovation and Learning.

William A. Prothero, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Learning Scientific Practice in Virtual Environments”

Computer technology is taking an increasingly important role in geoscience education; however, in-depth studies of how students can best learn from a virtual environment are lacking.  With prior NSF funding, Prothero has created a "virtual environment" for an undergraduate geoscience course for UCSB's large oceanography class of 200 to 300 students per quarter.  The PI's - a cognitive psychologist (Mayer), a science education researcher (Kelly), and a geophysicist (Prothero) - will collaborate to determine the effectiveness of learning in this "virtual environment". Some of the questions to be investigated include 1) how can educational technologies be used to create a virtual environment that promotes students' understanding of science?, 2) what are the necessary characteristics of a virtual environment that make it an effective learning tool?, 3) how can educational technologies support students' learning of scientific practices, such as posing researchable questions, arguing from evidence, weighing alternative explanations?  The results of this research will be used to create a teacher's manual oriented toward middle school and college level teachers of earth science. The manual will be made available on the Web and in other forms.

Donald Reed, San Jose State University
“Ocean Network of Science Educators Using Technology”

Ocean science faculty from the California State University and community college systems in the San Francisco bay area have developed the Ocean Network of Science Educators using Technology (ONSET), a program for the enhancement of K-16 science education through the use of technology and field-based methods.  A pilot program of ONSET will introduce teachers to the ocean sciences through a series of workshops, coastal and sea-going field excursions, and school site visits.  Teachers will be assisted in developing innovative curricula that combine the best attributes of technology-enhanced and field-based instructional methods.  World Wide Web (WWW) technology will be used to develop a community of teachers to share classroom resources that incorporate inquiry-based methods in student learning.  Six days of teacher workshops, divided evenly between electronic and field-based concentrations, will be held in 1999, culminating in the fall 1999 ONSET conference at the Bay Conference Center of the Romberg-Tiburon Center where marine research scientists will discuss educational outreach projects and current research issues with local educators, including potential future participants in the ONSET program.

Brian M. Slator, North Dakota State University
“Learning by Doing Physical Geology in a Virtual Laboratory/Virtual Field Trip Computer Environment”

The need for computer-based education and distance learning systems has become increasingly obvious, while the value of "active" versus "passive" learning has become increasingly clear.  The Geology Explorer is a computer-based educational environment for teaching aspects of physical geology.  This takes the form of a synthetic, virtual space where students are given the means and the equipment to undertake geologic exploration.  This pedagogical approach gives students an authentic experience that includes elements of exploration of a spatially oriented virtual world, practical, field oriented, expedition planning and decision making, and scientific problem solving (i.e. a "hands on" approach to the scientific method).  The pedagogical goal of the Geology Explorer is to teach students a framework of basic principles and approaches that can be used to solve science-based problems while at the same time introducing students to the content of their discipline.  The Geology Explorer implements educational tools and methods that deliver the principles but also teaches important content material in a meaningful way.  By its nature, geology is a highly visual science.  The need is for implementation of a graphical environment for navigational ease, spatial authenticity, engaging students, and visualization of geologic objects, contexts, and processes.  A highly graphical and interactive Geology Explorer will be implemented in order to meet these objectives by supplying a graphical user interface layered on top of the existing networked multi-user database and messaging system.  The Java/MOO visual component of the Geology Explorer will accomplish this using client software written in Java that is a viewport into the server.  In it, objects are represented by graphical elements that can be manipulated in a way that makes sense to the domain.  Virtual environments, such as the Geology Explorer, enable students to undergo experiences that would otherwise be impossible or impractical: distant worlds, subatomic spaces, or dangerous places.  The potential impact of this virtual environment approach is that it will help solve many of the problems facing the modern university: distance learning will become a reality, learner diversity will be accommodated (both in terms of learning styles and life styles), and in many cases the curriculum will become more active, more role-based, more self-paced, and more "learn by doing" than "learn by listening."

Deborah K. Smith, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
“Puna Ridge On the Web – A Learning Event (PROWL)”

The PI will create a World Wide Web site that will allow the general public to follow the experiences of oceanographers during a NSF-funded cruise.  The research cruise is scheduled for the Fall of 1998 off the coast of Hawaii. Scientists will be surveying the Puna Ridge, a submarine ridge that is part of the currently erupting Kilauea Volcano.  The Web site will contain background information on the ship, scientists, and research project as well as teaching modules relating to Hawaiian geology, shipboard activities, scientific data collection, etc.  Pre-cruise activities will also include advertisement of the project.  During the four-week cruise, daily updates of scientific activities and discoveries will be posted to the Web site.  Post-cruise activities will include repackaging the web site from a real-time event to an educational/fieldwork resource and production of a CD-ROM.

Gerilyn S. Soreghan, University of Oklahoma
“Expanding the Relevance of Sedimentary Geology for Future Geoscientists”

The PI's will revise the content and pedagogy of undergraduate instruction in sedimentary geology to highlight the broad application of sedimentary geology and enhance the relevance of the material for future geoscientists.  The primary goal is to shift from an approach that emphasizes classification and memorization skills to a contextual problem-solving approach that emphasizes critical thinking and communication skills. The PI's will also produce a model course complete with Web-based and hardcopy materials that can be adopted at other institutions.

Stephen D. Stahl, Central Michigan University
“Phase 1 of Project SURGES, Support for Undergraduate Research in the Geological and Environmental Sciences”

Project SURGES is an effort to facilitate research by faculty and undergraduates at small colleges and comprehensive universities.  Surveys show that these institutions typically have modest equipment holdings.  When faculty need analyses, they make arrangements with research institutions or commercial labs.  In both cases, undergraduates do not see their samples being analyzed and become "disconnected" from the samples.  Cost and availability issues preclude research projects in laboratory sections of upper level classes.  The Central Michigan University Geology Department has diverse analytical equipment holdings.  CMU geology has a record of undergraduate research that reflects its incorporation into the curriculum.  The typical CMU geology graduate will have participated in three course research projects and completed an independent research project for Senior Thesis.  Project SURGES will open up CMU's analytical laboratories to faculty and students at other PUI's.  Through innovative use of interactive two-way video e-mail, the "connectivity" and "ownership" problems with other methods of out-sourcing analyses will be circumvented.  Off-campus faculty will schedule lectures or demonstrations originating from CMU's labs where their classes can follow the progress of their samples.  Students working on independent projects will make appointments with CMU faculty or staff to see their samples run or discuss results.  The goals of the 18-month pilot phase of Project SURGES are to: 1) develop the protocol by which faculty and undergraduates at other institutions can interactively access the analytical laboratories of the CMU Geology Department; 2) demonstrate the feasibility of this see you-see me protocol for independent undergraduate research projects and for original research course projects; and 3) produce Web-based video tutorials and tours of the CMU geology analytical facilities suitable for enrichment of lower division students and instruction of majors and minors.

Clifford E. Trafzer, University of California, Riverside
“Conference on the Synthesis of Southern California Native American Tradition Knowledge and the Earth Sciences”

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need for increased science education and science literacy in our society.  There is also a growing awareness that various ethnic and cultural groups are persistently under-represented in all fields of science, with Earth Science as no exception.  Native Americans are one cultural group especially poorly represented in all basic sciences, the geosciences included.  Reasons for the under-representation of many minority groups and particularly for Native Americans is often linked to basic pedagogical and cultural styles that may not be automatically compatible with the teaching and research styles common to much basic science.  The Earth Sciences offer a potential bridge between a Native American approach to knowledge and the more traditional "Western" scientific approach.  The Geosciences are commonly integrationist in their practice, deliberately drawing on knowledge from many different fields, and applying that knowledge with the understanding that the Earth is an integrated system.  Additionally, we in the Earth Sciences teach our students in a very "active" manner, allowing students to struggle with new material and problems until they solve them on their own, based on their own prior knowledge and creativity.  These styles of knowledge and pedagogy make the Geosciences the most accessible of all the sciences for reaching many Native American cultures.  The Earth Sciences, and all sciences, stand to benefit from the increased understanding and interest generated among Native American groups resulting from organized outreach.  This award supports a three-session conference series taking place over a total of three months which will foster direct and candid discussions between practicing researchers, professionals, and groups on whose lands many various Earth Science-related projects operate.  The program includes sets of moderated, frank and open discussions of various political, economic, spiritual, philosophical, cultural, and educational issues important to geoscientists and Native Americans alike.  The ultimate goal of this project is to improve mutual understanding and education of the scientific and traditional interpretations of the history and significance of our regional landscapes and geology.  A new communication aimed at increasing direct Native American participation in the Earth Sciences and at increasing awareness and appreciation in the scientific community of Native American culture, values, and interpretations of the Earth will be established.  This communication will be established through workshop sessions via presentations and subsequent extended discussions.

Michelle Hall-Wallace, University of Arizona
“Integrating GIS and Remote Sensing Research Into the Secondary Science Classroom”

Successful computer based educational programs have impact in K-12 science education because students become investigators of a wide range of scientific disciplines while applying computer technology developed in (and previously limited to) research laboratories.  Students are most likely to become engaged by a new technology when the subject of investigation is familiar.  A computer technology with tremendous potential in K-12 education is Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  GIS software with global and national data packaged for K-12 educational uses has been developed and is available to schools at affordable prices.  The Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) K-12 Schools and Libraries Program has provided an effective model for a graduated introduction to GIS and for organization of GIS coverage's in their Arc Voyager package.  What is not readily available is locally derived GIS coverages which can provide hooks for grabbing the attention of K-12 students.    Through the efforts of professional GIS experts, a wealth of GIS coverages are available for Tucson, Pima County, and the State of Arizona.  This award will make these immense and varied GIS data coverages accessible to K-12 teachers and their students.  Most of the locally derived GIS datasets are too large and complex for the level of the learner and the level of computing power available in the K-12 environment.  The initial task will be to transform the most relevant available GIS coverages into datasets readily usable on computers generally found in the classroom.  Using the adapted local data, a small set of pilot GIS activities for the high school classroom will be developed.  Working with high school teachers the PIs will perform classroom testing and assessment of the modules.  Assessment will address: 1) student learning behavior and the different ways students use GIS to solve problems, 2) student learning and response to locally focused versus regionally focused activities, 3) institutional and pedagogical obstacles for integrating GIS in the classroom.  The processes and exercises can serve as models to guide others in bringing local GIS coverages to K-12 classrooms across the country.