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Geology News
Teaching Science Current Events

Scientists have been investigating theories regarding the greenhouse effect and global warming since at least the 19th century. This is a timeline showing some of the major landmarks in the field of climatology.

This webpage details an activity to help students learn more about earthquakes. Using their textbooks and recommended internet resources, students can investigate the cause of earthquakes and the value of predicting them.

A new “Geoscience Currents” at the American Geological Institute website shows that the number of Geoscience Faculty members in the United States fell by 10% since 1999.

NASA Image

An archive of NASA news releases, image galleries and articles on a variety of topics related to planetary geology, earth observation, global climate change, monitoring volcanoes, looking beyond our solar system, monitoring the oceans and more. A few of the most popular ones are:

• Monitoring Volcanoes from Space
• Photograph of Avalanches on Mars
• Glacial Sediments Add to Louisiana Coastal Subsidence
• Satellite Images of Marine Phytoplankton Blooms
• Sahara Dust Storms Lower Sea Surface Temperatures
• Satellite Measures Pollution From East Asia to North America

Applications are now being accepted to participate in a 2-week online workshop (about an hour a day) that will create a framework of “Big ideas” and supporting concepts defining what all Americans need to know about the geosciences. All members of the Earth science community–especially research scientists and post-secondary educators–are invited to apply to participate in the online geoscience workshop, which will occur during 12-24 May 2008.

Maine is experiencing a shortage of science and math teachers who are certified and/or have the proper credentials. This article discusses the problem and some possible solutions.

NPR’s “All Things Considered” program goes to the Colorado School of Mines where lots of students are getting hired well in advance of graduation at $80K+ salaries with signing bonuses.

More….
Geologist Salaries at Record Highs
Geologist Career Resources

A video that explains how Eratosthenes was able to calculate Earth’s circumference using observations made at two wells at different locations on the first day of summer.

Here’s a source of printable polar coordinate graph paper that can be used to plot things like joint and fracture orientations, current directions, fossil orientations or any type of data that is collected in degrees. These are .pdf files that you can easily download and print. Bookmark it for easy access when you need it.

Did you know that you can see the International Space Station orbiting the earth with your unaided eyes? It’s easy if you know when it is above your area and what part of the sky it will pass through. NASA has a website to help you see it.

Previously, Darwin’s private papers were available only to scholars. Now, over 100,000 items will be accessible online to the general public, for free. These items include Darwin’s notes, experiments, images, research, musings and more.

The BBC has a website with lots of resources for educators, such as lesson plan ideas and sample tests for a variety of subjects. For students, they offer school work support, educational games, and more.

New York City is experiencing a shortage of qualified science teachers. Recent data shows that approximately 25% of the city’s Earth science teachers are not licensed to teach the subject. While this percentage is lower than in previous years, there is still much room for improvement.

We recently updated our geology jobs page adding links to over 200 employers, headhunters and articles relevant to the job market for geologists. If you know anyone looking for earth science employement or anyone who advises geology students we invite you to share the URL with them.
http://geology.com/jobs.htm

A collection of images representing some of the most impressive views in our universe. Included are the Orion Nebula, a dying star, spiral galaxy, birth of a star, the Eagle Nebula, extrasolar planet, a galaxy pair and the Cartwheel Galaxy.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has published a Fact Sheet titled “Preventing Groundwater Contamination”. It is a 10-page guide that explains sources of ground water contamination for a variety of types of businesses and how contamination problems can be eliminated or reduced.

The Water Sourcebooks is an EPA publication for K-12 teachers. It contains 324 activities for the following topics: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters. It is free and the activity sheets can be used in classes without fee.

An article at the GEOTIMES website explores the things that faculty and departments can do to better prepare their students for a future in the geosciences. Preparing students to learn on their own, helping them understand integrated Earth and planetary systems, and introducing them to the breadth of career options available are three of the many issues discussed.

The Geological Society of America has two new GeoVentures planned for Late August 2008. These are travel and educational tours for geoscience enthusiasts. One is titled “Canadian Rockies, Badlands, and Foothills”. The other is “Geology of the Salmon River, Idaho”.

The demand for degreed geologists is very strong these days and the salaries are at record highs. Kim Hannula, a professor at a small public college in the Rockies, speculates what might happen if the current employment environment motivates the enrollment of a large number of new students who are mainly motivated by the high salaries - and not necessarily the love of the science.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has an educational website for children. “FEMA for Kids” has educational materials and activities for children, parents and teachers to help children better understand hazards, disasters, mitigation and more.

A bill in the Arizona Legislature could mandate assessment methods used in public educational institutions and require educators to develop their assignments very carefully. If this bill goes to law, teachers and professors (yes, professors - it says “public educational institutions”) will have to count as correct any answers that require content that could be drawn from the student’s religious experience.

CIA Image

Students and faculty from North Carolina State University are doing environmental field work in Antarctica. They have been posting lots of photos and short reports about their work and experience on their “Wolfpack in Antarctica” blog. They have been posting since January and their trip ends on March 17th.

The University of Arizona Faculty Senate accepted a proposal to eliminate the geological engineering undergraduate major and merge the degree with Mining Engineering. Low enrollments and budget cuts were cited as the cause. The new degree will be a B.S. in Mining and Geological Engineering.

A global leader in Geography, Meteorology, and the Earth Sciences, Penn State is launching an online Master of Education degree in Earth Sciences. Beginning in summer 2008, secondary science teachers from around the globe will be able to learn from Penn State faculty through the university’s highly regarded World Campus.

Herb Dunn shares an amazing photo sequence of a massive rockfall and debris avalanche in Yosemite National Park. Get out of the way!

The Ocean Motion website provides resources for inquiry-based learning about the oceans by students at the high school grade-level. It features lots of ocean current data, satellite images, weather/climate data and other information that students might find engaging.

Kevin Padian, professor of Integrative Biology and curator in the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California at Berkeley, and president of the National Center for Science Education, comments on improving evolution education.

“A UK and Swiss team found that, contrary to common scientific predictions, dense plates tend to be held in the upper mantle, while younger and lighter plates sink more readily into the lower mantle.” Quoted from the Imperial College London release.

A video at Earth Learning Idea simulates the formation of ripple marks in a desktop experiment.

“Houston public school students have a new opportunity to explore science through GeoFORCE Texas, a summer college preparatory program that inspires students to excel in math and science and pursue studies in the earth sciences.” Quoted from the Jackson School of Geosciences

USGS has a number of short courses online and on CD-ROM that are available for anyone to take. They cover a variety of surface water data collection methods.

Web-Based Classes

* Surface-Water Field Methods
* Measurement of Stream Discharge by Wading
* Stage-Discharge Relations - Basic Concepts
* Cableway Safety - Pre-use Inspection
* Overview of Data Collection at Gaging Stations
* Overview of roughness coefficients in western U.S. rivers

CD-Based Classes

* Stream Discharge Measurements Under Ice Cover
* Stream Discharge Measurements From Cableways
* Levels at Streamflow Gaging Stations- A CD-ROM Based Training Class
* Introduction to Suspended-Sediment Sampling

We have a small collection of the most common metamorphic rocks. Included are: Gneiss, Hornfels, Marble, Phyllite, Quartzite, Schist, and Slate.

We have a small collection of photos for the most common sedimentary rocks. Included are: Breccia, Chert, Coal, Conglomerate, Iron Ore, Limestone, Rock Salt, Sandstone, Shale and Siltstone.

We have a small collection of photos for the most common igneous rocks. Included are: Andesite, Basalt, Diorite, Gabbro, Granite, Obsidian, Pegmatite, Peridotite, Pumice, Rhyolite, Scoria and Tuff.

“Members of the National Science Board delivered to the President and the Congress Science and Engineering Indicators 2008 (SEI’08), the Board’s biennial report on the state of science and engineering research and education in the United States.”

Discovery News has an article titled: “Plate Tectonics: Earth’s Lucky Geology”. It ties together a number of recent news items about plate tectonics.

The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), a project that makes important educational resources available to a global community of educators and students is being moved to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The NCAR library staff will now maintain the DLESE collections.

Spectacular events determined the highest and lowest elevation points on Mars. This article includes topographic maps of Mars and explains the events that produced the topographic extremes of the Red Planet.

Here is a website that I have visited a few times that some readers of Geology.com might appreciate. This organization receives proposals for classroom projects, mainly from K-12 teachers, and posts them for review by anyone who would like to help.

This morning there were 18 projects returned in a search for “Geology” and scores of projects in searches for “Science”. Several were from teachers who would like to have mineral specimens, one teacher wanted a weather station (for years this teacher’s class graphed daily temperatures from a thermometer and students enjoyed learning that way), one teacher simply wanted paper and art supplies so students could draw as part of a science lesson.

Most were from schools in high needs areas. Some of the projects that I reviewed sounded great. If you would like to help, the support that you send goes to DonorsChoose.org. They purchase the materials and have them delivered to the school. You don’t have to pay for the entire project. You can contribute any amount.

Some enthusiastic K-12 teachers are trying to deliver the science that we enjoy to their students - and they hope to do it in a way that goes beyond the resources available. You might enjoy helping one of them.