Creation of an Interdisciplinary Earth Materials Testing Laboratory to Enhance Undergraduate Science Education

University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point WI

Investigators

Abstract

Earth Systems Science (40) This project is enhancing scientific literacy through the acquisition of laboratory equipment to create a modern Earth Materials Testing Laboratory. The development of hands-on, inquiry based laboratory activities allows students the opportunity to explore, test and analyze various behaviors and characteristics of earth materials. The project emphasizes experience in field sampling and laboratory experimentation with actual earth materials. This Earth Materials Testing Laboratory accommodates eight lower and upper level science courses, impacting approximately 500 students per semester. This includes students enrolled in classes that satisfy the University's science general degree requirement, education majors (elementary, middle and secondary), students obtaining minors in geography, geology, earth science and natural science, and students obtaining majors in geography and natural science. Laboratory activities focus on five themes related to earth materials testing. These themes include (1) material sampling and description, (2) analysis of grain size distribution; (3) measurement of sediment properties; (4) illustration and testing of material responses to environmental stresses; and (5) illustration and testing of fluvial processes. These themes allow students to develop an inherent understanding of the processes by which earth materials impact their lives through simulation of mass wasting, hydrologic flow, sediment transport and the response of earth materials to stress. These five themes cut across the earth science curriculum and allow students to appreciate the interrelationships between courses in a curriculum. By participating in scientific inquiry, students are gaining a deeper appreciation for the scientific method. These earth science exercises are being augmented using digital video posted to the Internet which allows students to compare and contrast their experimental results. Materials are being adapted from projects at Oklahoma State University, the University of South Carolina, Southeast Missouri State University, and the University of Alberta as well as those described in the Journal of Geoscience Education and other journals in the field.