The Upper Newport Bay Project: A Collaborative Approach To Geoscience Education In The Orange County Community

Chapman University, Orange CA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT THE UPPER NEWPORT BAY PROJECT: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY PROJECT SUMMARY FOR A GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION PROPOSAL This project begins to establish Chapman University as the leader in providing the critical scientific data needed for responsible policy decisions concerning the Upper Newport Bay (UNB). UNB serves as Orange County's most visible natural environment. Surrounded by high-density urban development, the Bay receives pollutants from urban and agricultural run-off, marinas, storm water, nurseries, and creeks. Recent development in the area has focused public interest on potential impacts in the estuary. Yet, the Bay has no centralized environmental data repository. This project establishes a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database of scientific (mostly geochemical) data for the Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, California, in a manner that maximizes geoscience education in the community. This project establishes a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) teaching laboratory at Chapman University, and develops a unit aimed at future elementary and intermediate (K-8) school teachers that will combine geoscience field and laboratory investigations with use of GIS technology. Term projects in two upper division Environmental Sciences courses give students the opportunity to do field and laboratory research applied towards a tangible product. A pilot program is designed to give high school science students, teachers, and potential future secondary school teachers an opportunity to do applied field and laboratory research leading to the presentation of valuable data,