2007 Conference Program

Registration Form (Acrobat (PDF) 13kB Sep11 07)

Keynote - Geoscience Teaching in a Cyber-Enabled World: Bridging Tradition and Technology

Today's students live in a technologically rich environment, where exploration of the natural world is available not only through field-based learning but also at the click of a mouse. The boundaries defining the traditional classroom are becoming diffuse, as virtual collaboratories connect students on opposite sides of the world and digital libraries open possibilities for voluntary and self-directed learning. The full potential of cyberinfrastructure for learning has yet to be realized. As practitioners firmly grounded in field- and laboratory-based teaching, geoscience educators are now exploring how to merge the best practices of traditional instruction with the possibilities of the digital age. This presentation will examine some current trends in geoscience education and the partnerships necessary to enhance geoscience teaching and learning in the classroom of the future.

Dr. Sharon Locke is currently a program director in the Division of Research on Learning at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she has responsibilities in programs that support the development of innovative resources, tools, and models to improve science teaching and learning for all students. Prior to her appointment at NSF, she co-directed three programs to support increased participation of underrepresented students in science, including the NSF Eastern Regional Alliance for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (EAST) and the NASA-sponsored Access Earth, both based at the University of Southern Maine. From 2003-2006 she was named a Distinguished Speaker of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers based on her work on improving the accessibility of the geosciences. Dr. Locke holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Minnesota.

Concurrent Morning Workshops

Attendees may choose to attend any 2 workshops in Session 1 and Session 2, or a half-day workshop spanning both sessions.

Session 1 - 9:00 to 10:15 am

S1A. Planet Earth: Hands-On Earth Science Online (session description)
Richard Yuretich, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

S1B. Reducing Misconceptions in Introductory Geology by Using Lecture Tutorials (session description)
Karen M. Kortz, Community College of Rhode Island, Lincoln, RI
Daniel P. Murray, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Jessica J. Smay, San Jose City College, San Jose, CA

Session 2 - 10:30 to 11:45 am

S2A. Dinosaurs, Dunes, & Drifting Continents: The Geology of the Connecticut River Valley (session description)
Richard D. Little, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA

S2B. Modeling of the Seafloor: 3-D Model Enhanced By Technology (session description)
Thomas Vaughn, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Half Day Workshops - 9:00 to 11:45 am

S3. Interpreting Connecticut's Sedimentary Rocks from Core Samples (session description)
Peter A. Drzewiecki, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT
Michael Wizevich, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT

S4. How Old Is It? Using Authentic Microfossil Data from Deep-Sea Cores (session description)
Mark Leckie, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

S5. All Shook Up: Teaching About Earthquakes (session description)
Anita Honkonen, 2005 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher (OESTA), Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, Sudbury, MA

Afternoon Field Trips

1:30 - 5:00 pm (approximately!) Participants will leave from MCC by carpool/van after the keynote luncheon and may either return to MCC or depart from the final stop.

F1. Jurassic Park IV: A Field Trip into Connecticut's Geological Past (session description)
Michael Wizevich, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
Peter A. Drzewiecki, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT

F2. Step Onto the Early Jurassic: In the Footsteps of Dinosaurs (session description)
Christine Witkowski, Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, CT
Margaret Enkler, Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, CT

F3. The Shaping of Connecticut: Bedrock, Glaciers & Coastal Processes (session description)
Ralph Lewis, University of Connecticut, Avery Point, CT

F4. Lithologies and structures in the Bolton syncline, Bolton Notch area, Connecticut (session description)
Mark D. Busa, Middlesex Community College, Middletown, CT