Upcoming On the Cutting Edge Workshops

by Karin Kirk, SERC
Jump down to Teaching about Energy in Geoscience Courses

Teaching Climate Change from the Geologic Record

August 10-11, 2010 with optional field trip on August 12
University of Wyoming – Laramie
APPLICATION DEADLINE - June 30, 2010

A large part of our understanding of past climate change is derived from the geologic record. Assemblages of pollen grains preserved in lake sediments, changes in soils through time, and the bones of now-extinct mammals all reveal information about ancient ecosystems and past climates. Climate change researchers recognize that these geological insights are critical for assessing the sensitivity of plants and animals to future climate changes.

In this workshop, we will introduce participants to an array of paleoclimate records and explain how they are collected, analyzed, and interpreted. The workshop will provide hands-on opportunities to examine fossils and use public-domain databases to develop classroom teaching exercises. It will also include an optional, one-day field trip to world-renowned archeological sites near Laramie, WY.

For more information visit the workshop website at http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/climatechange10/index.html. The application deadline is June 30, 2010. The workshop fee is $70 for faculty and professionals and $25 for high school teachers, community college faculty and graduate students. This workshop will be held in conjunction with the AMQUA Biennial Meeting and is Co-Sponsored by the American Quaternary Association and the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research.

This workshop will be held in conjunction with the AMQUA Biennial Meeting and is Co-Sponsored by the American Quaternary Association and the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research

Teaching about Energy in Geoscience Courses

October 30, 2010
Denver, CO in conjunction with the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting

In conjunction with the GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, On the Cutting Edge will be hosting a one-day workshop about energy issues in the geoscience classroom. To address tomorrow's energy challenges our students must be conversant with both traditional energy and alternative energy sources, as well as a host of emerging topics such as carbon capture and storage, life cycle assessment, carbon footprint and energy return on investment. Thus, there is a clear need for effective approaches for teaching about energy topics in our classrooms.

This workshop is for faculty who teach about energy and geoscience. Participants will learn about emerging science in the fields of traditional energy, alternative energy, carbon capture and storage and nuclear energy. The workshop will also showcase approaches for teaching about energy and provide a forum to develop new educational materials. The workshop will both build on and disseminate the results of a longer workshop that took place May 17-19, 2009, at the University of Wyoming.

There will also be a companion technical session at the GSA meeting: Session T45 - Energy Education in the Geoscience Classroom: Preparing Future Citizens, Scientists, and Policy Makers. We encourage abstract submissions that showcase proven educational strategies for addressing energy themes in the geoscience classroom. Abstract deadline is August 10, 2010

For more information and to access the online workshop registration form, please go to http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/energy2010/index.html. The registration deadline is September 27, 2010.