Two NAGT-sponsored Events at the GSA South Central Meeting, April 2013

Session: Teaching Central Texas Geology: Honoring the Career of Leon Long

Dr. Leon Long, fondly known as Captain Geo, has inspired generations of Central Texas geology students and teachers over a career spanning almost 50 years. As a tribute to Leon, we invite K-graduate faculty, as well as geoscientists involved in outreach and teaching beyond the classroom, to present innovative classroom, laboratory and field teaching ideas with an audience of passionate scientists and teachers who have been inspired by Captain Geo and other master educators like him. Ideas and activities with a Central Texas twist are particularly welcome, as are demonstrations or descriptions of interactive, non-traditional teaching methods that go beyond the standard PowerPoint show. There will be an educators Share-a-thon following the oral session, and we hope that presenters will take advantage of this opportunity to discuss your ideas further and share materials with interested teachers. For more information or to submit an abstract (due Jan. 15), contact Hilary Olson (holson@austin.utexas.edu).

The Llano Uplift, central Texas: Field Trip for Teachers and Geologists at Any Level

The Llano Uplift, Central Texas, contains igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, geologic structures (faults, folds), fossils, and complexly developed landscapes with ages spanning more than one billion years, from Middle Proterozoic to Recent. Probably nowhere else on Earth can such a rich assortment be visited in a single day; every few kilometers down the road there is another new and instructive geologic environment. This field excursion is designed for teachers at any level, and all other generalist geologists. The stops provide classic demonstrations of the laws and principles of stratigraphy, classic examples of granite and carbonate rocks, and classic examples of types of unconformity and cross-cutting relationships. The trip begins and ends in Austin, and the fee includes picnic lunch and BBQ dinner at the County Line on the Hill. (reduced rate of $40 for the field trip is available for K-12 Texas teachers thanks to financial sponsorship by TXESS Revolution). For more information, contact Hilary Olson (holson@austin.utexas.edu; earlybird registration deadline is March 11, 2013 and there are a limited number of sponsored registrations for this field trip. Field trip will be led by professors at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences.