Outreach Grants and Activities

I have always been passionate about increasing interest and access to Earth sciences to all people. An understanding of Earth’s systems, how change occurs over long and short time periods, and how Earth has weathered various drastic geologic changes in the past is more important now than ever. The problems that we face as a civilization will only be solved if we open the conversation to everyone. Making geology a welcoming and supportive environment for all people is a challenge and requires directed effort. I have always loved talking to young people and the general public about geology and geologic problems. Many people don’t realize the ways that they interact with the Earth and its resources every day. I have worked hard to make my classes as accessible to my students as possible, but using open source and free online textbooks, building virtual content that can be shared with other educators, and building field learning iteratively into my courses so students have a strong foundation by time they are in upper-level, field-intensive courses.

GETUP and STEPUP

I was PI on two externally funded grants to increase student interest in and understanding of the Earth sciences to support a national effort to reduce the projected shortfall in qualified geoscientists. The program iteratively developed and assessed a multifaceted approach to increase recruitment and retention of students to Earth science degrees at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. This approach integrated outreach to high schools, early undergraduate research experiences, community-based learning, and use of multiple pedagogies to support varied learning styles. The primary components of this grant included: 1. a Concurrent Enrollment Physical Geology Course that incorporated project-based learning activities and was taught in collaboration with regional high schools; 2. a Summer Bridge Program, where students joined the university community, learned about university resources, and conducted local research to start building a science identity and explore the dynamic geology and ecosystems in our surrounding area; and 3. a Summer Early Research Experience, where first- and second-year Earth & Environmental Sciences students conducted collaborative projects centered around a newly developed Great Salt Lake Microbialite Observatory. Following those initial programs, students matriculated into the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences where they, along with all EES majors, continued work on research projects and were guided as they navigated their degree path, built skills, and looked for jobs and internships in Earth science fields.

The Summer Early Research Experience focused on microbialite reefs that make up the base of the ecosystem in the Great Salt Lake, which generated significant scientific research products. While the program was running, the Great Salt Lake dropped to historic low levels in 2021 and 2022 (Figure 1), exposing large expanses of microbialite reefs to desiccation. We now understand that microbial communities are key contributors to primary productivity in the lake, and the loss of these structures had detrimental effects on the lake ecosystem (Figure 2). Students documented changes to the microbiology, chemistry, and sedimentology of microbialite reef areas during periods of desiccation, and also conducted experiments to assess the potential for microbial community recovery with lake rebound. They found that the consequences of desiccation to the microbial communities and integrity of the microbialites were rapid, but that partial recovery was possible if the structures were re-submerged (Figure 3). The findings and follow-up research conducted by students resulted in a published paper with eight student co-authors in addition to presentations at regional and national meetings. The study emphasized the urgency of managing lake levels in order to protect Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem. Students also conducted research on the mineralogy of the microbialites, and found that previously-reported dolomite was actually high-magnesium calcite, a result they presented at multiple geoscience meetings.

The Summer Bridge Program, along with the Summer Early Research and continued independent research projects related to Great Salt Lake and geologic processes in the Ogden area, directly trained more than 55 students in geosciences research methods (Figures 4 and 5). For many of these students, these high-impact experiences, mentoring, and scientific training had an outsized impact on their future careers. So far, graduates from our program are attending top-tier graduate schools and working in geosciences jobs throughout the region. We look forward to watching their continued growth and contribution to the field in the future.

The project resulted in development of and increased offerings of Concurrent Enrollment sections of our GEO 1110 Physical Geology Dynamic Earth course from two schools in 2017 to five schools by Fall of 2024. The total number of students enrolled increased from 27 total students in the 2017-2018 academic year to 396 students in the 2023-2024 academic year, with a total of 1,187 students taught over the duration of the grant. The increase in students enrolled is a direct result of instructor recruitment and training done by PIs along with course material development and continued instructor professional development over the course of the last five years. We now have a full digital course resource available to all instructors, including assignments utilizing virtual field trips developed and updated over the course of this grant (Figure 6). All course materials are updated annually and those updates are a product of feedback from instructors using the materials in their courses at the various high schools along with instructors teaching 1110 to our traditional students on WSU’s campus. Additionally, we are utilizing the virtual tours in our general education courses that are taken by over 1000 students per year at Weber State University. For many of those students they are taking the class to fulfill their Physical Science General Education requirements and will not take additional science courses while attending the university.

Virtual Field Trips

Field trips provide high-impact learning experiences and thus are critical components of Earth science courses. Field trips allow students to have embodied and situated experiences, and develop their visual and spatial skills. Field trips also mimic many conditions students will likely face in their future jobs. The experience of being in the field, including physical sensations, leads to greater retention, along with training students to work effectively in teams, plan complex tasks, and build strong bonds with other students and faculty. However, in a time of social distancing to lessen risks of transmitting serious illness, courses will need to be augmented to allow students to gain necessary field skills without traveling together to locations or working closely with one another. Even in “normal” times, field work can present barriers for students with physical, psychological and mental disabilities, keeping them from feeling welcome in the Earth sciences Virtual field trips (VFTs) consisting of high-resolution imagery and additional interactive content have been successfully used by other institutions as a means of making field locations accessible.

I developed five separate tour assignments that are being used in our general education courses (Physical Geology, including concurrent enrollment and Earthquakes and Volcanoes, GEO 1030). There is a tour from multiple trails on Antelope Island that is utilized in our Historical Geology (GEO 1220) course and has been shared widely with other faculty and instructors in the area. We have nine other tours that are used to supplement field trips in our upper level Structural Geology (GEO 3060), Geomorphology (GEO 3150), Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (GEO 3550), and Field Methods (GEO 4060). These tours are used to supplement or at times replace field experiences for students who are unable to attend, greatly increasing the accessibility of our course materials. These tours have been shared with the broader community at the Annual GSA meeting and at the UsSTA 2023 Annual Conference “Science For All” and are available through a dedicated webpage (https://weber.edu/ees/virtual-field-trips.html).

Building Relationships within the Community

I have been the Concurrent Enrollment Liaison and K-12 faculty outreach coordinator for the past 8 years. Through both programs a major part of my responsibility is doing classroom visits for various age groups across the city and county. I consistently visit our concurrent enrollment classrooms, coordinate them visiting our campus to tour our labs and facilities, and go visit other classrooms across the area when different teachers reach out.

One of my favorite projects was helping a local girl scout troop build a geologic display for the local elementary school. This display came together over the course of about 6 months. I spent multiple days with the troop members helping them identify different rock and mineral samples to make sure they all ended up in the correct part of the display.