In Activity 2.3, students make an argument from evidence to address the …
In Activity 2.3, students make an argument from evidence to address the problem: "To what extent should we build or rebuild coastal communities?" Students work as a team to complete a graphic organizer. This task helps them organize an evidence-based position paper. Each student writes his or her own position paper.
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At the beginning of the course, each student is assigned a unique …
At the beginning of the course, each student is assigned a unique blob - or a piece of material of a particular shape with specific material properties (density, bulk modulus, composition, viscosity, volatile content, etc) that is residing within the mantle at a specific environment (depth, pressure, temperature). Then as the semester continues as a topic is covered the student must assess (either quantitatively or qualitatively) what observable would be associated with their blob (for example, gravity anomalies, geoid anomalies, surface expressions, seismic tomography, phase transition topography). The student then develops a portfolio of their blob and its observables to then present at the end of the course with an explanation/interpretation for the source of the blob culiminating at building a geo-story around their anomaly.
Some blobs could be amorphous anomalies whereas other could have physical significance (though best not to tell the students ahead of time so they can make their own discovery as to what the blob is or isn't) such as subducted slabs at the CMB (or 660 km), plumes, lithospheric drip, lithospheric root, or a boring typical piece of the mantle.
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Students conducted data analysis about American political divisions and created two papers …
Students conducted data analysis about American political divisions and created two papers from this data analysis. Sutdents were assigned to group projects involving data analysis assigned chapters in MICROCASE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, a textbook that includes access to a variety of datasets.
This assignment teaches geochemistry students to explain the mathematical forms of rate …
This assignment teaches geochemistry students to explain the mathematical forms of rate laws, and organize paragraphs in their writing assignments properly.
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This assignment introduces students to commonly used datasets in ethnic conflict studies. …
This assignment introduces students to commonly used datasets in ethnic conflict studies. It also encourages them to think critically about data quality and measurement challenges when using large datasets.
Undergraduate student project for building datasets and analyzing the electoral, party system, …
Undergraduate student project for building datasets and analyzing the electoral, party system, and mass behavioral characteristics for a set of countries.
Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Kate Darby, Western Washington University …
Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Kate Darby, Western Washington University In 1887, Robert Towne built a metals smelter two and a half miles northwest of El Paso, Texas, across the river from Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and across the state border from several small towns in New Mexico. The smelter, which processed metal ore from regional mines, was quickly acquired by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) and became an important visual and economic institution in the region. In 1967, following the mantra of environmental regulation at the time—"the solution to pollution is dilution"—ASARCO erected what was then the tallest smokestack in the world: an 828-foot structure visible from much of the region. While the facility provided jobs to many in the region and produced metals important for a range of manufacturing and consumer products, by the 1970s, residents and scientists began to question the other products from the smelter—especially heavy metals pollution.
This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.
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Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Lisa Phillips, Illinois State University, …
Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Lisa Phillips, Illinois State University, llphill@ilstu.edu On September 10, 2012, several million southern California residents reacted with alarm to an unfamiliar noxious scent. The Air Quality Management District officials in the Los Angeles region were initially at a loss to determine the odor's source. Investigators from Ventura to Palm Springs looked for toxic spills, sewage plant leaks, and gas line breaks—all for naught.
The smell's origin was the Salton Sea more than 150 miles away and not usually upwind. The smell of an algal bloom and subsequent massive fish kill released odor molecules redolent with the stench of environmental decay.
This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.
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This case study is an examination of the chemical and sensory impacts …
This case study is an examination of the chemical and sensory impacts of a variety of environmental issues including sand mining, leaking underground gasoline storage tanks (LUSTs), and a railroad.
Wedron is a small, unincorporated town of approximately 100 residents in north central Illinois. A large sand mine has been in operation on the south and west sides of the town for many decades, and the mine property includes several abandoned and active pits, a processing plant, and a train car loading facility. Railroad tracks are located along the east side of town as is a grain elevator (storage and loading facility).
The following information was obtained from the US EPA web site about Wedron, personal visits to the town, and published news articles.
This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.
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This is a 'citizen science' research project where students to apply their …
This is a 'citizen science' research project where students to apply their knowledge of landslide processes in an investigation of the natural and anthropogenic causes of a real-world landslide catastrophe. Students produce a 'magazine' article discussing the Zhouqu, China, August 8, 2010 landslide catastrophe.
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A set of three short writing assignments were designed to encourage students …
A set of three short writing assignments were designed to encourage students to think critically about the way that scientific research is reported by the popular media and the reasons that research may or may not be reported in a way that could be construed as misleading.
This assignment exposes students to data on economic growth and development as …
This assignment exposes students to data on economic growth and development as commonly measured by per capita GDP and the Human Development Index (HDI) for 100 countries of the world. There is a big debate about how good an indicator HDI is compared to GDP per capita as a measure of development.
This assignment engages students in an environmental history class in the use …
This assignment engages students in an environmental history class in the use of quantitative data, and raises questions about the nature and meaning of that data, and how it might be utilized.
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This assignment asks students to write a data-rich policy brief, showing their …
This assignment asks students to write a data-rich policy brief, showing their ability to apply standard microeconomic models and contextualizing the policy debate with numeric evidence.
This project involves a field trip to the Jordan Formation in Winona, …
This project involves a field trip to the Jordan Formation in Winona, MN. Student teams are assigned a section of the outcrop from which they are to determine a stratigraphic column. The class then performs a lateral analysis and builds a composite stratigraphic column for the formation. As a final product, the students write up the class's observations about the formation.
Project Webpages
Project Summary and Write-up Outline (Acrobat (PDF) PRIVATE FILE 115kB Jul7 05) Instructor Notes for Project (Acrobat (PDF) PRIVATE FILE 91kB Jul7 05) Outlines and Notes (Acrobat (PDF) PRIVATE FILE 1.1MB Jul7 05) for each class session for this project
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1. Instructor identifies an appropriate number of key dates in the Precambrian …
1. Instructor identifies an appropriate number of key dates in the Precambrian to investigate. 2. Students break into groups (method to be determined by instructor) and each group will be assigned a particular time in the Precambrian (one author likes to have groups draw assignments out of hat!). 3. Students investigate their time period using appropriate source materials (we suggest the class notes, textbook and perhaps supplementary materials identified in the form of popular articles (e.g., Scientific American, Smithsonian, National Geographic, etc.) or websites. Questions
Using your prior knowledge of your time period, what scientific equipment might you want to take with you? What will you experience on your time travels? Is there a place to land? What is the temperature? Can you breathe the atmosphere? Do you need a life support system? What is the atmosphere composed of? Is there any water? What is its phase? Can you drink it? Do you see any life, or evidence of its presence? How would you recognize the life? What life do you expect to observe or not observe, and why? What questions were you able to answer with your trip? What questions were you unable to answer? What aspects of the environment at this time most surprised or stuck you?
4. Group presentation a) Create a very simple PowerPoint presentation (10 minutes) for the class. b) Each group member must present part of the information.
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