INCORPORATING EARTH SCIENCE CONCEPTS INTO INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY CLASSES

As part of a National Science Foundation-funded "Opportunities to Enhance Diversity in the Geosciences" initiative, the South Bay Geo-Diversity Project (SBGDP) at San José State University is partnering with nearby National Hispanic University (NHU) to build an earth science curriculum for its dominantly Hispanic student population. In addition to visiting NHU's introductory geology classes and offering field trip, scholarship and internship opportunities for NHU students, SBGDP co-directors are working with NHU instructors to infuse other introductory science courses with timely and relevant earth science topics. Examples include exploration of the hydrologic cycle and water chemistry in the chemistry course and investigation of earthquake and tsunami waves in the physics class. Presentations feature hands-on experiences such as water quality testing, demonstration of P and S waves with Slinkies, and using seismograms to locate earthquake epicenters. Teaching of chemistry and physics concepts in an earth science context helps to show the relevance of science to the students' lives and community and raises their awareness of the geosciences, which are typically totally overlooked in their precollege education.