ALBUQUERQUE'S GEOSCAPE: GEOLITERACY FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Geologists from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS), divisions of science and education, have partnered with a geologist / middle school teacher, from the Albuquerque Public Schools, to create a poster that uses the landscape around the city of Albuquerque to provide information about the local geology. The Albuquerque Geoscape poster consists of a central satellite image of the Albuquerque region surrounded by 6 geological topic panels: the Rio Grande, Rio Grande rift, Sandia Mountains, the local aquifer, local volcanoes, and earthquakes. Smaller panels include an introduction, simplified geologic map, annotated geologic time scale, additional resources for information, and sponsors. The poster is designed to capture attention by focusing on local landforms that people see every day and by providing a capsule summary of basic information about each geological topic. The poster will address both informal and formal learning (for the general public and for students in the classroom); a curriculum based on each topic panel, a set of overhead transparencies based on each topic panel, and a web-based "slide show" will also be available to teachers. The content is aligned with science education standards at the middle school level. The poster was partially funded by an Intel Innovations in Teaching grant, awarded to J. Newsom, to develop education resources about the local geology. The Albuquerque Geoscape poster follows in the footsteps of the innovative poster "Geoscape Vancouver" produced by the Geological Survey of Canada.