REACHING OUT: THE HUMAN TOUCH IN GEOSCIENCE OUTREACH IN CENTRAL TEXAS

In 1999, the State of Texas reorganized its high school graduation requirements - Earth Science learning objectives were reclassified into the other science categories (biology, chemistry, and physics). Formerly, a year of Earth Science was taught in the 8^th grade in Texas, but this is no longer the case; thus there is no longer an Earth Science teacher specialization. Currently, general science teachers who have little or no background in geology find themselves teaching Earth Science topics. A task force of geoscientists is addressing this ongoing problem at the state level. In the meantime, we are offering an outreach program to aid the science teachers in the Bryan Independent School District (BISD). We targeted the 6^th grade because their Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) objectives include the rock cycle.

We designed the Blinn College Geoscience outreach program so that several geology students and faculty members would be available to personally visit the classroom with a collection of materials to address specific TEKS objectives as well as items to spark general interest. Other science outreach programs available to the BISD teachers do not offer instruction that aids the teachers who are not trained in the geosciences.

Our outreach program includes web-based resources at http://www.blinn.edu/brazos/natscience/Geology_Outreach.html. This website offers teachers a convenient method of submitting questions and scheduling activities, thus facilitating personal contact. "Ask-A-Geologist" enables teachers to expand their knowledge of the Earth Sciences by providing them with a reliable source to ask questions. "Schedule a Classroom Visit", "Schedule a Field Trip" and "Geology Road Show" allow teachers the opportunity to provide their students a time to connect the concepts they learn in the classroom with actual specimens including dinosaur fossils, lunar meteorites, exotic minerals, and hand samples of the oldest rock on Earth.

The most important goal of the program is to get students excited about the geosciences. Many students think of science as a subject in school, not as a topic relevant to their future or a career possibility. By visiting classrooms we cultivate a lifelong interest in the natural world among the general population and perhaps inspire a few future geologists.