Geophysical Field Work for Educators

Rice University is located in Houston, Texas, a large metropolitan area sitting atop flat, unconsolidated coastal plain sediments. Earth Science is a discipline that is most naturally pursued in the field, but an urban setting and lack of outcrops provide obstacles to meaningful field work. ESCI 515: Geophysical Field Work for Educators is a graduate-level course designed to offer in-service K-12 teachers a meaningful field experience. The majority of participants teach in urban school districts where the majority of students are members of historically underrepresented minority groups. Recruitment efforts target educators who are currently teaching science without a science degree. Participants included elementary, middle and high school teachers. The summer experience is followed by a content-intensive academic year course in Earth Science (Physical, Historical, Environmental, or Earth and Planetary Geology).

Past projects have focused on sites of cultural and historical significance, including studies of abandoned slave era cemeteries in the Houston and surrounding area. In summer 2007, participants studied an abandoned cemetery located in Prairie View, Texas, using ground-penetrating radar to search for unmarked graves. Participants identified numerous anomalies that were consistent with unmarked burials. Two of these anomalies were excavated and confirmed as burials. In summer 2008, participants will acquire radar data at the San Jacinto Battlefield Park in La Porte, Texas. The park is thought to contain unmarked burials from the early 1800's, as well as numerous in-situ artifacts from the battle between the Texas and Mexican armies.

In ESCI 515, participants experience the process of science first-hand and use geophysics for community service (i.e. restoring an abandoned cemetery, discovering historical artifacts, etc.). Through background research, they derive a rich historical context for their investigation and learn to appreciate the multi-disciplinary aspect of solving real-world scientific problems.