INTEGRATING GEOSPATIAL TOOLS IN UNDERGRADUATE FOUNDATIONAL GEOSCIENCE COURSES IN BROOKLYN COLLEGE

A team of Brooklyn College faculty and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Earth Science Teachers redesigned the foundation geology course, GEO 1, required by all science and Earth science education majors. Instead of the previous survey-style with broad but shallow content, the redesigned course places greater emphasis on place-based learning, authentic scientific inquiry and the development of skills essential to the successful pursuit of a geoscience career in an urban setting. During the course implementation in fall 2008, students conducted term-long air quality research within New York City. This study demonstrated connections between the lithosphere, atmosphere, and humans. Analysis of air particulates allowed for an introduction of earth materials (What materials were present in the air?), but in a local and spatial context (Where did the particles come from?) Their projects included working collaboratively, conducting online data searches, microscopy, statistical analysis, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to characterize the particles. Google Earth, MyWorld GIS, GPS, and weather monitoring equipment were used to determine possible sources of the particulates. We are now poised to engage in expansion of our undergraduate curriculum reforms throughout the freshman and sophomore experience to more fully integrate essential technology and analytical experiences, and use the urban environment as an Earth system laboratory. Integral to “GEO 1” and other courses will be the use of geospatial tools (GPS, Google Earth, MyWorld GIS,and ArcGIS). Students in “GEO 2” and subsequent courses will be learning more advanced spatial analysis as they study interactions between other Earth systems. This approach will allow students to secure rewarding internship and independent research opportunities in their junior and senior years.