A TEACHER-RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN THE DRY VALLEYS REGION OF ANTARCTICA

This presentation highlights a PolarTREC teacher-research experience in Antarctica and the development and integration of lesson plans based on that experience into the earth science curriculum at a two-year college. The lesson plans were created by a community college earth science instructor who accompanied Boston University researchers to Beacon Valley, Antarctica during the austral summer of 2008. The teacher-research experience was translated to the classroom using a combination of lesson plans based on the field experience, and a series of ongoing videoconferences conducted in real-time with the Boston University researchers following the field expedition.

The field research involved drilling through buried ice beneath glaciers and studying glacial landforms in Beacon Valley, one of the Dry Valleys located in the cold-polar desert region of Antarctica. Beacon Valley is significant because the ice beneath it is estimated to be the oldest ice on earth and it has long been recognized as an important terrestrial analog for Mars due to the cold climate and similar landforms. Lesson plans were created for students to study the topography, glacial landforms, and wind patterns of Beacon Valley. Boston University researchers interact with students in real time via videoconferences conducted during regularly scheduled class meetings. The researchers deliver informal lectures, provide updates on the field research, and answer student questions.

The lesson plans were incorporated into Introductory Physical Geology and Geography classes in fall 2009 and revised based on formative assessment results. Initial student course evaluations reveal that non-science majors enrolled in introductory courses for transfer credit are more interested and motivated when completing assignments and lessons related to the teacher’s research experience. Students commented that their overall awareness and knowledge of the issues involved in climate change increased following the videoconferencing sessions with the polar researchers.