AMS CLIMATE STUDIES, AMS OCEAN STUDIES, AND AMS WEATHER STUDIES: PROVIDING A GEOSCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR NON-SCIENCE MAJORS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

BREY, James A.¹, GEER, Ira W.², MORAN, Joseph M.², WEINBECK, Robert S.², MILLS, Elizabeth W.², BLAIR, Bernard A.³, O'NEILL, Katie L.³, HYRE, Heather H.³, NUGNES, Kira A.² and MOSES, Maureen N.³, (1)Director, Education Program, American Meteorological Society, 1120 G Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005, (2)Education Program, American Meteorological Society, 1200 New York Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005, (3)Education Program, American Meteorological Society, 1120 G Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005, brey@ametsoc.org

In working to promote scientific literacy at the undergraduate level, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) has produced a suite of introductory courses that engage students in relevant topics in the geosciences by utilizing real-world, current, environmental data.

Developed with support from NSF, NOAA, and NASA, AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies, are available for implementation at undergraduate institutions nationwide. Designed to be adaptable to traditional, hybrid, or online instructional settings, these courses have already been adopted by almost 600 colleges and universities across the United States.

AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies consist of a fully-integrated set of printed and online materials. All three course packages include a hardcover 15-chapter textbook, an Investigations Manual containing 30 lab-style activities, and access to a course website providing weekly current activities and environmental data streams.

The AMS Ocean Studies Student Package offers a unique way to study marine science through the use of an inflatable globe. Oceanography comes alive in three-dimensions, helping students understand complex oceanographic principles, such as the Coriolis force, plate tectonics, ocean circulation, and tides.

By exploring the Earth’s climate as part of a larger Earth system, the newest textbook, Climate Studies: Introduction to Climate Science anchors an up-to-date, comprehensive, climate science course. This course serves as a great primer in preparing students to become responsible, scientifically-literate participants in discussions of climate science and climate change. It maintains a strong focus on the fundamental science, while still addressing many of the societal impacts that draw the attention of today’s students.

AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies can be offered by experienced science faculty or those new to teaching the subject matter. Collegial assistance from AMS staff and other course users is available to all new instructors. A simple licensing procedure allows for full institutional access to the Current Investigations, course websites, and course management system-compatible files.

For more information, please visit http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu.

Session No. 61

T44. Geoscience Programs at Community Colleges: Models for Success and Innovation I

Sunday, 31 October 2010: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM

Room 201 (Colorado Convention Center)

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 42, No. 5, p.156

© Copyright 2010 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.

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