USING A WORLD-CLASS MUSEUM AND TOUCH TABLE INTERFACE TO ASSESS CONNECTIONS OF HISPANIC PLACE AND CULTURE WITH THE GEOSCIENCES

The Edward M. Ryan Geology Museum is a highly effective resource that encourages and broadens participation in the geosciences at Adams State University (ASU). ASU serves a diverse student population as a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in the agriculturally-based San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. The Museum displays 5,000 mineral and fossil specimens representing local through international localities.

The relevance of geosciences at ASU is tied to the rich cultural history of the San Luis Valley. The Ryan Museum provides an engaging window into minerals and fossils that is enhanced by an interactive touch screen. Mounted on a table, this touch screen displays a catalog interface to the Museum collection. The touch table provides direct place-based information related to the Museum collection, allowing visitors to ask questions and learn about the various specimens and the related geology. Museum visitors are generally university students, but a significant number of K-12 students and community members also visit. The touch table breaks the simple display problem and brings the specimens into an engaging geospatial context that is more relevant to the viewer.

The touch table also provides an effective data gathering tool. Data acquired from the touch table can be used to assess museum visitors’ geospatial knowledge. The data are collected by a voluntary form-based set of questions related to locations displayed in map software. The Museum specimens are often included in the question locations. The data can be used to formulate and modify educational practices and student learning outcomes in both course and degree design. Data can also be used to gain an overall understanding of the student and community demographic and how it relates to geoscience education. Geologists of Hispanic descent are historically under-represented, and improved demographic understanding will help narrow this gap.

The dynamic nature of the touch table interface allows students to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to improve place-based understanding of many geological features and the corresponding specimens. Materials collected during student research may also be directly incorporated in the Museum system, giving students a direct role in enhancing Museum effectiveness in community outreach.