INFORMAL EDUCATION IN GEOSCIENCE: THE PIKES PEAK PEBBLE PUPS AND EARTH SCIENCE SCHOLARS

Using area resources, the Pikes Peak Pebble Pups lead the development of programs that bring new approaches to student engagement in the Earth sciences. The program, the first of its kind in the nation, is designed by Earth scientists and educators to provide students in grades K through 12 with authentic science experiences that deepen their knowledge of Earth science. Students learn how to practice science and acquire new skills from experiences at regional museums, the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, and from independent research and fieldwork. These experiences include working with selected science content, observation, laboratory investigation, training in secondary research methods, writing, and public speaking. This is followed by fieldwork in the summer.

At the core of the program are experiences that provide a wider and deeper exposure to the Earth sciences and we can claim a number of past successes that include Pebble Pups presenting papers at the 2013 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Denver and at other professional meetings. Pebble Pups volunteer as uniformed rangers at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. They participate in Cool Science programs at Colorado College and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, assist in coaching and scoring tests for the Science Olympiad, and have presented original research to the public at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show for the past three years. Recently, a Pebble Pup assisted a Colorado College professor at the Automated Mineralogy Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, using a QEMSCAN® instrument to analyze detrital minerals that hold information about the origins of Tava Sandstone.

Pebble Pups, working with local geologists and publication editors, communicate their knowledge through publication in newspapers, newsletters, regional and international Earth science magazines where they have received national and regional awards for writing. The combination of focused experiences and an informal setting allows the freedom to explore topics that result in intellectual growth and increased self-confidence. Not only that, but they act as examples of what pre-college students can do for other students, their parents, and their teachers.