ADVENTURES OF A PLANETARY SCIENTIST ACROSS THE (VIRTUAL) 3RD DIMENSION: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN PLANETARY GEOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY COURSES (Invited Presentation)

Concepts in planetary science courses can seem mundane or arcane to students rather than presenting the excitement of exploring the Solar System. 3-D models are ideal for hands-on activities that engage students, either via physical models or virtual versions manipulated online.

One use of 3-D models is to show shape of terrain features (or bodies). While shape can be interpreted from 2-D data, this can be difficult for inexperienced students. 3-D models paired with 2-D images provide additional information to aid students in interpretations (e.g. below and http://www.physics.ccsu.edu/piatek/3d.html).

Models of impact craters more directly show depth/Diameter relationships than images, particularly for craters with lower d/D. Students asked to observe changes in morphology of 3-D models of impact craters with increasing diameter were able to identify this relationship and to recall later what they observed. This exercise can be expanded to include calculation and interpretation of d/D as well as morphology.

Another exercise tasked students to create sketch maps of Mars by observing 3-D models and grayscale images from the global DEM. Textural differences in the models illustrate roughness and relative number of craters, while different colors show elevation. Completed maps show the Martian Hemispheric Dichotomy between the heavily cratered southern highlands and the sparsely cratered northern plains, and students had improved recall of the correct age, elevation, and smoothness relationships.

More complex exercises ask for interpretation of related datasets and require more complex models. "Double-sided" models with one dataset on each side provide tactile cues to correlations (e.g. elevation vs. gravity anomaly), and models can use multiple colors or textures to illustrate relationships between datasets. The exercises above can be expanded to examine gravity anomalies related to impacts, or to observe the distribution of crustal magnetism or water-related features vs. elevation on Mars.

Even a virtual setting, 3-D models can provide stimulating "hands-on" activities that give students experience interpreting unfamiliar datasets. Informal assessments suggest these exercises provide students improved engagement and retention of related concepts.