MAPPING OUR GEOCHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT: AN EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH TO TEACHING INTRODUCTORY ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY

Many introductory geoscience courses continue to be taught using only lecture-based approaches. A growing body of literature, however, indicates that undergraduate students are more likely to participate in the geosciences if they have meaningful opportunities to engage with real-world activities. Student engagement is further strengthened when these activities personally resonate with students (i.e. place-based research). Developing experiential opportunities that allow students to contribute to the scientific enterprise provides the necessary space for them to build identities around science and to foster the skills necessary to pursue geoscience careers.

To enhance undergraduate learning experiences, student-led research projects were integrated into introductory environmental geology courses. These projects aim to address local environmental issues while providing students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience with field-based analytical instrumentation (p-XRF). This contribution emphasizes two examples of this practice. In both cases, students characterized bulk soil compositions within potentially contaminated urban areas. Geochemical mapping of soil and sediment is a common approach used to understand the complex distribution of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the environment. Thus, the primary goal of each project was for students to “map our geochemical environment” using p-XRF. Knowledge of the baseline chemical compositions of soils and sediments within our environment can be used to safeguard residents and to foster data-driven policy-making within our communities.

Incorporating such undergraduate research projects can: 1) increase earth science literacy; 2) enhance local, regional, and global environmental awareness; 3) promote civic-minded engagement; 4) create a deeper sense of learning; 5) support quantitative reasoning and understanding of analytical instrumentation; and 6) foster opportunities for students to pursue geoscience careers. These projects also promote inclusive pedagogies, which helps create a more diverse and inclusive geoscience workforce.