THE GEOSPACE PROJECT: USING PLANETARY MISSION SCIENCE AS A FRAMEWORK FOR HYBRID, ACCESSIBLE FIELD EXPERIENCES

The GeoSPACE (GeoScientists Promoting Accessible Collaborative Education) Project is an accessible, inclusive field course that offers both in-person and virtual modes of participation in a planetary science and volcanology themed field course. Inspired by space science missions, and building on the Arizona State University introductory planetary geology field trip, the format requires a close working partnership between remote “mission control” and in-person “planetary explorers”.

Field exercises are completed through real-time and asynchronous collaboration between field and remote participants as well as exercises unique to each group. For example, in-person students learned how to use high-precision GPS equipment and virtual students gained experience in remote sensing image analysis across multiple instruments and planetary bodies. Communication technology for real time collaboration, digital data collection and sharing with apps, high-precision GPS equipment, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the use of photogrammetry software to create 3D models of the landscape provide opportunities to learn modern geoscience tools rarely incorporated into traditional field courses.

This presentation will discuss how planetary science protocols inspired the field course design and are used to guide daily operations and cultivate an engaging environment for all students, regardless of participation mode. GeoSPACE is an NSF funded project (Award #2023124), with equipment support from the UNAVCO's geodetic equipment lending library. Feedback from the pilot program, which ran in May-June of 2022, will be used to build a for-credit undergraduate field course through the University of Florida with both online and in-person participation options. Search for “GeoSPACE” in the conference program for presentations on various aspects of the course, participant experience and scientific results from our pilot year.