UTILIZING NON-TRADITIONAL LOCATIONS AND OUTCROP ANALOGS TO EXPAND FIELD TRIP OPPORTUNITIES IN URBAN SETTINGS

Field trips are an integral part of earth science education, for non-scientists, students, and professionals alike. Showcasing real-world examples of textbook processes and concepts, field trips cater to different learning styles and provide social enrichment to the science. However, traditional earth science field trips to far-off destinations or with strenuous hiking/walking may not be feasible and/or accessible to all who want to participate. Creative, or non-traditional, field trip locations such as theme parks, urban settings, and local parks offer a solution to these challenges.

Here we discuss several examples of how educators can use non-traditional field trip locations to facilitate learning about geological principles and concepts. For example, various city buildings in Coral Gables, FL are commonly adorned with (Pleistocene) Key Largo Limestone. The building stone provides numerous cross-sections of large corals and reef debris, offering opportunities to explore Pleistocene coral reef systems and evaluate bioeroding-organism communities. The park system around Cincinnati, Ohio (Great Parks of Hamilton County) has numerous opportunities that can be used for teaching geoscience. These include localities where you can collect and identify Ordovician fossils (Trammel Fossil Park), discuss the southern margin of the last continental glaciation (Winton Woods), and learn about fluvial processes (Miami-Whitewater Forest). While generally considered a place of make-believe and magic, the Disney Resorts also hold many educational gems within the landscapes the Disney Imagineers have created. Attractions across their various domestic theme parks (i.e., Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts) such as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, Dinoland U.S.A., the Disneyland Railroad, and Radiator Racers illustrate geologic processes and paleontological wonders.

Earth science educational opportunities are all around us. Through the creative use of non-traditional settings, remarkable representations of geology and ancient life can be found and made accessible to learners at all levels. Utilizing a combination of instructor-guided, self-guided, and virtual trip modalities, we can help increase accessibility, societal knowledge of, and excitement for the geosciences.