Virtual Geology: Exploring the Rocking Geology of your Neighborhood!

Abstract:

The Rutgers Science Explorer (RSE) is a mobile laboratory that visits ~3,000 middle school students around the state of New Jersey on yearly basis since 2005. Graduate students on board of the RSE develop modules and lead instruction of hands-on activities in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. We offer STEM modules in Biology, Anthropology, Marine Ecology, and Geology. Given the COVID-19 outbreak and eventual pandemic in the Spring of 2020, visits to schools were cancelled in the middle of the semester. One particular challenge was how to teach geology, a field science, virtually. In collaboration with graduate students and faculty members, we were able to develop a Geology module that K-12 students and their families could do from home. By exploring the geology of their own neighborhood, participants were able to find an inclusive way to get field experience, collect data, and report their findings while staying in contact with the RSE team. In this presentation we will cover the challenges in developing the curriculum, outcomes of the test run, and future adaptions to incorporate this Geology module into our regular academic year program at Rutgers University this fall semester.