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Profs Present at National Geology Conference
By Molly Exner
UW-RF News Bureau
MAY 20, 2005--Faculty members from the UW-River Falls Department of Plant
and Earth Science presented research and methods at the 39th annual meeting
of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America at the
Radisson Hotel Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 19-20.
 Hydrogeology
and Environmental Science Assistant Professor Kerry Keen presented a session
on two new earth science-related field courses for teachers at UW-RF.
Recently, UW-RF has been revamping its Masters in Science Education program.
Field Geology for Teachers and Field Hydrology and Geomorphology for Teachers
are two new courses that expose participants to a variety of field experiences
and techniques. Graduate students developed observational skills, used
field instruments, and interpreted data, which aims to provide new opportunities
for geology-related teachers to enhance their curricula.
These three-week courses are taught by two members of the geology faculty
and assisted by a master teacher. As an integral part of the course, students
took several geological field trips to Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota
and Wisconsin to see rocks from the Archean to Cretaceous ages, including
a wide range of rock types, structures and features. Participants assembled
their own field project notebooks and shared lesson plans with other students
to ultimately integrate those ideas into their classrooms.
 Geology
and Mineralogy Professor William Cordua presented a session on a CD created
to blend environmental and tourism education in a geological driving tour
of Pierce County, Wis.
Tourism is increasingly providing nontraditional opportunities for significant
public education, says Cordua, so he developed the CD at the request of
the Pierce County Partners in Tourism. Cordua has led and co-led numerous
geological field trips in the county and selected stops along the route
to form the CD's loop driving tour. UW-RF geography department chair and
Professor Charles Radar produced a geological map of the county for inclusion
on the CD.
"The landscape of Pierce County is quite scenic, particularly along
the Mississippi River and its coulee-style tributaries. Themes in the
tour include bedrock formations, geological history and time, landforms,
land use, and water and other resources," wrote Cordua in the abstract
for the presentation. "The existence of a commercial cave, diamonds
and gold in glacial drift, and a probable Ordovician asteroid impact structure
enhances the appeal of the CD to the public."
Approximately 800 geoscientists attended the meeting, which was hosted
by the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis.
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Last updated:
Tuesday, 24-May-2005 09:21:41 CDT
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