Virtual Field Trip to the Mid-Ocean Ridge

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This proposal builds on an existing CD-ROM, "Our Dynamic Planet" by creating a realistic "virtual reality" trip to the seafloor intended for an introductory course in oceanography. It supports work that will double the content of an existing project, and enable students to explore a broader spectrum of oceanographic sub-disciplines including ocean chemistry, biology, marine resource development, and marine technology. Efforts are focused on compiling a rich variety of recently collected data from the world's mid-ocean ridges and enhancing the "point and click" user interface to facilitate student-subject matter interaction. Supportive curriculum materials that will be integral to CD-ROM are a key component of this initiative. Students will work with seafloor topography, seafloor geology, sea life, and hydrothermal hot springs. The students will also have access to other types of data, such as water chemistry, temperature, light attenuation, rock chemistry, magnetic intensity, seismic structure and more. Students are provided with a discovery experience tied to observations and data taken during actual research expeditions that investigate the link between lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere that uniquely occurs at mid-ocean ridges, collecting the latest, cutting edge results from research oceanographers and packaging them in an easy to use and understand format for undergraduate non-science students. NSF FORM 1358 (1/94)