Establishing an Undergraduate Sedimentology Laboratory in Central Connecticut for Paleoenvironmental, Paleoceanographic and Paleoclimatic Teaching & Research

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project addresses the following problems: (1) there are no automated particle-size analysis facilities in Southern New England (SNE), (2) students in Earth & Environmental Science classes are not exposed to modern laboratory data-collection techniques, (3) the Sedimentology Laboratory course should have a coherent semester-long focus, and (4) more undergraduate research opportunities are needed. This project purchases four pieces of equipment to establish a modern sedimentological facility for teaching and research in a central SNE location and develops a focused sedimentology laboratory course. Letters describing the new facility are sent to all schools with earth science/geology departments within a 150-mile radius, and a focused laboratory course with new laboratory exercises is developed. Undergraduate students doing research in sedimentology at the university are primarily women and minorities, both of which are currently underrepresented in the earth sciences. Researchers from SNE have access to a new generation of particle-size analyzer and through it the opportunity to investigate paleoenvironmental changes. Students have more hands-on exposure to data collection, analysis, and problem solving.