Interdisciplinary Computer Graphics Laboratory

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This proposal is for the creation of an interdisciplinary computer graphics laboratory for use by the field-oriented earth science departments at a small university (Sul Ross State University). The problem that we are trying to address at our small institution is the lack of interdepartmental cooperation in the education of earth science students. Our objective is to develop a computer laboratory that would be the focal point of our interdisciplinary teaching. It would enhance our ability to integrate the different earth sciences on campus-Geology, Biology, and Natural Resource Management, and create a "functionally' larger earth science department as opposed to the smaller individual departments. The primary expected outcome of the project would be to create a new multi-disciplinary course. This course would be a semester long experiment which would require students to "acquire, analyze, and present" data from a small field area. The students would collect diverse geologic/biologic data in the field, integrate it into a GIS database (with faculty help), analyze the data to answer specific questions regarding the interrelationships between the geologic and biologic data, and present the results in the form of an open forum poster presentation. The students would take this course at the sophomore level (the prerequisites would be an introductory course in one of the disciplines). A second significant outcome would then be the ability to integrate the laboratory into other advanced courses later in the students undergraduate career. We feel that this is a creative means of taking full advantage of the educational opportunities available at a small institution such as ours.