Web-Based Learning and Research Tools for Earth System Science Education

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9978245 Barazangi While major research efforts are currently underway to develop digital information systems in geosciences or improve existing systems, educators are looking for new and more effective ways to exploit these systems for use in Earth system science education. This project will take advantage of one such research information system, and build an educational module to make it a valuable resource for undergraduate teaching. The core geoscience information system is currently being developed for research purposes at Cornell University. An add-on educational module will provide the education communities access to large volumes of digital data sets, analysis tools, and programs via WWW browsers. The core information system to be used includes large volumes of digital geoscience data, such as topography, bathymetry, earthquake locations, faults, volcanoes, satellite imagery, etc., and data analysis tools. It is Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based and Internet accessible. It is unique in its design, because it provides not only digital data sets, but also tools to analyze the data, manipulate them and plot them using user provided parameters. Up until now, educational usage of this system has not been exploited. The potential value of using such a research environment in education is great. This system will provide undergraduate students the same data sets and tools that are used y research scientists. Educational training modules will tap the same data sets and methods to provide entry into the knowledge system. These modules will be tested and evaluated both at Cornell University and Hartwick College before releasing them on the web. Educators and students will be able to study any region on earth by imply starting a web browser in their classrooms and schools and access all data sets available for that region instantly. This will allow a fair and uniform access to state-of -the-art information, data, and tools by all colleges-schools regardless of their infrastructure and geographic location.