Geoscience Education at Grand Canyon: Integrating Research and Education through the Trail of Time Exhibit (planning grant)

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The Grand Canyon offers one of the best exposed and most complete records of geologic history on Earth. In cooperation with the National Park Service, we propose to design a world-class geologic exhibit entitled: "The Trail of Time." The core project involves a 4.6 km-long trail at the edge of the Canyon on the south rim. The trail itself is the primary "exhibit"; it will be scaled and marked so that one meter represents one million years of Earth history. Its goal is to teach visitors about deep time and how geologic history is recorded in the rock record. Large rocks, interactive displays, maps, and photos will be placed along the Trail to illustrate geologic history and Earth processes, all in the context of the spectacular vistas which provide inspiration for learning about geology, as well as the best "visual aid" imaginable. This award provides funds for a second planning year for the Trail of Time. The first planning year (nearly over) has been very successful. 1) The PIs formed an Advisory Board, 2) had a first workshop, 3) began exhibit design and front-end assessment, and , most importantly, 4) forged a formal agreement between the National Park Service and the University of New Mexico to develop the Trail of Time. During the workshop and in discussion with the National Park, it became clear that a second planning year was necessary in order to better define the goals and design for the project. Thus, the overall goal for this award is to develop the scientific content for the Trail of Time, start the Trail of Time website, and develop the broader geoscience education vision for the Trail of Time that includes K-12, teacher training, and college curriculum development. In particular, this second planning year will be used to 1) develop a multi-level science content plan that attempts to convey concepts of geoscience and of the scientific method to all ages and levels of ability; this will require further surveys to evaluate the different target levels, 2) begin to design the Trail of Time website and Park brochures that will announce and track the formal development of the Trail of Time concept and the time table for implementation of the physical Trail of Time, and 3) Develop a formal plan for the broader Trail of Time geoscience program.