Enhancing the Geology Curriculum by Incorporating Cathodoluminescence Microscopy into Courses and Student Projects

对于增强的地质学课程，学生需要更吸引人的学习方法。这个项目的主要目标是发展将地质学和化学联系起来的实践经验。许多地质学专业的学生从事的项目是测定天然水的化学成分，但该系没有仪器可以用岩石做同样的事情。因此，学生只能听到岩石的化学成分，而不能自己确定。可以帮助弥合岩石学和岩石化学之间差距的一个强有力的工具是阴极发光(CL)。化学发光提供了常见矿物(例如方解石中的锰和铁)中微量元素分布的清晰、直观的图像。通过使用标准的显微镜观察从一块岩石中收集到所有他们能收集到的东西的学生，可以通过用化学发光来补充他们的研究，从而发现关于样品的地球化学的更多信息。在沉积-地层学实验室，学生们正在使用发光识别矿物，观察发光分带，并解释成岩历史。然后，学生们使用他们收集的样本进行一个独立的课堂项目。从这些练习中，学生们可以看到岩石记录中的复杂性，这是他们用标准的显微技术看不到的。地球化学专业的学生可以通过课堂讨论和实验室练习进一步了解产生这些复杂性的化学情景。通过在地质学研究中应用化学发光分析，学生可以继续追求他们对岩石学和地球化学的兴趣。项目负责人可以通过跟踪CL单元的使用情况，并在课程评估表上向学生提出有关该工具对他们学习的影响的相关问题，来评估拟议的项目。在专业会议和教育期刊上，可以讨论将合作学习作为一种工具来提供将两个学科联系起来的实践经验的价值。学生可以在当地和地区的专业会议上展示研究项目的成果。

For an enhanced geology curriculum, students need more engaging methods of learning. The primary goal of this project is the development of hands-on experiences that link geology and chemistry. Many geology students work on projects in which they determine the chemistry of natural waters, but the department has no instruments with which to do the same using rocks. Thus, students are able only to hear about the chemistry of rocks rather than determine it themselves. A powerful tool that can help bridge the gap between petrography and rock chemistry is cathodoluminescence (CL). CL gives a clear, visual picture of trace element distributions in common minerals (e.g., Mn and Fe in calcite). Students who have gleaned all that they can from a rock by using standard microscopic observations can discover much more about the sample's geochemistry by complementing their studies with CL. In Sedimentation-Stratigraphy lab, students are identifying minerals using luminescence, observing luminescent zoning, and interpreting diagenetic histories. Students then conduct an independent class project using samples that they collect. From these exercises, students can see complexities in the rock record that they could not see using standard microscopic techniques. Geochemistry students can gain further insight into the chemical scenarios that produced these complexities through class discussions and a lab exercise. Students can continue to pursue their interest in petrography and geochemistry by applying CL analysis in Research in Geology. Project leaders can evaluate the proposed project by tracking use of the CL unit and by asking students pertinent questions on course evaluation forms concerning the impact of the instrument on their learning. At professional meetings and in educational journals, the value of using CL as a tool to provide hands-on experiences that link two disciplines can be discussed. Students can present results of research projects at local and regional professional meetings.