Creation of an Interdisciplinary Earth Materials Testing Laboratory to Enhance Undergraduate Science Education

地球系统科学（40）该项目通过购置实验室设备，建立一个现代化的地球材料测试实验室，提高科学素养。动手，探究为基础的实验室活动的发展，让学生有机会探索，测试和分析地球材料的各种行为和特性。该项目强调在现场取样和实验室实验室与实际的地球材料的经验。这个地球材料测试实验室可容纳八个较低和较高水平的科学课程，影响每学期约500名学生。这包括在满足大学科学普通学位要求的班级注册的学生，教育专业（小学，初中和高中），获得地理，地质学，地球科学和自然科学辅修的学生，以及获得地理和自然科学专业的学生。实验室活动侧重于与地球材料测试有关的五个主题。这些主题包括：（1）物质取样和说明;（2）粒度分布分析;（3）沉积物特性测量;（4）物质对环境压力的反应的说明和测试;（5）河流过程的说明和测试。这些主题使学生通过模拟质量浪费，水文流动，沉积物运输和地球材料对压力的反应，对地球材料影响其生活的过程有了内在的理解。这五个主题贯穿地球科学课程，让学生欣赏课程中课程之间的相互关系。通过参与科学探究，学生们对科学方法有了更深的认识。这些地球科学练习正在通过互联网上的数字视频得到加强，使学生能够比较和对比他们的实验结果。材料改编自俄克拉荷马州州立大学、南卡罗来纳州大学、东南密苏里州州立大学和阿尔伯塔大学的项目，以及《地球科学教育杂志》和该领域其他杂志中描述的项目。

Earth Systems Science (40)This project is enhancing scientific literacy through the acquisition of laboratory equipment to create a modern Earth Materials Testing Laboratory. The development of hands-on, inquiry based laboratory activities allows students the opportunity to explore, test and analyze various behaviors and characteristics of earth materials. The project emphasizes experience in field sampling and laboratory experimentation with actual earth materials. This Earth Materials Testing Laboratory accommodates eight lower and upper level science courses, impacting approximately 500 students per semester. This includes students enrolled in classes that satisfy the University's science general degree requirement, education majors (elementary, middle and secondary), students obtaining minors in geography, geology, earth science and natural science, and students obtaining majors in geography and natural science. Laboratory activities focus on five themes related to earth materials testing. These themes include (1) material sampling and description, (2) analysis of grain size distribution; (3) measurement of sediment properties; (4) illustration and testing of material responses to environmental stresses; and (5) illustration and testing of fluvial processes. These themes allow students to develop an inherent understanding of the processes by which earth materials impact their lives through simulation of mass wasting, hydrologic flow, sediment transport and the response of earth materials to stress. These five themes cut across the earth science curriculum and allow students to appreciate the interrelationships between courses in a curriculum. By participating in scientific inquiry, students are gaining a deeper appreciation for the scientific method. These earth science exercises are being augmented using digital video posted to the Internet which allows students to compare and contrast their experimental results. Materials are being adapted from projects at Oklahoma State University, the University of South Carolina, Southeast Missouri State University, and the University of Alberta as well as those described in the Journal of Geoscience Education and other journals in the field.