39-3 Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE): An EarthScope Partnership and Team Science Field Course

Session: Learning to be a Geoscientist: Professional Exposure, Agency, and Transferable Skills in Undergraduate Education. (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 167

Presenting Author:

Matthew Dawson

Authors:

McPhee, Darcy¹, Pratt-Sitaula, Beth², Ferguson, John F.³, Anderson, Megan L.⁴, Bedrosian, Paul A.⁵, Dawson, Matthew⁶, Earney, Tait⁷, Kelley, Shari A.⁸, Martinez, Alex⁹, Mostafanejad, Akram¹⁰, Peacock, Jared¹¹, Smith, Eva¹²

(1) Retired (formerly with USGS), USA, (2) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (3) University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA, (4) Washington Geological Survey, Olympia, WA, USA, (5) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO, USA, (6) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (7) U.S. Geological Survey, Moffett Field, CA, USA, (8) New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Los Alamos, NM, USA, (9) Retired (formerly with ExxonMobil), USA, (10) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (11) U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, USA, (12) University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA,

Abstract:

Since its inception in 1983, over 1000 students from around the world have participated in the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) program for undergraduate and graduate students and working professionals. The EarthScope Consortium and its predecessor organizations, which operates the NSF National Geophysical Facility, have supported a wide variety of geophysics research and educational endeavors since 1984.  Starting in 2026, SAGE and EarthScope  have formed a new partnership with the goal of better supporting student geophysics field education and workforce preparation. Team science is a fundamental tenet of this partnership.

SAGE students use geophysics to address a scientific research question or applied geoscience problem of value to society, while operating as effective, professional members of a scientific team. SAGE’s motto is ‘Learning Geophysics by Doing Geophysics’. The central activity of SAGE is the acquisition, processing, and integrated interpretation of various geophysical datasets. SAGE integrates online learning, classroom and field lectures, geologic field trips, hands-on data acquisition, and team-based data processing, interpretation, and oral/written presentation. Teamwork is a crucial and integral component of SAGE. In the field, students are divided into squads that rotate together through different activities each day such that each student participates in collecting data for all the available methods over 6 field days. During the data processing and interpretation phase, students choose a particular method on which to concentrate while also participating in integrated teams focused on a common scientific question. Final presentations are organized by the integrated teams; each student presents a conference-style talk and extended abstract within the context of the overall team objective. 

The SAGE-EarthScope team-based educational approach continues to evolve in a changing world while providing future generations of geoscientists with the foundational tools needed to tackle future challenges. This presentation discusses the current SAGE-EarthScope educational model, lessons learned, and challenges faced while striving to offer an inclusive and immersive learning environment to future geoscientists.

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