15-5 Providing Hands-On Geoscience Experience to Texas High School Students

Session: Geoscience Outreach Efforts to Broaden Participation, Part I

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Abstract:

GeoFORCE Texas is a youth education outreach program for high school students across Texas whose goal is to identify and develop the next generation of STEM leadership in the geosciences field and create an increased awareness of the importance of geosciences. Student learning is achieved through a progressive academy model where high school students join us for one week during the summer over the course of 4 years to participate in hands-on geological field experiences in Texas and throughout the United States. Our 9th grade academy is based in Texas and has a focus on introducing students to geology through activities teaching them the foundations of geoscience and the impact it has on the world, how to identify the three major rock types, and practical field skills such as how to properly complete a geologic sketch. Our 10th grade academy has a focus on how to read the rock record and use Steno’s Laws to piece together the geologic history of the American Southwest spanning across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. These students also study planetary geology supported by a visit and activity at Lowell Observatory. Our 11th grade academy takes students to the Pacific Northwest, an active plant boundary, to study plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the impact they have on our lives by visiting several active volcanos and areas that have been impacted by past eruptions. On top of the educational aspects, all three academies include bus travel, hotel stays, meal planning, and the completion of a final project that applies to the focus of each experience. The process of planning for and completing the academies is a year-round project done but the GeoFORCE leadership team. In this presentation, I will discuss these logistics with the hope that similar programs can be implemented in the future.  

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-8873

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