UMD Science Labs Field Trip
Objectives
Opportunity for High School students to:
-visit college labs
-use technology to ask/answer questions
-see a college campus
-meet professionals and students in science and math
-see/use technology that they have never seen before
Methods
TARGET AUDIENCE
2-15 high school students who may or may not have an interest in going to college and
working in science/math in the future. Took one additional school
faculty/paraprofessional for student supervision.
STUDENT SELECTION
Students were required to get permission from all teachers of classes they would miss to
attend, get permission from parents, and write one sentence explaining why they would
like to go on the field trip.
ITINERARY
8:50-9:10
(waiting for the bus)
-Review with students the plan for the day
-Preview questions for Petrography Lab, look at geologic maps
9:10-9:30
-bus to UMD
9:30-10:00
-Petrographic Microscope Lab
10:00-10:10
-visit my grad office, see the rock saw
10:10-10:40
-Venus lab presentation with 2 grad students
10:45-11:30
-GIS lab presentation with Geography professor
11:30-12:10
-lunch in food court
-casual debrief
12:10-12:30
-bus back to High School
INVOLVING INQUIRY
Preview (time waiting for bus)
Facilitator: Sally, GK-12 fellow, Geology grad student
1. Review with students the plan for the day
2. Preview first lab (since we only had a short time there). Looked at geologic
maps from my research area, explained different rock units, how we would be
looking at tectonic features in the microscopes that can translate to the map scale.
Briefly explain that the small scale relates to the large scale features.
Petrographic Microscope Lab
Facilitator: Sally, GK-12 fellow, Geology grad student
1. Explain basics of microscope use
2. students observe thin sections in plain and xpl light
3. Have students explain what they see. What is it? (Rock of various Minerals)
How many different minerals are there? Why do they look different in plane and
xpl light?
4. Discuss, explain why minerals have predictable properties.
5. Observe fabrics (crenulations, symplectite, shear sense indicators, etc.). Explain
the patterns you observe and evidence for reactions. Why do you think these
patterns emerge? Discuss/explain how the patterns relate back to the tectonic /
regional scale and the maps shown during the “preview” time.
Venus Lab
Facilitators: Bhairavi Shankar and Emily Bjonnes, geology grad students
1. Personal Introductions
2. What do you know about Venus? Earth? How are they different?
3. Imagery Observations. What does Venus look like?
4. Invite hypotheses about how circular features form.
5. Bhairavi and Emily explain their research.
6. Emily shows students how MatLab works, why she needs math to study the
viability of Venus resurfacing hypotheses.
GIS Lab
Facilitator: Scott Freundschuh, Geography Dept. professor
1. Personal Introductions
2. What is GIS?
3. Show how GIS works- from remote sensing, to classification, to query.
4. Show how simple math is very important. Example: reduce DEM data from
16x16 to 4x4 pixels.
5. Example of how GIS can solve problems: least cost analysis; find least
friction path of new powerline from plant to existing powerline through land
that includes lakes, urban, wetland, forest, and grass surfaces.
6. Discuss what GIS can do. Why is this different than Photoshop (first
observation by one student)?
Results/ Reflection
Most students showed interest in the subjects and participated when asked
questions or asked to describe something. The students came from a “Directed Studies”
class and were all considered “at risk” or “below grade level” in one or more subjects.
While it is hard to measure the motivation of students following a field trip like this, it is
hoped that the trip helped them become interested in science and technology and also feel
confidence in their own abilities. They were able to see a college campus, find that they
are capable of operating various technologies, can raise interesting questions, and then
can see that there might be a special technology to help answer simple or complex
questions.
This field trip could be done in a variety of labs and also tie in more directly with
a specific unit. Posing questions, requiring students to make observations, and then
requiring students to make hypotheses about phenomena involved the beginning steps of
inquiry.
Student Reflections