Students choose a place that is named based on its relationship to geomorphology. They research and describe the geologic template, geologic processes and time involved in the formation of their chosen place and use Google Earth to report their results.

Each student must choose a current news article that relates to geomorphology. Each student will given an oral presentation about the article, including a synopsis of the story and a description of geomorphic processes that are involved. The other students are able to ask questions. The activity gives the students a chance to relate what they are learning about in class to current events and social issues.
Designed for a geomorphology course
Has minimal/no quantitative component

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This two-week long laboratory exercise examines the linkages between the endogenic (tectonic and isostatic) and exogenic processes that created the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) landscape. The landform analysis portion of the exercise focuses upon recent basaltic volcanism and the Menan Buttes, the St. Anthony dunes and the fluvial drainage patterns that developed in the region.

As a culminating project in Applied Geophysics, students plan, design, deploy and analyze independent geophysical field surveys at the university or within the town. These surveys may be on campus (i.e. using GPR or seismic refraction to investigate the likelihood of landsliding near a campus road), or within the greater community. In many cases, potential projects are brought to the class by community groups such as the local Department of Public Works or environmental firms. Recent projects include looking for evidence of an underground storage tank beneath a downtown sidewalk, using GPR to identify debris flows on a nearby alluvial fan, and documentation of ancient tribal gravesites in a local cemetery). Students work in small (2-4 person) groups and where appropriate collaborate with community members to plan the survey and ensure that the appropriate data are collected. Students first submit a project proposal, which gives them experience in developing a hypothesis and justifying their proposed work. Following data collection and analysis, the students write a summary report of the project, a copy of which is given to the community member or organization (in an unofficial context). Students present their work to the class in a short Powerpoint presentation.
Has minimal/no quantitative component
Uses geophysics to solve problems in other fields

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Each student draws a location from a hat. Then they have one week to research the area, starting with its general plate tectonics situation and then on to specific geophysical information on the place. The knowledge must then be distilled into a one page written report with reference and a 10 minute presentation (usually PowerPoint) to the class. Oral presentations (done in lab so we have sufficient time) are graded by their peers as well as myself.
Has minimal/no quantitative component

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Walks the student through the creation of a prediction map using a very simple (fictitious) spatial planning and analysis scenario. Although the actual prediction "rules" for this scenario are not from a geoscience background, the GIS techniques practiced here can apply to geoscience prediction/analysis scenarios with more complex rules. The exercise mainly deals with vector geoprocessing ("map overlay") operations, such as buffering, union, dissolve, clip, but combines them with spatial joins and spatial queries. The results are presented as a map.

As a result of this lab you should be able to understand the process of georeferencing and be able to carry it out (part A). You should also be able to make a map of the results and gain a basic understanding of how land use has changed during the time period depicted by the aerial photographs (Parts B and C).

This project involved students in in-depth research, thus understanding, of the geological setting of Bozeman. Teams defined the scope of their investigations (with faculty oversight) and delegated tasks to build a knowledge base. This understanding lead to the outreach component -- a poster session to present this knowledge to the campus and broader community. The poster contents were submitted in a digital form as well, with the long-term goal the compilation of a printed poster (suitable for the Chamber of Commerce, for example, to distribute) analogous to those produced for the Geoscape Canada project.
As a hook, I would plan to do a brief pretest on the region involving WHAT students know about the region beforehand and WHY they might need to know. Sample questions: Content: How deep would one have to dig or drill to find groundwater under downtown Bozeman Under the airport?? Significance: Which of the following processes/hazards are made worse by groundwater close to the surface? Earthquakes, Landslides... An advantage to such a pretest would be an end-of-semester reflection exercise including the same test as a post-test.

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Students complete a scientific research project including asking a question, developing methods, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating results. The research question begins "What do other students think about _____" and students fill in the blank with a topic that interests them from the class. Although it is geoscience education research, it involves students in the process of science while learning about a topic of their choosing, making it an effective learning tool for all students.

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In this exercise students watch a video and then participate in a think-pair-share activity. The activity is designed to stimulate reflection and discussion on the nature of geospatial data. The activity emphasizes the ways in which the digital revolution has transformed the way we think and gather information about spatially located features, and how we navigate to those features.

This geotechnical project allows the student to become familiar with laboratory soil report and construction site maps. Student gain insight to the responsibilities of a Geotechnical Soil Scientist through determining the best use of soils and location for building structures and retention ponds.
The student is the on-site soil scientist/engineer for a construction project. The project is to build a local farm stand. Three site maps are provided: a topographic map of the site, a topographic map showing the location of the building pad and boreholes; a site map showing the topography after the construction is complete. The building pad will be at 27' and be the foundation for the farm stand. In this lab, students will solve problems that typically arise during the design and construction phase of a project. To help complete the lab, students need to create a soil laboratory report (see my activity: Soils as Construction Materials).

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In this problem set the students use two different equations to calculate a conductive geothermal gradient using a spreadsheet program like Excel. Once they have the geothermal gradient plotted, they are asked to experiment with and comment on the model by changing parameters (e.g. mantle heat flow, thermal conductivity). There is a mix of specific, fill in the blank questions and open-ended questions. This problem set helps develop quantitative problem solving skills using a spreadsheet as a tool, and forces students to think about thermal constraints during igneous and metamorphic processes.

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Students analyze the geology and geophysics of a simple fabricated flat planet to analyze its tectonics, deepening their understanding of plate tectonics concepts and discovering for themselves some of the more counter-intuitive aspects of the theory of plate tectonics.

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Students use one hand to gesture crystallographic axes and the other hand to represent planes designated by Miller Indices.

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Students use gestures to show the structures of single and double chain silicate minerals, paying attention to where silica tetrahedra share oxygen ions and the relative positions of the tetrahedra.

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The purpose of this brief (~15 minutes) activity is for students to directly observe some of the unique properties of water that are the result of hydrogen bonds, such as capillary action, adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension. Students will compare the behavior of water to that of vegetable oil, a non-polar liquid. I have created an activity handout that can either be given to directly to the students or used as a guide by the instructor. It includes vocabulary terms and a discussion "answer key" that should be edited if given directly to students. There is also an "extension activity" that addresses the concept of immiscible solutions.

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In this problem set students apply the finite difference method to develop a simple box model and then explore the impact of anthropogenic changes to the modeled system.

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Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry method uses overlapping images to create a 3D point cloud of an object or landscape. It can be applied to everything from fault scarps to landslides to topography. This exercise is intended as an introduction to the method so students can later proceed on to other more complicated data sets situated in the context of a geological research question. In this simple starting exercise students take photos in or around their own home area. If this version of the exercise has been adapted for a remote field experience, but certainly can (and has) been done as part of an in-person field course too.
The software used in Agisoft MetaShape Pro. Other software can accomplish the same thing but MetaShape is the one most commonly used by geoscientists. Fully functional 30-day trials area available and can be loaded on both Windows and Mac student computers.
Day 1 - This activity is part of the 2-week remote field course Geoscience Field Issues Using High-Resolution Topography to Understand Earth Surface Processes

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Teacher guide and tutorial for accessing data using the Quake Catcher Network (QCN) portal.

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This activity is a lab where the students try to make a lightbulb light up using two wires, a battery and a lightbulb.