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PLEASE NOTE: Trip postponed till 2014. Stories
driven by geology Geology is most fascinating when it connects to human stories, which abound on this trip's itinerary. Here are a few examples. |
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The earthquake-prone Bay Area braces for the Big One. Will the continuous updating of engineering designs be adequate to protect the population? |
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The volcanic gases and hot springs
around the ski resort of Mammoth Lakes have already claimed lives. Do they
foretell the reawakening of an unimaginably destructive supervolcano? |
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In
Yosemite Valley, author John Muir was mocked as a "mere
sheepherder" when he challenged the leading geologists of his day,
claiming that glaciers had etched the spectacular landscape. Was he mostly correct? |
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Gold,
famously discovered in 1848 in the Sierra Foothills, drew the nation west and
led to San Francisco becoming a major city and California becoming a state.
What does this belt of gold deposits have in common with the Dahlonega belt
in Georgia? |
photo
courtesy of Pamela Gore |
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A court
victory by conservationists saved Mono Lake (where weird towers of tufa, or calcium carbonate, form by
evaporation). How close did a thirsty metropolis over 300 miles to the south
come to sucking it dry? |
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Geology on the Edge will be especially rewarding to Georgia teachers of 5th and 6th
grade, who teach about earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, erosion, and the origins of rocks. There will be opportunities to build lessons, based on trip stops, that both teach Earth science concepts and connect with the common core curriculum. |
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For example, a Yosemite Valley lesson can invite students to read and write about the scientific controversy in which John Muir rightly argued for a glacial origin of the valley's landforms, contesting the views of the leading scientists of his day. They can also apply math and social studies to prepare a graph of elevations (topographic profile) across the valley that demonstrates a classic glacial valley U-shape. |
A topographic profile across
Yosemite Valley, generated using Google Earth. |
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Linking engineering and math with science is central to the STEM approach, as embodied in the Next Generation Science Standards that will likely become GeorgiaÕs standards in 2015. A classic application is the new construction to reduce earthquake risk that we will examine on the UC Berkeley campus. To get the most out of the trip, you are invited to a pre-trip session. Dr. Witherspoon will introduce the sites to be visited using maps, a slideshow, and Google Earth fly-through. Attendees will learn about stories behind selected sites Ð such as the Muir Yosemite controversy; earthquake risk and readiness near San Francisco; impacts of a gold rush town on the Sierra foothills landscape; the hazards of having a skiing mecca atop an active volcano at Mammoth Mountain; and a court case that saved waters feeding Mono Lake from the city of Los Angeles. Teacher participants are invited to select one of these stories as a focus. Optionally, the teacher can do a little online research and share information on the topic when the site is visited. Dr. Witherspoon will be available by e-mail after the trip for any teachers who wish to continue developing a lesson based on their chosen site and story. |
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Bill Witherspoon
earned his PhD in Geology from the University of Tennessee in 1981. As a
graduate student he began leading trips for geology students and the public,
including a course for the Smoky Mountain Field School and a geology trip for
the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.
Since 1997, he has been an instructor at Fernbank Science Center, part
of DeKalb County Schools, teaching K-12 students and teachers, and leading
hundreds of outdoor geology excursions.
In 2007, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers named him
Georgia Outstanding Earth Science Teacher. |
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In 2001,
Bill organized and led Geology on a Grand Scale, an eight-day trip to Arizona for
teachers and the public that visited the Grand Canyon, a dinosaur trackway, Sunset
Volcano, Meteor Crater, the mesas of the Hopi nation, and many other sites.
One participant wrote, "The course...was as
close to perfect as it gets...Dr. Witherspoon taught his students
geology with a passion. He had an abundance of maps, charts, diagrams, and
props to make clear the lessons of the time and place....It would have been
impossible to remain passive about the geology of Arizona on this trip...I
have been fortunate to have taken trips like this before,,,, but I have never
had an experience so well planned, well executed, and well taught as this
one." After 12
years (including the last 5 summers spent researching and co-authoring a
geology book for the public, Roadside Geology of Georgia,
forthcoming from
Mountain Press), Bill is ready to lead another trip of similar scope and
length. As a member since 2006 of the Science Education Advisory Committee
for the Georgia Department of Education, he brings to this trip an awareness
of the synergy between science and the other strands of Georgia's K-12
curriculum. |
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Questions and Answers About the
Trip How
will we travel in the field? A bus with driver will be our usual transportation. There is also
a gondola lift to the summit of 11,060 ft. Mammoth Mountain, and a ferry to
Angel Island in San Francisco bay. How
many people will participate? The trip
will "make" with 14 participants, with a maximum of 24. Who
can participate? Although
instruction is geared for 5th and 6th grade teachers
(in all subjects), any adult is welcome. What
will the trip cost? As planned for 2013 the land cost for the trip was $1450 double occupancy, $1850 single. 2014 prices should be similar and will be set early in 2014. As soon as you are notified that the trip has "made," you may use frequent flyer points or book air travel to San Francisco on your own, or through the trip agent, Academy International Travel Services, Inc.
Estimated airfare is $600. Is
there funding? Are
Professional Learning Units (PLU's) available? A proposal for 2013 stipend funding and PLU's was not approved, which was one factor that led to postponing the trip. Application will be made for PLU's and teacher funding for the 2014 trip. Could
unusual weather affect the itinerary? Late
snowstorms in the Sierra Nevada occasionally cause Yosemite's high country
(Glacier Point, Tuolomne Meadows) to remain closed into June. If this happens
we will enjoy a more leisurely visit to Yosemite Valley (going directly there
from SF on Day 2), and see a bit more of the gold rush country and the
Eastern Sierra on a longer drive from Mariposa to Mammoth Lakes on Day
3. The road
to Devil's Postpile National Monument typically opens in mid-June depending
on the snowpack, so if it remains closed on Day 5, we will have more time
with some of the Sierra Nevada's oldest rock layers in the vicinity of the
classic tarn (lake in a glacier-carved amphitheater), Convict Lake. What
are the physical demands of the trip? Several of
the trip stops involve walking a few hundred yards. The moderate hike to
McLeod Lake is optional and is less than two miles round trip. An optional 3-mile hike at Convict
Lake will be offered, if Devil's Postpile is closed due to snow. If you have
any physical limitations please let the instructor know, and he will do his
best to make accommodations. If you have further questions, please use the short contact form below. |
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