Teaching Climate Change from the Geologic Record
August 10-11, 2010 with optional field trip on August 12
This workshop has already taken place. Workshop outcomes can be viewed on the program page.
University of Wyoming - Laramie
This workshop will be held in conjunction with the AMQUA Biennial Meeting and is co-sponsored by the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research and the American Quaternary Association.
A large part of our understanding of past climate change is derived from the geologic record. Assemblages of pollen grains preserved in lake sediments, changes in soils through time, and the bones of now-extinct mammals all reveal information about ancient ecosystems and past climates. Climate change researchers recognize that these geological insights are critical for assessing the sensitivity of plants and animals to future climate changes.
In this workshop, we will introduce participants to an array of paleoclimate records and explain how they are collected, analyzed, and interpreted. The workshop will provide hands-on opportunities to examine fossils and use public-domain databases to develop classroom teaching exercises. It will also include an optional, one-day field trip to world-renowned archeological sites near Laramie, WY.
Cathy Whitlock, Montana State University (USNC/INQUA Chair)
Karin Kirk, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College
Alison Smith, Kent State University
Greg Wiles, The College of Wooster
Rolfe Mandel, University of Kansas
Cathryn Manduca, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College
This workshop is part of the On the Cutting Edge professional development program for current and future geoscience faculty, supported by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers with funding provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation - Division of Undergraduate Education. Additional support is provided by the American Quaternary Association and the U.S. National Committee for Quaternary Research. This workshop was built upon prior workshops, including Teaching Climate Change: Lessons from the Past and Teaching Climate Change with Ice Core Data.