On Monday, February 26^th UConn Early College Experience, and the UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator from Earth Science Prof. Thorson met with a group of three UConn ECE certified Earth Science Instructors for a professional development workshop. Instructors discussed Using Stone Walls for Teaching Earth Science ECE Courses.

Historic fieldstone walls are usually within easy reach of most schools and can be used for field trips or local visits enhancing ERTH 1051: Earth's Dynamic Environment and 1000E: The Human Epoch courses. The workshop provided instructors with a summary of the history of the general phenomenon and a description of the commonalities and differences of stone walls. The days discussion provided teachers with ways to enhance their teaching of ERTH 1051 and ERTH 1000E.

For more about stone walls and Thor's research please see "New England Stone Walls Deserve a Science of Their Own" from a recent UConn Today post and his work with theUConn's Stone Wall Initiative.

UConn ERTH courses offered through ECE.

On Wednesday, April 26th UConn Early College Experience Earth Science Instructors met with faculty from UConn’s ERTH Department. ECE Faculty Coordinator for ERTH, Dr. Robert Thorson led a walking tour around campus. After leaving Rowe, they headed east to Augustus Storrs Hall, the oldest masonry building on campus, which set the precedent for the campus layout in 1906 to follow the glacial grain. Crossing Swan Lake, they examined in sequence: the Stone Pavilion, a rubble of glacial slabs, the local bedrock (the Paleozoic Hebron Gneiss), and ended the walking tour with a walk up to experience the view from Horsebarn Hill. Returning to the center of campus, the group stopped in Beach Hall—home to UConn’s Earth Sciences Department. They toured the building, visited teaching labs for introductory geoscience courses, research labs, and met with Department Head, Tracy Frank.  After lunch the group engaged in presentation by Prof. Thorson on the Connecticut Landscape. Thor shared an article from CT insider that he wrote and highlighted the Climate Underground podcast.

UConn Earth Sciences courses offered through Early College Experience.

On Tuesday, April 5^th, UConn Early College Experience, and the UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator for Geosciences, Robert (Thor) Thorson, met with certified “GSCI 1051: Earth's Dynamic Environment” Instructors for their annual professional development conference.

The group shared how they are teaching the course in their high school settings this year. Later Thor discussed the upcoming change from GSCI to ERTH, sits visits, text books, the Climate Underground Podcast and NSF ECE Recruitment. Also discussed is UConn’s Geopath’s initiative and how Early College Experience offering UConn’s GSCI 1051 fits into the greater plans for fostering interest in high school students to continue their post-secondary education in the geoscience field.

UConn Geosciences courses offered through ECE.