U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Schoolyard Geology (http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard) originated in San Quentin State Prison, where Matthew d’Alessio, a scientist with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Team in Menlo Park, California, taught geology to inmates. After discovering how the prison yard could become a geological field site, d’Alessio developed Schoolyard Geology, which explains how to conduct a geologic field trip in a schoolyard or backyard. Activities include mapping a schoolyard using USGS's The National Map, locating and identifying rocks, and learning geologic concepts such as glacial striations, layers, and sinkholes.

The USGS has produced a new high school curriculum titled Counter Contamination: Data and DDE. The five lessons in the curriculum, appropriate for a biology or environmental science class, introduce students to ecotoxicology and encourage them to ask questions, then use the resulting data to attempt to answer those questions. Students learn about bias and how it can affect scientific research, study the effects of contaminants on wildlife, focus on data analysis and interpretation, and interpret trends and hypothesize the need for humans to protect the environment from pollutants. An introduction, outline, teachers manual, glossary, and bibliography for all five lessons can be downloaded free; access http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/contaminants-online, and select “Tools for Teachers.”

The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) conducts research on the losses of wetlands in coastal systems, the changes in fresh and estuarine systems due to changes in water quality, and the resulting effects on birds. The NWRC also investigates related inland issues, such as bottomland hardwoods and the health of neotropical birds. The data collected by NWRC serve the needs of interested state and government agencies, and can play a part in legislative initiatives. The NWRC website includes fact sheets and other background information on hot topics, such as Hurricane Katrina and radar ecology, a searchable publication database, and The Fragile Fringe: A Guide for Teaching About Coastal Wetlands. The Fragile Fringe guide offers ideas for teaching elementary through high school students about wetlands issues. Go to http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov.

The earthquake that shook northern California on April 18, 1906, still ranks as the most damaging one in U.S. history. With seismic waves reaching 7.8 on the Richter scale, the Great San Francisco Earthquake revealed to geologists the existence and significance of the San Andreas fault, and led to the beginning of seismology, the science of earthquakes. Now it’s possible to take a virtual tour of that tumultuous event by using the interactive software, Google Earth. The tour explores the earthquake and its aftermath from scientific, engineering, and human perspectives. Users will be able to visualize and better understand the causes and effects of this famous, century-old event as well as explore the possibilities and impacts of future earthquakes. Visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/virtualtour. Numerous other USGS resources related to the 1906 quake—from 3-D ground-shaking simulations and documentary films to a series of articles explaining earthquake science at a middle school level—are available at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906.

The USGS has published more than 57,000 topographic maps covering different scales, settlements, and types of landscapes. Teachers can use the ideas compiled in this new online guide to integrate topographic maps into their science, environmental studies, and mathematics curricula. Each of the 27 suggested activities includes recommended grade levels, time needed, and materials required. Links to obtain maps and additional resources are also given. Read the guide at http://education.usgs.gov/common/lessons/teaching_with_topographic_maps.html.

Students of all ages who are studying threatened species can find information on sea otters at http://www.werc.usgs.gov/otters. The USGS Western Ecological Research Center studies the sea otter populations of California, Washington, and Alaska. Current research focuses on population biology and behavior, including studying deaths caused by entanglement in fishing equipment, predation of sea otters in marine ecosystems, contaminants in coastal ecosystems, and interactions between sea otters and near-shore communities. The website features a summary of the sea otter situation, a fact sheet, video, population survey results, and links to related resources.