On the Cutting Edge Workshop: Teaching Climate Change

published Jun 14, 2010 3:00pm
Teaching Climate Change from the Geologic Record
August 10-11, 2010 with optional field trip on August 12 at the University of Wyoming – Laramie


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.

For more information visit the workshop website. The application deadline has been extended to July 15, 2010. The workshop fee is $70 for faculty and professionals and $25 for high school teachers, community college faculty and graduate students. 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 .