Kevin Theissen

Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Role-Play Exercise part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Role Playing:Examples
When the science is so clear, why is it so difficult to make agreements that will reduce our impact on climate change? This exercise is designed to help students explore that important question in an active and engaging way. Students are cast into the roles of various important players in the climate change issue, including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, and industry representatives. Working in these roles, students must take a position, debate with others, and then vote on legislation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

How Effective is a Remediation System at a Regional Landfill? part of Cutting Edge:Geochemistry:Activities
In this activity, students begin exploring the effectiveness of a remediation system installed at a closed landfill system. Students learn the importance of redox chemistry in a real-world context and build field sampling skills.

Exploring oil spills part of Cutting Edge:Oceanography:Ocean System:Activities
This activity combines a hands-on demonstration and a follow-up homework assignment designed for students to investigate oil spill clean-up.

Environmental Geochemistry part of Cutting Edge:Course Design:Goals Database
This course focuses on geochemical processes that occur at or near the surface which are of particular importance to environmental quality and therefore to humans. During the first few weeks of the course students explore some important principles that serve as the foundations of geochemistry. The next several weeks of the course explore the application of geochemical tools in sediments, soils, and waters. In the final part of the course students work on applying these tools to answer a question of interest as part of a course research project.

The Earth's Record of Climate part of Cutting Edge:Course Design:Goals Database
In this course students explore the Earth's climate system and the climatic changes that have occurred during the history of the planet. Students get a hands-on introduction to the collection, analysis,and interpretation of climate data in laboratory sessions and in-class activities.