What is the Yellowstone collection?

This page was written by Denny Capps as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education.

The Yellowstone collection contains an assortment of digital resources relevant to the many components of the Yellowstone Geoecosystem: geology, geophysics, physiography, hydrology, biota (from microbes to grizzly bears), and human activities and their consequences in this amazing natural laboratory. This collection contains an abundance of maps, images, virtual field trips, datasets, technical papers and general information.

 

Who is this information for?

This collection of information is designed primarily for instructors and students in introductory Earth science courses. The collection may also be of interest for K-12 educators and the general public.

 

How do I use this collection?

To accommodate multiple teaching styles, resources in this collection are arranged into three categories:

• Key Topics

Resources are arranged in disciplinary topics to allow searching and browsing across the collections

• Exploration Pathways

Resources are arranged using an Earth system approach towards exploring the relationships among the many components of the Yellowstone Geoecosystem

• Compelling Research Questions

Resources are arranged to guide exploration of topical questions about the Yellowstone Geoecosystem

• Browse Resources

Use our handy search tool to quickly locate relevant information by subject area or type of resource (map, activity, etc). 
These four approaches to exploring the Yellowstone Geoecosystem are designed to support inquiry- and discovery-based learning, as well as Earth system science, investigative case-based, field-based, and traditional disciplinary instructional approaches. For more information about these, and other instructional strategies, please visit the Starting Point pages within SERC.

Course Materials related to Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone: A Natural Laboratory is an introductory course for non-majors that emphasizes modern research methods and results, taught by Dr. Cathy Whitlock, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University. Examples of course activities can be found by linking to

• Course Syllabus (Microsoft Word 64kB Jan7 08)
• Climate Change in Yellowstone National Park exercise (Microsoft Word 44kB Jan7 08)
• Group report exercise on topical research questions about Yellowstone National Park (Microsoft Word 30kB Jan7 08)
• Stream Data and Climate Change Exercise in Yellowstone National Park (Microsoft Word 29kB Jan7 08) with an Excel spreadsheet example of peak discharge data at a single location in Yellowstone National Park (Excel 121kB Jan7 08)

About This Project

Jump to more information about this and the Integrating Research in Education project.

Get Started!

Here are a few resources to introduce you to the Yellowstone Geoecosystem, and to provide a sampling of the resources in this collection.

 

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Satellite image courtesy of KBS, University of Kansas. All other images courtesy of the National Park Service.