Workshop Agenda:
Teaching Geology and Public Health


Pre-workshop reading list of supporting materials for talks given by invited speakers.

See the workshop and field trip photo gallery.

Wed. May 12

Travel to Bozeman, arrive before 4 PM
Shuttle to Chico Hot Springs

6:30 Dinner

7:30 Ice Breaker Activity, welcome, introductory remarks (PowerPoint 101kB May13 04)
Goals, preview of activities, supporting tools, and expected outcomes.


Thurs. May 13 - Where are we today?

7:00-8:30 Breakfast

8:30-9:00 Plenary I: Overarching themes
Jean Bahr and Catherine Skinner
Human Health and Instruction, major themes (PowerPoint 1.7MB May13 04)

9:00-10:15 Breakout I
Why is Geology and Human Health important? Making the Case
  1. What are the big questions?
  2. What are we trying to teach?
  3. What are the learning goals?
  4. What are the essentials?

This session will begin with round-table discussions to "survey the landscape" of why geology is important to human health issues, and to help define associated learning goals and opportunities. Each group will produce a one-page statement to make a compelling case to colleagues about why human health is an important topic that should be addressed throughout the geoscience curriculum. These documents will be posted on the webpage, and summaries will be reported out after lunch.
Results from this session (Microsoft Word 51kB May31 04)

10:15-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00 Breakout II:
What, where and how are we teaching about Geology and Human Health?
  1. Introductory geoscience courses?
  2. In the geoscience major courses?
  3. New, emerging geoscience courses?
  4. Beyond geosciences--multidisciplinary courses?

This session will be another round table discussion, with participants sorted by their interests in teaching geology and human health in different learning environments. Each group will produce lists of current activities, with examples of current practices across the geoscience curriculum and beyond. These documents will be posted on the webpage, and summaries will be reported out after lunch. .
Results from this session (Microsoft Word 157kB May31 04)

12:00-1:00 LUNCH

1:30-2:00 Report-outs from Discussions I and II

2:00-3:30 Case Studies
A range of current practices
3:30-3:45 Break

3:45-5:00 Working Groups I
What is currently available?
The focus on this session is a review of ways we are currently teaching human health topics. What resources, activities, practices exist in these areas?
  1. Air-borne hazards
  2. Water-borne hazards
  3. Earth material hazards

Participants will self-organize in groups focused on the thematic topics suggested above (and perhaps others). The purpose of this session is to begin an in-depth inventory and review of existing instructional resources in these areas. These resources may already reside on the WWW as general resources, and others may specifically be problem sets, assignments, or other activities that have been developed for instructional use. Resources identified will be used to further develop the workshop collections of URLs and instructional materials, and is a necessary first step towards a "needs assessment" to determine what additional resources are needed in these areas.


6:00 DINNER

7:00 Dessert, coffee and poster session, classroom activities, and computer demos
What are people currently doing in:
  • Research, and how can we move this into the classroom?
  • Education, what materials/activities currently exist?


Friday May 14 - Next Steps Towards an Action Plan

7:00-8:00 Breakfast

8:00-8:30 Charge of the day and reflections from yesterday

8:30-10:00 Case Studies II
Multi-disciplinary approaches and partnerships
10:00-10:30 Break

10:30-12:00 Working Groups II
Looking ahead - what is needed?
What units, modules, activities, courses, data, images,...?

12:00-1:00 LUNCH

1:30-2:30 Whole Group Reflection
  • Overarching themes
  • Best practices
  • What are the opportunities, and future needs?

2:30-3:00 Break

3:00-4:30 Action Planning Teams
What happens next, by whom? (Microsoft Word 45kB May28 04)
e.g. theme sessions, curriculum development, or articles.

4:00 David Feary, National Research Council
Research Priorities: Earth Sciences and Public Health (PowerPoint 54kB May14 04)

4:30-5:30 Report Outs
Workshop Evaluation

6:30 DINNER
Evening - open for swimming and informal networking poolside.


Saturday May 15 - Field Trip

7:00 Breakfast and check out

8:00 Depart for field trip
Field trip to Berkeley Pit, Butte - Silver Bow Super Fund Site, Anaconda

See the workshop and field trip photo gallery.

5:00 Depart Butte

6:30 Dinner in Bozeman

Return to Grantree Inn, Bozeman


Sunday, May 16

Shuttles to airport
Departures