"Sometimes getting to a place to observe geologic evidence is tough" (Ira Flatow - Dec 2016). To solve that problem I've built a virtual field trip that combines interactive high-resolution 360-degree photospheres, embedded 3-D modeling of individual rocks from the field site and embedded NGSS-style guided questions. It allows users to explore the landscape of the Columns of the Giants in the Sierra Nevada and solve the questions "What are the Columns of the Giants and How Did they Form?" This activity will introduce users to my first Immersive Virtual Field Experience (IVFE), briefly explain the rationale for creating it, the pedagogy that makes it work and then allow ample time for independent exploration of the resource while attendees reflect on how the resource could be integrated in their courses.

Field experiences are an integral and attractive part of an education in the geosciences, and considered formative by many students. However, at many institutions class sizes, transportation, and other barriers make field trips difficult to include in geoscience classes, particularly in lower-division coursework. We will demonstrate using the free "Flyover Country" app to design self-guided field trips that students can take on their own schedules, while still having expert knowledge in their pockets (or wherever they keep their phones). Participants will learn how to download and use the app, input their own field trip information, and understand the benefits and drawbacks of use in different classroom settings.

The aim of this NSF Transforming Undergraduate Education (TUES) project is to engage students in class activities through the remote use of research instrumentation housed at the Florida Center for Analytical Electron Microscopy (FCAEM). Participants expect to transition students from passive learners to self-directed investigators. In this demonstration, we will be operating the JEOL JSM-5900 LV Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) over the internet. Minerals will be viewed in secondary electrons (SE) to observe physical properties such as habit, fracture, and cleavage. Backscattered electrons (BSE) will be used to observe density and compositional variations by changes in grey scale color. Audience members will be given the opportunity to work with these minerals in SE or BSE and perform chemical analyses using the Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). The protocol for this exercise is given at: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/mineralogy/activities/95176.html and has been applied in the FIU class GLY 3202L Earth Materials. Majority of the students who did this, and other activities in Earth Materials using electron microscopy, have been surveyed and they indicated that the experience had furthered their understanding of both the course material and science.

In this session, we will demonstrate how students can, in the classroom, use a remotely-accessed scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron dispersion spectrometer (EDS) for course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and inquiry-based learning. We will show how students can use the EDS to determine elemental makeup of rock/mineral fragments or sands and use this to identify minerals. We will also demonstrate how students can use the SEM to recognize quartz sand surface textures and use this to determine depositional environments and/or climate settings for various quartz sands. Participants will work through parts of several activities and receive access to these activities.