Barb Tewksbury

Exercise 10: Plate Boundaries in the Woodlark Basin Region part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Exercise 10: Plate Boundaries in the Woodlark Basin Region is an exemplary entry-level GIS lab activity in which students integrate multiple geoscientific data sets—bathymetric and topographic DEMs, earthquake and volcano distributions, ocean floor ages, and motion vectors—to interpret complex plate boundary types and configurations in the Southwest Pacific, construct a topologically valid geologic map using ArcGIS with geodatabases and topology rules, and develop cartographic and higher-order analytical skills through a poster-based synthesis.

Exercise 8: Using LiDAR and GPS data to model the water table in ArcScene part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Exercise 8 is a peer-reviewed, exemplary GIS teaching activity where students use LiDAR and GPS data in ArcGIS to model the water table beneath Hamilton College’s campus, involving terrain modeling, field data collection, interpolation, and Model Builder workflow creation.

Exercise 6: The human impact of sea level changes, plus extensions to impacts of other natural events on human populations part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Exercise 6 is an exemplary GIS lab activity where students analyze the human impact of sea level rise and natural hazards using NOAA bathy/topo DEMs and census data, with extensions to tsunami inundation and Pleistocene land bridges, designed for an introductory geoscience course to develop technical GIS skills and higher-order scientific communication.

GIS course final project part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Instructional activity page detailing a final project for an entry-level GIS course where students design and conduct independent geospatial analyses and develop teachable classroom activities based on their work, emphasizing higher-order thinking, data evaluation, and pedagogical design, part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching collection.

Exercise 3: Reclassifying the New York State Geologic Map part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Educational activity page detailing a GIS-based exercise where geoscience students reclassify and simplify the New York State Geologic Map for cartographic clarity, covering data merging, projection troubleshooting, attribute reclassification, and map design principles within an exemplary peer-reviewed teaching framework.

Exercise 1: Introduction to spatial data – mapping the classroom with paper and pencil part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
This educational activity page presents a classroom exercise introducing spatial data concepts through paper-and-pencil mapping, covering scale, location, coordinate systems, and metadata in a GIS context for geoscience students.

Exercise 5: Choropleth Map of the Happiest States part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
This educational activity page presents an exemplary GIS exercise where students create choropleth maps using Excel data tables and US state shapefiles to visualize happiness levels, while also learning cartographic design principles and map evaluation; it includes downloadable teaching materials, assessment methods, and is part of the On the Cutting Edge professional development program for geoscience educators.

GIS Resource Portfolio part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
A peer-reviewed teaching activity page detailing a semester-long GIS course assignment where students create a personalized, organized, and future-useful GIS resource portfolio, including data sources, software projects, and annotated references, assessed via iterative rubric-based evaluations.

Exercise 8: Nevada Mines analysis – choosing water sampling sites to test for possible water contamination part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
This is an exemplary teaching activity page from the On the Cutting Edge collection that details a GIS-based lab exercise where geoscience students analyze EPA data on Nevada mines to prioritize water sampling sites for contamination testing using proximity to streams and satellite imagery in Google Earth.

Introductory Tutorial/Refresher for Basic ArcMap Techniques for Geoscientists, with Emphasis on Working with Raster Data Sets part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Barbara and David Tewksbury, Hamilton College Summary This series of three activities in tutorial format serves not only as an introduction to ArcGIS for our intro geology, hydrogeology, and structural geology ...

Downloading Earthquake Data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Site for Anywhere in the World and Studying it Using ArcGIS part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Students download earthquake data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards website and plot and anlyze the earthquakes using ArcMap and ArcScene.

Using ArcGIS to Study the New Lakes in the Toshka Basin in Egypt and Evaluate Egypt's New Valley Project part of Introductory Courses:Activities
In this assignment, students use ArcGIS to analyze the new lakes that have formed in the Toshka Depression, Egypt as a result of overflow from Lake Nasser and use their analyses to evaluate the wisdom of the plan ...

Did it Rain on Mars? Analysis of Valley Networks on Mars in an Intro Geo Course part of Discoveries from Mars:Activities
Students investigate the question of whether it might have rained on Mars by doing an activity based on an article by Hynek and Phillips (2003). Students do a simple drainage basin analysis based on Hynek and ...

Using THEMIS Images of Mars Graben in a Structural Geology Course part of Discoveries from Mars:Activities
Students use Mars THEMIS images of normal faults to learn to recognize features of normal faults systems that are typically obscured on Earth by erosion and/or deposition and to calculate displacement and estimate ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Rate of Lava Flow part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question In 1983, an eruption began at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii that has proved to be the largest and longest-lived eruption since records began in 1823. Lava has poured out of the volcano at an average rate of ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Weight of Gold part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Let's suppose that you have a shoe box full of water (the box is waterproof, of course). The shoe box weighs about 9 kg (19.8 pounds). Suppose you emptied the box and filled it completely with rock ...

Structural Control of Giant Rock Avalanches in Argentina part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Activities
Students analyze the influence of bedrock structures on the locations of giant rock avalanches in Argentina. Activity is available in two versions: 1) short case example that can be used as an in-class activity or ...

Fold Analysis Challenge part of GEODE:GEODE Teaching Resources
The Fold Analysis Challenge (FAC) uses Google Earth and a customized Google Earth interface to help students visualize the orientations of eroded dipping sedimentary layers and to visualize the geometries of folds ...

Reservoir-induced seismicity at Nurek Reservoir in Tajikistan: case example part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Students use Google Earth to interpret aspects of the general bedrock geology and tectonic setting of the area around Nurek Reservoir in Tajikistan, evaluate reservoir induced seismicity associated with the ...

Increase in volcanism at the beginning of the Holocene on Reykjanes, Iceland: case example part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Students make simple stress calculations to determine whether deglaciation at the end of the Pleistocene may have been responsible for a short but dramatic increase in rates of volcanism on Reykjanes in Iceland as ...

The Faults at Delphi, the Oracle, and the Tectonic Setting of the Gulf of Corinth: Case Example part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Students interpret data on the faults at Delphi, evaluate the tectonic context of the faults, and explore the proposed connection between faults and the Delphic Oracle of Ancient Greece.

Crandall Canyon Mine Collapse, Utah: Case Example part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Students evaluate whether pillar failure and collapse caused ground shaking or whether an earthquake caused pillar failure and mine collapse in the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse in 2007.

Threat of Flank Collapse at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii: Case Example part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Students evaluate fault and earthquake data plus focal mechanism solutions, and develop a picture of on-going deformation of the south flank of Kilauea Volcano that might one day transition to catastrophic flank ...

Exercise 10: Egypt remote sensing part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Educational lab activity page for an entry-level GIS course where students analyze remote sensing data from Egypt by creating multiband image composites, layering raster datasets (DEM, hillshade, geologic maps, Landsat, ASTER), and proposing geological research projects, with peer-reviewed teaching materials provided by Hamilton College’s Tewksbury for On the Cutting Edge.

Exercise 6: Cartography part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Exercise 6: Cartography is an educational web page from the "On the Cutting Edge" teaching collection that presents a two-part GIS activity where students analyze ArcMap examples to identify data and cartographic techniques, then apply classic cartographic methods through tutorials, developing critical map design skills in an entry-level geoscience course.

Exercise 2: Introduction to coordinate systems and projections part of GIS and Remote Sensing:Activities2
Educational lab exercise teaching GIS students to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve coordinate system and projection issues through hands-on data manipulation in ArcMap, emphasizing spatial reference accuracy and datum transformations.

Introducing Geologic Map Interpretation and Cross Section Construction Using Google Earth part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Activities
A highly effective, non-traditional approach for using Google Earth to teach strike, dip, and geologic map interpretation.

Creating Shaded Relief Images and 3D Scenes Using Aerial Photos, DEMs, Arc, and ArcScene part of Geomorphology:Activities
Students use ArcGIS (DEMs plus georeferenced orthophotos) to create shaded relief images with correct shadows and to create 3D views of aerial photos in ArcScene to help them visualize landscapes.

Tutorials for Introducing ArcGIS into Introductory Geoscience Courses part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Three sequential modular exercises introduce geoscience students to the power of GIS and give them experience with the kinds of GIS raster image analysis tasks commonly used by geoscientists. You might also be ...

Using ArcGIS to Investigate the Connection between Bedrock Geology and the Development of Ancient Egyptian Civilization part of Introductory Courses:Activities
In this assignment, students use ArcGIS (DEMs plus georeferenced geologic maps) to analyze the influence of bedrock geology on the development and extent of Ancient Egypt.

Using ArcGIS to Evaluate the Qattara Depression Solar-Hydroelectric Power Project part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Students use ArcGIS to evaluate a proposal to generate hydroelectric power by piping water from the Mediterranean and dropping it into the sub-sea level Qattara Depression.

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Depth of Buried Metamorphic Rock part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question In many high-grade metamorphic belts around the world, rocks were buried 20-30 km beneath the surface during deformation and metamorphism. How deep is that relative to the cruising altitude of a typical ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Percentage of Copper in Ore part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Suppose that you are building a new house. It will take about 90 kg (198 pounds) of copper to do the electrical wiring. In order to get the copper in the first place, someone needs to mine solid rock that ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Eruption Rates part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Over the last 70 million years or so, the Hawaiian Hot Spot has been pumping out lava, a total of about 775,000 km3 worth. As the Pacific Plate has moved over the hot spot, the volcanic peaks and plateaus ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Age of the Earth part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Let's try to get a perspective on how long that really is. Suppose that you decided to count to 4.6 billion and that you counted 1 number every second. How ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Size of Olympus Mons part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question A picture-perfect strato-volcano such as Fujiyama in Japan is what comes to mind when most people think of a volcano. Mt. Fuji is an imposing volcanic construct, rising from nearly sea level to a summit at ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Height of the Himalayas part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Earth History Timeline part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Let's try to get a perspective on how long that really is. A roll of good quality toilet paper has 1000 squares. If the roll of toilet paper represents the ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Size of KT Meteorite part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question About 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period, a meteorite estimated to have been about 10 km in diameter slammed into the Earth. Let's put the size of this cosmic cannonball into ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Orbital Distance Scale part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Let's imagine a scale model of the Earth with an orbiting Space Shuttle. Suppose that the Earth is the size of a basketball. How far above the basketball does the Shuttle orbit?

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: The Distance Radio Waves Have Traveled part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question We have been broadcasting radio waves in all directions since the development of radio and television stations. How far could you be from the Earth and detect the faint signals of an early Star Trek ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Comparing Jupiter with Earth part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Below, you'll see a drawing of Jupiter showing the Great Red Spot, as well as several of the dark scars, like enormous black eyes, left as a result of the impact of fragments of the comet ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Surface Area of the Moon vs. Earth part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question If you could wrap the Moon in a gigantic cloth and then unwrap the cloth and spread it out on the Earth, how much of the Earth's surface would it cover?

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Volume of the Earth and Sun part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Suppose you and your friends wanted to make a scale model of the Earth and the Sun. You start by cutting a one-inch cube of Play-Doh to represent the volume of the Earth. - How many one-inch Play-Doh cubes ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Scale of the Himalayas part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Let's imagine a scale model of the Earth, and let's imagine that the Earth is the size of a basketball. Suppose that you wanted to build the Himalayas to scale on the surface of the basketball. ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: The Scale of the Atmosphere part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Let's imagine a scale model of the Earth and use a basketball to represent the Earth. Now, let's get ourselves some packages of fruit roll-ups and start covering the basketball with layers of ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Energy Released in an Earthquake part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question A magnitude 8.5 earthquake (such as the 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska) releases about 1x1018 joules of energy. The atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima released about 1.5x1013 joules of energy. How ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Approaching Asteroid part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question If asteroids careen through the solar system at 25 km/second, how far away would we have to detect one in order to have a year's notice to prepare for an impact, as was portrayed in the movie Deep ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Collision with Asteroid part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question We have located an asteroid heading directly for the Earth. It is now 1.6 million km away from the Earth, about 4 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. The asteroid is travelling at 25 km/second. ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Spacecraft Acceleration part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Suppose someone offered you a ride to the nearest star in a new spacecraft that could travel at half the speed of light, or about 150,000 km/second. In order to reach such a cruising speed, you and the ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Velocity of Asteroids part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Asteroids zip through space at truly astounding velocities. Let's try to put that into perspective. It took the Apollo astronauts about 3 days to travel from the Earth to the Moon. a) If you could ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Communication with Mars part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Suppose you were living in a Mars colony, and you wanted to call home to your parents on Earth. You say, "Hello! How are you?" How long do you have to wait until you hear them say, ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: The Right Eye of the Man in the Moon part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question The "right eye" of the Man in the Moon is really Mare Imbrium, the central portion of a gigantic multi-ring basin formed by a colossal meteorite impact several billion years ago. Which of the ...

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Position and Dimensions of the Moon part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Question Suppose you could scale the Earth down to the size of your head. At that scale, how big would the Moon be, and how far away would it be from your head?

Geology and Human Events in North Africa and the Middle East part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Pan-African Approaches to Teaching Geoscience:Syllabus
This is an introductory geology course in which students develop a strong and deep background in geology and geologic processes and use that background to analyze the underlying influence of geology on human events ...

Extensively developed network of non-tectonic synclines in Eocene limestone of the Western Desert, Egypt: an example of hypogene speleogenesis? part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:2016 Structure and Tectonics Forum:Abstracts
Academic abstract page presenting geological research on a widespread network of non-tectonic synclines in Eocene limestone in Egypt’s Western Desert, analyzing their structural characteristics and evaluating hypogene speleogenesis—dissolution by deep-seated, upward-migrating fluids potentially sourced from Eocene-Oligocene igneous activity—as a plausible formation mechanism, while ruling out alternatives like evaporite dissolution, epigenic karst, or shale mobilization due to consistent regional orientations and stratigraphic constraints.

Designing Effective Assignments and Activities part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Afternoon Mini Workshops
We will focus on practical and effective strategies for designing inquiry-based assignments and activities and on how to successfully implement techniques such as jigsaw, gallery walk, and concept sketches in ...

Insights About Polygonal Faults and Related Structures from Extensive Exposures of the Cretaceous Khoman Formation, Western Desert, Egypt part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:2014 Structure and Tectonics Forum Abstracts
Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College John Hogan, Missouri University of Science and Technology Simon Kattenhorn, University of Idaho Charlotte Mehrtens, University of Vermont Elhamy Tarabees, Damanhour University ...