"Reef Survivor" Board Game - High School Advanced Placement Environmental Sciences Edition (Complex)
Rowan Martindale, The University of Texas at Austin; Enrique Reyes, The University of Texas at Austin; Sabrina Ewald, The University of Texas at Austin
"Reef Survivor" is a board game that can be used as an active learning tool in a class or lab to promote understanding of Earth processes (Geology), Aquatic Sciences, and Marine Biology. The educational ...

Comparison of Protein Sequences: BLAST searching and Phylogenetic Tree Construction
Wade Powell, Kenyon College
This laboratory exercise is a guided discovery of computational methods for comparing protein sequences. Students perform BLAST searches of reported CYP1A sequences and construct phylogenetic trees using CYP1A amino acid sequences from various vertebrate species, especially those with multiple CYP1A paralogs.

Contractional Strain
Carol Ormand Ph.D., Carleton College
Students use gesture to describe the bulk deformation and local deformation apparent in images of a contractional analog experiment. Students then calculate bulk shortening and bulk thickening for the experiment and describe the structures accommodating that strain.

The use of visualization and sketches of thin sections to encourage a better understanding of phase diagrams: Binary and ternary phase diagram exercises
Jennifer M. Wenner and Drew S. Coleman
In these homework exercises, students manipulate two- and three- component phase diagrams. At various points during their interpretation of melting or crystallization of a composition, they are asked to ...

Teaching Chaos and Complex Evolutionary Systems Theories at the Introductory Level
Lynn Fichter, James Madison University
This is a learning progression of 12 models leading to 19 learning outcomes designed to introduce chaos and complex systems theories concepts in 3 - 5 50 minute classes. Includes power points of class ...

The Four-Winged Dinosaur
Tasha Dunn, Colby College
This is assignment is completed in two parts: It begins in class with a showing of the Nova documentary "The Four-Winged Dinosaur." It continues as a homework assignment in which students write a short ...

Greenstone Belt Assessment
Pamela Nelson, Glendale Community College
Students examine and describe rocks found as part of a geologic sequence formed during the Precambrian Era and determine the geologic significance of each of the rocks in order. The capstone (not included on the ...

A Geologic Safari of the East African Rift and the Newark Basin: Why these areas are more alike than you know
Margaret Benoit, The College of New Jersey
This activity explores the similarity and differences between the Newark Rift Basin and East African Rift.

Biosphere Socratic Questions
Dorothy Merritts, Franklin and Marshall College
Sample Socratic questions and answers regarding the biosphere. -

Relative Geologic Time and the Geologic Time Scale
Bret Bennington, Hofstra University
Group simulation of the development of the geologic time scale illustrating concepts of correlation and relative time. Extremely effective for teaching the significance of the geologic time scale.