210 Geoscience Education

Wednesday, 25 October 2006
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM

RECRUITING UNDERGRADUATE GEOLOGY STUDENTS FOR A NEWLY ESTABLISHED GEOLOGY PROGRAM AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

Paper number: 210-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Geology Program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is committed to producing the next generation of geoscientists for scientific research in the discipline and to serve the community. Recruitment has been carried out via a variety of different methods. The Gray Fossil Site is featured regularly in local media and helps give the department a higher profile. Outreach programs to schools have been initiated and a brochure has been produced. High schools have shown little interest because there is no geology requirement past Grade 8 in Tennessee. On campus, the department has initiated a geology club (funded by fees, sales of rock and mineral kits and of Physical and Historical Geology lab manuals). Additional field trips offered by faculty and the geology club have proven to be good recruiting tools as have classes offered with significant field work components. Industry involvement through lectures/presentations, scholarships, summer internships and Honors thesis research co-op agreements have all raised the profile of the department and given students access to potential employers before they complete their degrees. Honors in Discipline Scholarships have been offered to recruit academically talented and highly motivated students. Interdisciplinary local and international research activities in paleontology, hydrogeology, cave and karst studies, and geohazards have attracted and involved a number of undergraduate students into the program. Additional outreach activities to ETSU's K-12 University School and Historical Geology course offered for gifted high school students (Governor's School) will enhance K-12 science education and future recruitment.

The program currently has 15 declared majors. The recruitment activities for this new program have been successful but have required large amounts of face time with students and a great deal of time required developing a new curriculum and dealing with associated administrative duties. The main issue for the faculty in this program is that research expectations from the administration are difficult to attain when so much time is required to grow the program. A separate abstract is concurrently submitted to the T49 session of the 2006 GSA annual meeting to describe the successful development of the Geology major program.