DOCSLIB.ORG

2009 Annual Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2009 Annual Report ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Students from the GeoFORCE Southwest 10th Grade Academy, On the cover: along with instructors Students from the Dr. Charles Woodruff and Dr. Jay Raney, GeoFORCE Southwest pose in front of 11th Grade Academy Balanced Rock, pause with Dr. Eleanour Snow Lees Ferry, Arizona. on top of Big Obsidian Flow in Oregon. Contact Information: GeoFORCE Texas Jackson School of Geosciences The University of Texas at Austin P.O. Box B, University Station Austin, TX 78713-8902 Phone: 512-471-6048 www.jsg.utexas.edu/geoforce Table of Contents Message from the Dean........................................................................................................... 1 GeoFORCE Overview.................................................................................................................. Goals.and.Objectives....................................................................................................................... Methods.and.Strategies................................................................................................................. 3 GeoFORCE Staff............................................................................................................................... 4 Partnerships........................................................................................................................................ 5 Southwest.Texas.Junior.College................................................................................................ 5 Houston.Independent.School.District.................................................................................... 5 Fort.Valley.State.University........................................................................................................... 6 Government.and.Industry............................................................................................................ 6 Financial Status..............................................................................................................................10 Sponsors ..............................................................................................................................................11 Maintaining the Numbers...................................................................................................1 Summary of 2009 Activities...............................................................................................13 GeoFORCE.Goes.to.College........................................................................................................14 Dual-Credit.Geology.Course......................................................................................................15 NeoGEO.Spring.Field.Trip............................................................................................................16 Academies...........................................................................................................................................17 .9th.Grade.Academy....................................................................................................................17 10th.Grade.Academy..................................................................................................................18 11th.Grade.Academy..................................................................................................................19 1th.Grade.Academy..................................................................................................................0 Young.Geoscientists.......................................................................................................................1 .9th.Grade.Young.Geoscientists..............................................................................................1 10th.Grade.Young.Geoscientists............................................................................................. 11th.Grade.Young.Geoscientists.............................................................................................3 1th.Grade.Young.Geoscientists.............................................................................................4 Fort.Valley.State.University.Events.........................................................................................5 Professional.Development.........................................................................................................6 GeoFORCE.in.the.News.................................................................................................................7 Laura Reich, Marathon, presents the geology of Salt Creek Falls, Oregon. Students take in the geology of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. iv Message from the Dean In 2009,.we.learned.that.GeoFORCE.works—. and.buses.that.broke.down.in.the.middle. it really.works. of.nowhere..They.set.the.standard.for. “no.complaining,.no.matter.what”.as.they. When.the.program.started.in 2005,.it. tolerated.a.lot.of.lessons.learned.by.the. was.definitely.an.experiment..There.were. GeoFORCE.staff,.while.expressing.unbridled. many.unanswered.questions..Would.the. excitement.and.enthusiasm.for.the.adventures. students.stick.with.it.for.four.years?.Would. offered.to.them..Remarkably,.of.the.40.stu- they.get.excited.about.the.geosciences?. dents.who.started.the.Academy.in 2005,.all. Most.importantly,.would.a.large.number. but.one.completed.the.full.four-year.program. of.them.go.to.college?.Would.they. pursue.science.and.engineering.degrees?. As.GeoFORCE.continues.to.grow.and. Would.some.pursue.the.geosciences. have.broader.impact,.I.think.we.will. at.(better.yet).the.Jackson.School? always.remember.these.trailblazers.and. be.thankful.for.the.high.standard.they.set. We.now.know.the.answer.to.all.of. for.all.those.who.follow..Congratulations. these.questions.is.a.resounding.yes. to.the.GeoFORCE.class.of 2009. Of.the.original.80.kids.who.started.in.the. GeoFORCE.Academy.and.Young.Geoscientist. programs.in 2005,.76.have.been.admitted. to.colleges.and.universities..Not.only.are.95. percent.of.these.students.(61.percent.female. and.77.percent.Hispanic).going.to.college,. but.more.than.50.percent.have.chosen.to. pursue.degrees.in.science.and.engineering.. Eight.of.them.are.going.after.geoscience. degrees—five.at.the.Jackson.School. Inside.the.program,.this.first.cohort.of. students.became.known.as.the.“guinea. pigs,”.as.every.activity.in.every.year.of. their.four-year.ride.through.GeoFORCE. was.new,.untested,.and.full.of.surprises:. some.good,.some.not.so.good. They.endured.field.trips.that.lacked. Dr. Sharon Mosher, Dean guidebooks,.hotels.and.restaurants.that.did. Jackson School of Geosciences not.have.the.capacity.to.deal.with.40.kids,. It is incredible and awesome to watch and nurture 42 sixteen-year-olds spend 14 hours a day learning, studying, acting, and writing poetry about geology. My whole life I have felt connected to the Earth, and this experience intensified that connection. It is spectacular to observe youthful minds finding their own passions and love of geology similar to my own. Laura Reich, Subsurface Manager, Marathon Oil Company, reflecting on spending a week with the Southwest 11th Grade Academy 1 GeoFORCE Overview GeoFORCE.Texas.is.a.summer.outreach.program. and.from.18.independent.school.districts.in. targeting.predominantly.minority.and.female. southwest.Texas..Although.the.program.is. honor.students.from.the.Houston.Independent. open.to.all.outstanding.students,.regardless.of. School.District.and.school.districts.across. background,.the.recruiting.areas.exhibit.a.high. southwest.Texas..GeoFORCE.is.designed.to.address. percentage.of.minorities,.and.our.academies. two.pressing.needs.for.the.geosciences: and.field.courses.reflect.these.demographics.. u. Increase.the.number.of.students.. Since.the.late.1990s.the.number.of.students. pursuing.degrees.in.math.and.science. enrolled.in.the.geosciences.has.been.rapidly. decreasing..GeoFORCE.seeks.to.reverse.this. u. Increase.the.diversity.of.the.. trend.by.increasing.the.number.of.students.from. future.high-tech.workforce. diverse.backgrounds.who.complete.degrees.in. math.and.science.and.enter.the.workforce.. The.program.is.neither.a.subtle.nor.an.inexpensive. approach..It.is.designed.to.provide.lasting.experiences. for.middle.and.high.school.students.that.will.capture. Goals and Objectives their.interest,.motivate.them.to.excel.in.their.math. and.science.courses,.and.build.their.awareness.of. Minorities.represent.a.virtually.untapped.reservoir. opportunities.in.high-tech.careers,.especially.the. for.increasing.the.number.of.individuals.pursuing. geosciences..This.intense.program.is.accomplished. degrees.in.the.sciences..National.Science.Foundation. through.a.four-year.series.of.summer.academies.and. (NSF).statistics.show.participation.by.minorities.in. field.courses.that.include.learning.in.dynamic.field.and. science.and.engineering,.specifically.the.geosciences,. classroom.environments,.living.on.a.major.university. to.be.unacceptably.low..NSF.numbers.also.indicate. campus,.interacting.with.university.faculty.and.research. that.underrepresented.groups.earn.almost.15. scientists,.and.participating.in.field.trips.to.spectacular. percent.of.all.U.S..bachelor’s.degrees.in.science.and. geologic.settings.in.Texas.and.across.the.United.States. engineering.but.only.4.6.percent.of.the.bachelor’s. degrees.awarded.in.the.geosciences..The.projected. GeoFORCE.recruits.students.at.selected.schools. demographics.of.Texas.provide.a.clear.indication. within.the.Houston.Independent.School.District. of.the.need.to.engage.minorities.in.the.sciences.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 Collections
    A. andersonii A. Gray SANTA CRUZ MANZANITA San Mateo Along Skyline Blvd. between Gulch Road and la Honda Rd. (A. regismontana?) Santa Cruz Along Empire Grade, about 2 miles north of its intersection with Alba Grade. Lat. N. 37° 07', Long. 122° 10' W. Altitude about 2550 feet. Santa Cruz Aong grade (summit) 0.8 mi nw Alba Road junction (2600 ft elev. above and nw of Ben Lomond (town)) - Empire Grade Santa Cruz Near Summit of Opal Creek Rd., Big Basin Redwood State Park. Santa Cruz Near intersection of Empire Grade and Alba Grade. ben Lomond Mountain. Santa Cruz Along China Grade, 0.2 miles NW of its intersection with the Big Basin-Saratoga Summit Rd. Santa Cruz Nisene Marks State Park, Aptos Creek watershed; under PG&E high-voltage transmission line on eastern rim of the creek canyon Santa Cruz Along Redwood Drive 1.5 miles up (north of) from Monte Toyon Santa Cruz Miller's Ranch, summit between Gilroy and Watsonville. Santa Cruz At junction of Alba Road and Empire Road Ben Lomond Ridge summit Santa Cruz Sandy ridges near Bonny Doon - Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz 3 miles NW of Santa Cruz, on upper UC Santa Cruz campus, Marshall Fields Santa Cruz Mt. Madonna Road along summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Between Lands End and Manzanitas School. Lat. N. 37° 02', Long. 121° 45' W; elev. 2000 feet Monterey Moro Road, Prunedale (A. pajaroensis?) A. auriculata Eastw. MT. DIABLO MANZANITA Contra Costa Between two major cuts of Cowell Cement Company (w face of ridge) - Mount Diablo, Lime Ridge Contra Costa Immediately south of Nortonville; 37°57'N, 121°53'W Contra Costa Top Pine Canyon Ridge (s-facing slope between the two forks) - Mount Diablo, Emmons Canyon (off Stone Valley) Contra Costa Near fire trail which runs s from large spur (on meridian) heading into Sycamore Canyon - Mount Diablo, Inner Black Hills Contra Costa Off Summit Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Huffington Post
    Out Here, No One Can Hear You Scream The dangerous culture of male entitlement and sexual hostility hiding within America's national parks and forests. STORY KATHRYN JOYCE VIDEO & PHOTO EMILY KASSIE On an early Friday morning in late June 2006, Cheyenne Szydlo, a 33- year-old Arizona wildlife biologist with fiery red hair, drove to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim to meet the river guide who would be taking her along the 280 miles of the Colorado River that coursed a mile below. She was excited. Everyone in her field wanted to work at the Grand Canyon, and after several years of unsuccessful applications, Szydlo had recently been offered a seasonal position in one of the National Park Service’s science divisions. She’d quit another job in order to accept, certain her chance wouldn’t come again. The Grand Canyon is a mecca of biological diversity, home to species that grow nowhere else on earth. But after a dam was built upstream 60 years ago, changes in the Colorado’s flow have enabled the rise of invasive species and displaced numerous forms of wildlife. Szydlo’s task was to hunt for the Southwestern willow flycatcher, a tiny endangered songbird that historically had nested on the river but hadn’t been seen in three years. Her supervisor believed the bird was locally extinct, but Szydlo was determined to find it. The June expedition—a nine-day journey through the canyon on a 20-foot motorboat operated by a boatman named Dave Loeffler—would be her last chance that summer.
    [Show full text]
  • Texas Winter Escape
    TEXAS WINTER ESCAPE January 26, 2015 - 32 Days Fares Per Person : $5595 double/twin $7395 single $5115 triple Tour is exempt from GST. >>>Early Bookers: $250 discount on first 15 seats; $125 on next 10 >>>TIC Travel Insurance: Plan 3-Comprehensive $532 double/twin, $703 single, $486 triple Redeem Experience Points : Book by November 27 and redeem up to 105 e-points Includes • Coach transportation for 31 days • Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History • 31 nights accommodation and hotel taxes • King Ranch tour with Museum • Transfer to Victoria Airport • Gladys Porter Zoo • Flight from Victoria to Kelowna • Sea Turtle Institute • Oregon Trail Center • Lyndon Johnson Ranch National Historic Site • Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsal • Big Bend National Park fee • Arches National Park fee • Locally-guided tour of Big Bend Park • Locally-guided tour of Santa Fe • Amtrak train from Alpine TX to Tucson AZ • Palace of Governors • Mission San Xavier del Bac • New Mexico Museum of Natural History • Arizona Sonora Desert Museum • Roswell UFO Museum • International Wildlife Museum • Carlsbad Caverns • Amtrak train from Visalia CA to Sacramento • Locally-guided tour of San Antonio • Transfer from Seattle to Victoria • The Alamo • Luggage handling • Imax film Alamo - The Price of Freedom • Knowledgeable tour director • Locally-guided tour of Corpus Christi • 43 meals: 25 breakfasts, 13 lunches, 5 dinners • USS Lexington aircraft carrier Experience Points: Earn 105 e-points • Texas State Aquarium A Texas Winter Escape Texas is a wonderful winter escape for Canadians, featuring a variety of scenery, intriguing history, exciting cities and delightful cuisine. It is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population.
    [Show full text]
  • Frommer's Arizona 2004
    Arizona 2004 by Karl Samson Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s: “Amazingly easy to use. Very portable, very complete.” —Booklist “Detailed, accurate, and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.” —Glamour Magazine “Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.” —Des Moines Sunday Register “Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.” —Knight Ridder Newspapers About the Author Karl Samson finds that the sunny winter skies of the Arizona desert are the perfect antidote to the dreary winters of his Pacific Northwest home. Each winter, he flees the rain to explore Arizona’s deserts, mountains, cities, and small towns. It is the state’s unique regional style, Native American cultures, abundance of contemporary art, and, of course, boundless landscapes that keep him fascinated by Arizona. Summers find him researching his other books, including Frommer’s Washington, Frommer’s Oregon, and Frommer’s Seattle & Portland. Published by: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 Copyright © 2004 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo- copying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4447, E-Mail: [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Collection P 047: John Funk Slides (Photographs of Four Corners Scenes)
    Collection P 047: John Funk slides (photographs of Four Corners scenes) Itemized list of 3,102 color slide transparency photographs Filed in 218 plastic sleeves housed in 7 letter-size document cases at the Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College (Durango, CO.) Collection inventory web page address: http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/inventory/FunkSlides.htm Reproduction note: The Center has not yet digitized any of these transparencies, but can do that as requested, for a prepaid fee. (The Center's scanning station includes a Super Coolscan 4000 high-resolution slide scanner.) Please see the image duplication request form and instructions for requesting digital images, at http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/Info_researchers/sw-4.htm Title of this image Slide # Date Description "Castle" at Bryce P047-201- 1982-05 Large grouping of pinkish rock spires. "The Raven and the First Men", Bill Reid P047-102- 1980-07 Bill Reid's acclaimed cedar carving, depicting a story of the Haida. (De Loma?) picture at Mt. Sopris P047-101- 1958-05-22 Photograph of a painting depicting a southwestern landscape in snow. [untitled image] P047-110- 1982-05 [Too dark to make out any features.] A closer view P047-016- 1972-02-01 A man taking a close look at a geological formation. A desert valley P047-032- 1954-05-01 An open view of a desert valley. A desert view P047-032- 1954-05-01 A view of three people standing and looking at the mountain hills. A directional sign P047-064- 1965-06-03 A view of a sign that reads "Lost Solar Creek".
    [Show full text]
  • ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Is Published Monthly by the Arizona Highway Department a Few Miles Norrh of the Conauencc of the Gila and He's a Good Guide and Counsellor
    VOL. XXXfII NO. 2 FEBRUARY 1957 RAYMOND CARLSON, F.ditor GEORGE M. AVF.Y, Art Fclitor JA1VIES E. STEVENS, Business Manager U ·'. GEND "Su,vrMF.11 DAY-iVloNTr.zu,\ rA vV1<:1.1. " CARLOS ELME I( SHOW S us A sc1 -: ,rc AREA DRESSED IN SUMMER'S BEST. I-lr:/\lff OF THE SouTJ-1\VFST 4 A NOTED SC I IOL AR DISC USSES HOOKS One of our good friends and contributors-Carlos WHICH VIVIDLY SHOW WESTER N LIF E. Elmer-is much in evidence this issue, both in word and Rx FOR CoNTFNT,\ 1 FNT . A DISCUSSION OF Pl I0TOGR Al' HY 1\S picture. He discusses with us his favorite hobby-photog­ iVIOST SATISFYING OF ALL HOBBIES. raphy-a hobby which he takes quite seriously and has PFTE K1TCHEN RANCH AND 1Vlus1-:u.\1 LIFE OF PIONEER IJA YS DISPLAYED truly mastered, as we think you will agree when you see IN HOME OF NOTED PIONEER FIGURE. the photographs of his which embellish these February TuuAc-LlTTLE TowN ,\TIII l3,c 1----11sTOR Y HERE ONE SEES A LANDMARK " ' l·IICH pages. DREAiVIS Ol' DAYS OF GREATER GLORY. ERNEST vV. McFARLAND Carlos is not a professional photographer but that does Gover11or of' Arizona not detract from his skill or his passion for the art. His ARIZONA HIGHWAY COMMISSION theme is a simple one-photography is fun. He recom­ Frank E. Moore, Chairman . Douglas Grover J. Duff, Vice Chainnan . Tucson mends the camera as an antidote for the malady of our vVm. P. Copple, Mclllbcr . Yuma times, a malady which is with us all more or Jess-jumping J ames R.
    [Show full text]
  • My Ghost Town
    CHAPTER 4 WRITING ABOUT PLACES AND ENVIRONMENTS FIGURE 4.1 TERRY FALKE, “TRAIL TO BALANCED ROCK,” 1998 FIGURE 4.2 SCREENSHOT FROM “SECOND LIFE,” 2007 Browse a bookstore, and you’ll often find that the items most prominently displayed, bestsellers aside, are lavish volumes of photographs printed in rich tones on outsized pages. Photographer Terry Falke’s “Trail to Balanced Rock” (Item 4.1) comes from just such a collection, a book of images capturing his often-ironic perspective on the scenic American Southwest, a favorite subject of so-called coffee table books. But you’ll find similar anthologies chronicling every imaginable spot on the planet, from the plains of the Serengeti to the streets of Paris to the ballparks of America. Through both words and pictures, people love to mark the places they’ve been (or might go), the neighborhoods they’ve explored or inhabited, and the experiences they have had there—and the more exotic the better. We are all tourists on the big blue marble. But sometimes we need to look closely at the places around us to appreciate how they shape our lives or we shape them. Consider Falke’s photograph more closely. Highlighted in golden sunlight, a spectacular red rock formation from Arches National Park dominates the upper half of “Trail to Balancing Rock.” If you’ve been to Utah, New Mexico, or Arizona, you’ve surely experienced scenery like this stretching across vast horizons. Ah, wilderness! People yearn for such open, untouched spaces. Or do they? The lower and darker half of Falke’s image offers a contrary perspective, perhaps reminding us of the ways humans intrude on nature and despoil it.
    [Show full text]
  • Rocks 31 Mar 2017
    Bryce Canyon National Park located in southwestern Utah Rocks 31 Mar 2017 253-2017-09 I have been told that some of my recent articles are a little bit too “deep – The Meaning of Life” or too “complex – The Quantum Computer” or too “argumentative – Reincarnation and Religion”. So, I decided to write about “Rocks”! Rocks are pretty generic and something we all can relate to and enjoy. After a brief introduction to the different types of rocks, I will provide pictures of some of the most scenic natural rock formations found around the world. I guess you know that planet Earth is mostly made up of rocks? Right? Wherever you are living, just dig down a few feet and you find rocks. The Hawaiian Islands where I live are made of lava rocks. Mililani, the town I live in, is sitting on red lava rocks and we have some of the reddest dirt on earth. The Earth's Crust is like the skin of an apple. It is very thin in comparison to the other three layers. The crust is only 3-5 miles thick under the oceans and about 25 miles thick under the continents. The temperatures of the crust vary from air temperature on top to about 1600 degrees Fahrenheit in the deepest parts of the crust. The crust of the Earth is broken into many pieces called plates. The plates "float" on the soft mantle which is located below the crust. These plates usually move along smoothly but sometimes they stick and build up pressure. The pressure builds and the rock bends until it snaps.
    [Show full text]
  • Secret Marvels of the World 1 Preview
    -1600 -1400 -1200 -1000 -800 -600 -400 -200 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 CONTENTS longtitude longtitude longtitude longtitude longtitude longtitude -1800/-1200 -1200/-600 -600/00 00/600 600/1200 1200/1800 In which we encounter disappearing In which we encounter mysterious In which we encounter an island In which we encounter a grove of In which we encounter rats In which we encounter coffins islands, boats hewn from pumpkins moving rocks, a cave of giant teeming with snakes, a shimmering singing trees, a town being subsumed worshipped as gods, a golf course clinging to a cliffside, a cow up and a one-eyed troll lurking crystals and a museum at the pink lake and the world's biggest by the desert, and a hill of laid on an airport runway and a a tree, and a cave illuminated by beneath a bridge bottom of sea mud-brick structure 100,000 crosses secret gnome hideout glowworms -1600 -1400 -1200 -1000 -800 -600 -400 -200 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 Move over, Grand Canyon. Au revoir, Eiffel Tower. See you, Sydney Opera House. Angkor what? If you think you know about the world’s most Because these marvels don’t pay much attention to country amazing sights, it’s time to look again. This book borders, nor have we: the places in this book are arranged celebrates under-the-radar places, from the not by continent or country, but loosely by their line of mysterious and the mesmerising to the downright bizarre. longitude. It’s a hat-tip to the way our planet resists attempts In these pages are rainbow eucalyptus trees, a stomach- to impose order upon it, with the most surprising and churning cocktail, ghost towns, a bridge made of trees, an wonderful of results.
    [Show full text]