Sixth-Graders Explore Earth, Careers with Rock-Solid Help from Geology Department

Geology Professor Craig Dietsch got down to Earth with a group of Sands Montessori students, sharing the wonders of science in their classrooms and on a tour of the Department of Geology.

Surrounded by rocks and peering through microscopes, a group of sixth-graders got a fun, fascinating look at where a career in science can take them – to the University of Cincinnati and anywhere on Earth.

A recent field trip brought almost two dozen students from Sands Montessori Elementary School to the Department of Geology. There, professor Craig Dietsch, assisted by graduate and undergraduate students, explained what the students were seeing, that science can be fun – and why it matters.

Dietsch worked earlier this fall with three classrooms at Sands – Barb Luken's science group, which brings sixth-graders from three separate classroom together, and the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms of Annette Delaney and Jane Markowski. For Delaney's and Markowski's classrooms, Dietsch did a one-time, hour-long presentation. For Luken's group, he did three separate presentations. Topics ranged from what science is, the overall structure of the Earth, the three major rock types and plate tectonics to the hierarchy of atoms, molecules, minerals and rocks – and more about different kinds of rocks.

"The field trip was a great opportunity for them to see what a college is like, what we do every day here, and how we are doing research, conducting experiments and measuring things – trying to figure things out," said Dietsch, whose daughter, Helen, is a Sands sixth-grader. "I think it's essential that the children see that the way the natural world works is not voodoo, some black box or some mysterious thing. It is logical, can be figured out and operates according to 'natural laws' that are predictable and reproducible."

Teacher Barb Luken said Sands students benefit from the unique opportunity to not only have a fun and educational experience in their own classrooms, but enhance that through the atmosphere and opportunities of a college campus.

"We hope the field trip inspires them to think about their own futures – see themselves as college students," she said. "Craig has access to resources that we just don't have, and presents material that's very valuable to our students."Those resources include, Dietsch said, expertise in earth science and geology and "fine specimens of minerals and rocks – big, bright, beautiful samples that the children can see, touch and experiment with."

Earth science, Dietsch said, has traditionally been the "poor relative" of the sciences (together with biology, physics, and chemistry) in elementary, middle and high schools.  "In particular, here in Cincinnati where we live in a geologically quiet environment, without mountains or a seashore nearby, for example, and, of course, in an urban setting, children are not as aware of the dynamic systems of Earth as they might be in other settings," he said.

"Yet, in their lifetimes, major changes in the environment are coming – there will be significant changes to our climate as well as significant shortages of fresh water.  They will be directly affected as they grow up.  In addition, geology is very accessible, particularly since minerals and rocks capture the interest of children. And the more young children can be taught about science and about how natural systems work, the more well educated they will become, and they, hopefully, will become more in tune with their natural environment."

This type of community outreach, Dietsch said, is very important for UC and the department.

"From the vantage point of research, the National Science Foundation puts much emphasis on the 'broader impact' of the research they fund, and reaching out to public schools with a diverse student population," he said.

"Also, by having the students come to our department, they see that women are full participants in science – in fact, one group saw Christina Smith, an undergrad, working on a sulfur extraction in one of our geochemistry labs. Moreover, it is important for our faculty and our institution to do more than pay lip service to participating in the broader community – it is valuable for the parents and the teachers to come to our campus, meet us, and see what we do.  I like to think they will be more inclined to support higher education in the state when they have a direct, positive experience here."