This funding supports the continued development of a program of field-based instruction and undergraduate research on limnology and Quaternary geology. The new equipment increases the university's ability to integrate hands-on activities and research projects into introductory courses, the summer science program for high school juniors, a planned outreach program for area science teachers, and selected upper-level courses and improves the opportunities for undergraduate research projects. The most important use of the equipment is in introductory courses, which expose the maximum number of students to geology early in their academic careers. The growing emphasis on field- and research-based instruction in these courses has improved the learning experience for students by engaging them in the process of solving local geologic problems using data that they have collected themselves. Students learn about geologic materials and the process of scientific investigation through a series of interrelated exercises. This introduction ultimately provides students with a familiar reference with which to compare concepts presented in class.
