Alaska and Hawai'i possess a number of demographic, geographic & geologic similarities: a large indigenous population, physical isolation from the remainder of the continental U.S., close economic, cultural, and scientific ties throughout the Pacific rim, and geologically dynamic, but vastly different, physical environments. Location is thus an asset and an obstacle to geologic education in both states. Hawai'i provides spectacular examples of on-going basaltic volcanism, but a Hawaiian student rarely sees non-basaltic rocks or structurally and tectonically complex geology. Volcanoes of the Aleutian Arc are inaccessible to most Alaskan students, while field trips to view metamorphosed, folded, and faulted rocks are hampered by severe weather during the academic year. This Track 1 project is a joint Alaska-Hawai'i lecture and field course that builds on existing links between the scientific communities in Alaska and Hawai'i to address a mutual goal-to encourage Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian undergraduate students to enter the geosciences by exposing them to different geologic settings and processes.
The project consists of an 8 week, 3-credit sophomore-level lecture course on the geology of Alaska and Hawai'i, offered simultaneously at University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and University of Hawai'i Manoa (UH) via videoconferencing. Immediately following the lecture portion of the class, all the students participate in a 7-day field trip to Hawaii hosted by UH faculty that focuses on active volcanic processes, volcano monitoring and analysis, and associated natural hazards. The class then goes to Alaska for a 7 day, UAF-hosted field trip on the geology of Alaska, where the focus is on collisional tectonics and associated volcanism, faults, folds, metamorphism, and sedimentation. Alaska Native, Hawaiian, and other minority undergraduate students are specifically recruited for the class, with enrollments kept low to encourage student interaction with both the faculty and other students.
This project builds on the framework developed by the Pacific Alliance (a NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program). The Pacific Alliance provides the students participating in the course with tuition and follow-up mentoring in the basic science courses needed for a geology degree.
The target audience for the project are Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other minority undergraduate students who have already demonstrated interest in the geosciences, but may be unsure of educational and career options available to them. The project broadens the participation of these minority groups in the geosciences by exposing them to different geologic disciplines, professionals, and career options. The project builds on existing academic ties between UAF and UH and, in the process, provides Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other minority students the opportunity to experience a different indigenous culture while exploring graduate study options at both schools.
