Through collaboration among The College of New Jersey, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Education and Outreach Program (IRIS E&O), and IRIS member institutions, seismological instruction at the undergraduate level is being enhanced through the creation of curricular materials that foster hands-on and active engagement with content related to current research. To provide a structure for these new educational resources, the framework of the "Seismological Grand Challenges in Understanding Earth's Dynamic System" is being used. The "Grand Challenges" are ten questions that identify promising research directions on the frontiers of seismology that were posed as a result of the "Long Range Science Plan for Seismology" workshop held in September, 2008 and attended by members of the seismological and geophysical research community. Intellectual Merit. Though the "Grand Challenges" identify exciting research directions in seismology, they also intrinsically allow for the creation of curricular materials that integrate cutting edge research and authentic data. Classroom activities are being created for each of the ten "Grand Challenges", including at least 6 inquiry-based extended laboratory exercises. Each activity addresses a novel and interesting research problem and is helping address shortcomings in current seismological instruction at the undergraduate level. The focus of the modules is on an Earth Systems approach and the data-intensive activities are being designed to challenge students to address common geoscience misconceptions. The modules are being tested at pilot institutions and evaluated and revised by undergraduate educators and seismological research personnel. Broader Impacts. Dissemination efforts are taking advantage of IRIS E&O's existing infrastructure. The course materials are being posted on the IRIS website with links from other teaching websites such as SERC. In recognition of the cutting-edge nature of the content of the modules, the instructor's guide contains materials communicating an approach for delivering the content in the classroom, as well as promoting instructor learning of subject matter, pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge. Varied approaches to dissemination are contributing to improving and potentially transforming seismology education for students nationwide.
