In this project, computing equipment and software are being purchased to establish a specialized, dedicated computing laboratory for undergraduate instruction in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The department has recently been working specifically on improving the quality of the undergraduate program. Several assessments have been performed by people within and outside of the department and by former alumni. Following these evaluations, a department-wide curriculum revision was initiated, which affected every aspect of the undergraduate program. Based on these evaluations, the department has targeted several key areas for improvement of undergraduate instruction. As part of that improvement, the department is enhancing the geoscience undergraduates' computing skills, providing laboratory opportunities for the application of learned quantitative skills, and increasing the faculty's ability to include open-ended problem-solving activities in the curriculum. A specialized, dedicated undergraduate computing laboratory is the most effective method for achieving these goals. It builds on a strong base of computer-assisted instruction in the department. The intent of the project is to make the computer laboratory and associated learning activities and experiences integral parts of the entire undergraduate program. As such, they can be used by every faculty member and every student (currently 150 majors) in the department and can be consistently integrated into the department's undergraduate curriculum.
