Faculty present, conduct research in Scotland

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty members traveled this summer to present at the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Their travel was part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that funded geology workshops for high school students and teachers the previous three summers.

Each presented different aspects of how their work with the NSF grant sought to make geosciences more accessible to all students:

• Dr. Katty Mobasher, professor of geology, discussed this within the lens of GIS.
• Dr. Adrianna Rajkumar, lecturer of geology, talked about it within the framework of project-based learning.
• Dr. Cristina Washell, associate dean of student support services in the College of Education, spoke about this idea in the context of universal design for learning.

Mobasher and Rajkumar also conducted geology fieldwork while in Scotland and are planning to use some of the samples they collected in Scotland as the basis for future student research opportunities in the Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental Spatial Analysis. The research will examine similarities between the ecosystem in Scotland and the Elachee Nature Science Center near UNG's Gainesville Campus and provide momentum and opportunity for students.

"Students who get involved in research are more likely to stay in the program," Mobasher said. "It gives them hands-on experience, lets them practice what they're learning in real-world situations and keeps them engaged."

Rajkumar particularly enjoyed the adventure that accompanied the research she and Mobasher conducted in Scotland. They had the coordinates of the geological samples for which they were searching. It turned out to be someone's private property, which was gated and padlocked. But they then found a farmer who realized they were the latest researchers to visit the site and gave them the code to enter and do their work.

For Rajkumar, the chance to conduct fieldwork again was rewarding.

"You don't know what you'll experience until you're in the field," Rajkumar said. "Fieldwork is where the science comes alive. Once you experience it, you'll want to keep going back."

As invigorating as the fieldwork was, Rajkumar is even more excited for the potential it holds in the weeks and months ahead.

"The trip allowed me to bring back fresh content to inspire our students," she said.

Washell wasn't part of the research in Scotland, but she was grateful to share at the conference the impact UNG is making in its region.

"We wanted teachers to feel comfortable about their decisions on how to teach the content and engage all of their students," Washell said.