As Earth continues to change, our academic program remains dedicated to quality and adaptability. Our faculty continue to demonstrate distinction in their teaching, and several have received grants aimed at integrating innovative technology and novel pedagogical methods into their courses. These efforts ensure that our curriculum remains cutting-edge, and fosters creativity in solving climate-related problems.

Teaching Transformed Grant Enhances Interactive Learning into EARTH Intro Courses

Both Michela Arnaboldi and Jenna Munson received Teaching Transformed Grants from LSA Technology Services. The goal of these grants is to incorporate advanced technology into our curriculum, and both Arnaboldi and Munson are keen to integrate ArcGIS software into new classes.

Arnaboldi is developing a new course, EARTH 225: Geology of Michigan and the Great Lakes, which will launch in Winter 2025. This course will revolve around three main projects: 3D printing and laser cutting a geologic feature, creating a StoryMap using ArcGIS, another being utilizing U-M GPT to help with drafting and designing environmental campaigns.

With her grant, Munson is working on revisions to EARTH 219: Introduction to Environmental Science. The previous format of the class used traditional lectures, and she is excited about incorporating projects and activities to foster better student engagement. Her course aims to equip students with a basic understanding of ArcGIS as well as skills in Google Sheets/Microsoft Excel, and Google Earth.

Embed Climate Change in Courses (EC3) Grant

Both Jessica Fayne and Sara Rivera were awarded Embed Climate Change in Courses (EC3) Grants after attending the EC3 Retreat, put on by the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT).

Fayne’s grant will be used for EARTH 408: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. Funds will be used to hire an instructional aide to test planned changes to coursework and homework assignments, aimed at emphasizing interactivity and creative problem-solving. Planned improvements include remote access to lab computers, the addition of in-class team assignments, the introduction of a group project, and more discussions and case studies. Labs are reformatted as fewer, longer assignments to allow students more time to deeply explore the lesson materials.

Rivera will combine funding from the EC3 Grant along with funding from the Race & Ethnicity Course Development Summer Grant (sponsored by the LSA DEI Office and LSA Curriculum Committee) to create a new race and ethnicity (R&E) course, which is part of LSA's DEI Strategic Plan 2.0. This course will delve into the historical impact of Earth and environmental sciences issues on society.

CAREER Grant Brings New Undergraduate Research Opportunity

Sierra Petersen is launching a new undergraduate research course this fall, supported by a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant from NSF to study Plio-Pleistocene climate change. This grant is awarded to promising early career researchers and has both research and education/outreach components.

In this course, 15 students will collect new isotopic and elemental data in the department’s Stable Isotope Lab. They will go through the steps of the research process to interpret that data and present their findings. Their data will contribute to the research goals of the grant to better understand whether climate change caused a regional mass extinction in mollusks in the Western Atlantic over the past five million years. This new course will increase valuable research opportunities for undergraduates, a need that grows alongside our growing number of majors.

Foundational Course Initiative

Jefferson Yarce is leading the collaboration between CRLT’s Foundational Course Initiative and our department to revamp EARTH 119, an introductory Earth science course. This initiative seeks to ensure that major courses are engaging, equitable, and inclusive educational experiences for all students.

Yarce’s plans include making the course more interactive with hands-on approaches, such as simulating earthquakes and demonstrating how water flows through rocks. Another objective is to shine a light on diversity and promote inclusion by emphasizing the contributions of scientists from underrepresented groups and diverse backgrounds. Yarce is teaming up with graduate student Million Mengesha and undergraduate major Matthew Salinas on this project.