september 2008 Issue
Geoscience
Elementary Students Get Up Close Look At Earth Sciences
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KISP KIDS |
BY PRATT BARNDOLLAR, P.GEOPH.
2008 KISP Coordinator
If you were on the exhibit floor one morning during a particular May convention in Calgary, you’d have seen a much-younger-than-expected crowd. That’s because the Kids in Science Program was busy hosting 168 students from two schools, during a visit to the 2008 Joint CSPG CSEG CWLS Convention.
The Kids in Science Program — KISP for short — helps show students geoscience career opportunities in a fun and interactive way. It featured students in Grades 7–9 from Our Lady of Peace and Sir John Franklin junior high schools.
Small student groups visited 24 corporate and professional society exhibit booths. At each booth, the kids saw a short presentation by the host exhibitor then answered questions about the host’s technical or industry role. Students were accompanied by 36 guides — industry volunteers who answered general questions and kept the procession moving.
The joint covention was for the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and the Canadian Well Logging Society. KISP is sponsored by the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation, and funding is provided by CSPG, CSEG and APEGGA.
After their exhibit floor visit, the students enjoyed lunch in the Stampede Blue Room then participated in a rousing game of “Geopardy,” where they had the opportunity to test their geoscience knowledge in friendly competition. Christopher Collom and David Moore of Enerplus did an excellent job as co-hosts-announcers-judges.
In the weeks before the convention trip, students attended informal, interactive, in-school presentations on paleontology, geology and geophysics. These presentations offered hands-on exposure to rocks, fossils and tools used by modern industry, plus some one-on-one time with professional geoscientists. The Burgess Shale fossils and a “seismic shot” were popular interactive experiences.
Feedback from students, teachers, guides and host-exhibitors has been great. The students loved the exhibit floor — and the free trinkets, too. Among the student comments heard over the general din at lunch: “totally awesome,” “this place is so cool!” and “can we go back after lunch?”
Guides and exhibitors enjoy the interaction and energy of a captive but engaged young crowd. Teachers are using the question sheets prepared on the trip to incorporate geoscience instruction into their programs.
The societies have hosted convention visits to students in the past, but KISP in its present form was developed by Randle Robertson, director of the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation, and Dave Middleton, while he was CSPG outreach director. They recognized that junior and senior high school curricula are usually short in Earth science courses at a time when students are making career decisions. Exposure to the variety of geoscience opportunities available may influence their career choice.
During their lifetimes, these students will face critical issues on power generation, water supply, waste disposal, air quality and food supply. It is important to give them the knowledge necessary to make appropriate decisions, even if they are not professional Earth scientists.
The objectives of KISP are
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To reintroduce Earth sciences into the science curricula for junior high school students and teachers in Alberta
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To expose students to various careers options, and appropriate levels and types of education in the geological sciences
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To create an interest among junior high school students to pursue post-secondary studies in the Earth sciences
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To provide students with the knowledge to make informed decisions on management of diminishing resources
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To inform students about the significance of the Burgess Shale UNESCO–World Heritage Site.
The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation, the CSEG, the CSPG and APEGGA thank all the volunteers who participated, with a special thanks to the host-exhibitors and to the KISP committee members.