Expanding Earth science education beyond traditional field trips

Field trips are a vital component of experiential learning in the earth science community, offering hands-on opportunities for students, professionals, and community members to engage with key scientific concepts. These trips can foster a deeper understanding of complex ideas, cater to various learning styles, and promote a sense of community.

However, traditional earth science field trips often pose barriers to science education due to the inaccessibility of traveling long distances and the difficult demands of hiking. To address this issue, new approaches are emerging to offer more creative, accessible, inclusive field trips for all participants.

New research presented this Sunday at the Geological Society of America’ s Connects 2024 meeting by Michelle Mary, Garrett Vice, Daniel Sturner, and Stuart Sumida explores the benefits of non-traditional field trip locations, such as urban settings, theme parks, and local parks, which provide more accessible outdoor educational opportunities.

One example presented in the research is Coral Gables, Florida, where many city buildings feature visible Key Largo Limestone from the Pleistocene era. These stones, used as building materials, showcase cross sections of corals and reef debris, allowing field trip participants to learn about ancient reef systems and how these once-living organisms interacted with their surrounding geologic, biologic, and ecologic environments. Understanding ancient reef systems offers valuable insights into modern reef systems and broader earth history.

Cincinnati, Ohio, also offers accessible earth science education through the surrounding park system (Great Parks of Hamilton County). At Trammel Park, visitors can find and collect Ordovician fossils, and at Winton Woods, visitors can learn about the most recent glaciation that covered much of Ohio. Miami Whitewater Forest provides insights into river processes that shape modern-day landscapes.

The final examples discussed by Mary et al. are the most unconventional, highlighting opportunities for earth science education at Disney Resorts. At Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California, attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Dinoland U.S.A., Expedition Everest, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Radiator Racers, and the Disneyland Railroad showcase outcrop analogs and other features that can be used to learn about geological, paleontological, and other earth science concepts.

While known for make-believe and magic, Disney Resorts offer surprisingly rich opportunities for earth science education that do not require leaving urban areas or embarking on strenuous hikes.

This research is significant for the earth science community because it highlights how creative thinking can lead to a more inclusive learning environment. These non-traditional field trip locations are accessible, engaging, and have the potential to provide meaningful educational opportunities for scientists, students, professionals, and the public alike.