Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project
Conference Presentations
Association of American
Geographers
(Chicago, March 2006)
Christine M. RodrigueThe Department of Geography at California State University, Long Beach, has been bucking national and State trends in geography enrollments, with more than a doubling of majors since Spring 2001. The diversity of Geography majors has also been growing, as seen in the declining percentage of non- Hispanic white students, from 54% of majors in Spring 2001 to 46% of majors in Fall 2005. This presentation will discuss CSULB Geography initiatives to increase the number of majors and their diversity, including its participation with Geology and Anthropology in the Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project, deepening of ties with community colleges where most minority students start their college careers, and cultivation of various advising streams on campus that serve the undeclared lower division major. I would like to acknowledge the support of NSF GEO 01-19891 for GDEP.
American Geophysical Union
(San Francisco, December 2005)
E.L. Ambos, R. Behl, D. Whitney, C. Rodrigue, S. Wechsler, G. Holk, C. Lee, R.D. Francis, and D. LarsonCollaborations among geoscience-oriented departments at California State University, Long Beach (Geological Sciences, as well as portions of the Geography and Anthropology departments and a new, fast-growing Environmental Sciences and Policy (ES&P) program) are characterized by attention to three important elements: (1) community-based partnerships and research, (2) outreach and continuity within educational pipeline transitions from high school, to community college, to university, and, (3) sharing of resources and expertise. Three specific collaborations, (1) creation of the ES&P, (2) the NSF-funded Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP), and, (3) the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Materials, Environment, and Societies (IIRMES), are powerful illustrations of how these collaborations can work to foster geoscience student recruitment and academic development, particularly at urban, highly diverse institutions with limited resources. Through a combination of student surveys, focus groups, and institutional research supported by the GDEP program, we know (e.g., Whitney et al., 2005) that non-Caucasian students often express less affinity for the geosciences as a focus of study than Caucasians. Early exposure to positive field and laboratory experiences, better understanding of geoscience career possibilities, and better advising at high school and college levels are all excellent strategies for heightening student interest and recruitment in the geosciences, yet appear to be lacking for many of the students in the greater Long Beach, California area. GDEP, ES&P, and IIRMES all challenge these lacunae by emphasizing hands-on learning, research on relevant community-based problems, and one-on-one or small group research, advising and mentoring. Our current challenge is to help our high-school and community-college colleagues adopt their own model of these active-learning strategies, thereby priming the pump and patching the pipe(line) for student success in the geosciences. Whitney, D., et al., Ethnic Differences in Geoscience Attitudes of College Students, EOS, v. 86, #30, 26 July 2005 Acknowledgement: We acknowledge the support of NSF GEO 01-19891. URL: https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/gdep/
California Geographical
Society
(Ahwanee, Yosemite, May 2005)
Suzanne P. WechslerThis presentation will review an innovative interdisciplinary project at California State University, Long Beach that was designed to increase the attractiveness of the geosciences (physical geography, geology and underrepresented groups. The goal was to raise awareness of the geosciences by providing summer research opportunitiesarchaeology) to to underrepresented high school and community college students and their faculty. Program results indicate that students are generally not aware of the potential of geosciences as a major and a career path. This unprecedented level of collaboration has set the groundwork for an institutional shift in inclusion of minorities in the geosciences.
California Geographical
Society
(Ahwanee, Yosemite, May 2005)
Christine M. RodrigueUsing data from the California State Universities Chancellor's Office, I tracked undergraduate fall enrollments in geography and in the cognate disciplines of geology, environmental studies and science, and anthropology from Fall 1992 through Fall 2004. The number of earth and environment focused undergraduates has declined 15% from its 1992 peak enrollment. Within that shrinking pie, however, environmental studies and science have increased 28%. This increase has come at the expense of geography, which has declined 28% from its 1992 high, and more especially from geology, which has lost fully 43% of its 1994 peak enrollments. Comparing geography and anthropology, the combined enrollments have been essentially flat for the thirteen years. Anthropology, however, has been growing as geography has declined. The news is not uniformly bleak. Of the seventeen CSU geography programs, four have been growing for the last five years: Long Beach (70%), Humboldt (12%), Los Angeles (9%), and Sacramento (1%). Conversations among the chairs suggest some common elements among the growing programs: a great deal of faculty engagement with undergraduate students as mentors and research partners, a relatively new faculty with a lot of research energy and enthusiasm, a lack of strife among the faculty, a few lower-division instructors with "cult" followings transmitted by word-of-mouth, student club or departmental activities, an entrepreneurial chair, and excellent relations with the dean and other administrators. Geography departments need to learn to market geography as an environmental and earth discipline and as a discipline concerned with the diversity of human cultures and livelihoods. Rather than fight with our colleagues in cognate disciplines over dwindling students, we need to reach out to them to work on the common agenda of growing the overall number of students interested in the earth and its human stewards. To achieve these, we need to share success stories and cautionary tales among ourselves, to create a community of interlinked geography departments in the CSU, the community colleges, and the doctoral institutions.
American Geophysical Union
(San Francisco, December 2004)
E.L. Ambos, C. Lee, R. Behl, R.D. Francis, G. Holk, D. Larson, C. Rodrigue, S. Wechsler, and D. WhitneyFor the past three years (2002-2004) faculty in the departments of geological sciences, geography, and anthropology at California State University, Long Beach have joined to offer an NSF-funded (GEO-0119891) eight-week summer research experience to faculty and students at Long Beach area high schools and community colleges. GDEP's goal is to increase the numbers of students from underrepresented groups (African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander, and disabled) enrolling in baccalaureate degree programs in the geosciences. The major strategies to achieve this goal all tie to the concept of research-centered experiences, which might also be termed inquiry- based instruction. More than fifteen (15) separate and diverse geoscience research studies have been conducted. These include such disparate topics as geochemical studies of fault veins, GPS/GIS surveys of vegetation patterns for fire hazard assessment, and seismic studies of offshore fault systems. As the program has matured, research projects have become more interdisciplinary, and faculty research teams have expanded. Whereas the first year, each CSULB faculty member tended to lead her/his project as a separate endeavor, by the third summer, faculty were collaborating in research teams. Several projects have involved community-based research, at sites within an hour's drive from the urban Long Beach campus. For example, last summer, four faculty linked together to conduct a comprehensive geography and geology study of an Orange County wilderness area, resulting in creation of maps, brochures, and websites for use by the general public. Another faculty group conducted geophysical surveys at an historic archaeological site in downtown Los Angeles, producing maps of underground features that will be incorporated into a cultural center and museum. Over the past three summers, the program has grown to involve more than 25 high school and community college students, and more than 30 CSULB, high school, and community college faculty. Although GDEP's real legacy will ultimately be understood by longitudinal study of program participants, initial evaluation efforts provide some generalizable lessons. Students cite the benefits of "hands-on" research, fieldwork, and the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty. Many students state in post-program interviews that GDEP caused them to aspire to graduate study: the rigorous GDEP research environment appears to build student confidence. The high school and community college faculty describe program benefits in terms of widening their knowledge both of how to use geoscience research as a centerpiece in instruction, and how to incorporate discussions of geoscience careers in student advising. Through GDEP, CSULB faculty have developed their abilities to work in interdisciplinary teams, to meld research with instruction, and to mentor students from diverse backgrounds and abilities.
American Geophysical Union
(San Francisco, December 2004)
C.M. RodrigueThere is a marked difference in the representation of Mediterranean scrub vegetation (e.g., chaparral, maquis) in North American and European literature in biogeography and ecology. Authors discussing this vegetation in the California context accept that it is a natural response to the Mediterranean climates, with their late summer and fall fires, and steep terrain. Debate here focusses on the extent to which humans have modified or, indeed, can modify "natural" fire regimes. European authors frame this vegetation instead as a secondary successional formation in a landscape that "should" be dominated by oak woodland and forest. The widespread presence of Mediterranean scrub is cast as an artifact of human disturbance over thousands of years, mediated through overgrazing, deforestation, accelerated erosion, and anthropogenic fire. This poster will present a content analysis of the Mediterranean scrub literature, in order to engage both traditions in the construction of a unified framework for these pyrogenic formations.Note: Due to the sudden onset of serious illness, the author was neither able to get to San Francisco to deliver this paper or locate anyone else on short notice to deliver it. This no-show paper is, however, available in HTML format at http://www.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/agu04.html and as a 564 K PowerPoint poster at http://www.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/fire/agu04.ppt
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Whittier, November 2004)
Terry Lumati, Carlos Takashima, and Simeon Haynes, with faculty mentor Suzanne P. WechslerGeographic Information Systems (GIS) are an effective technology used to evaluate natural resources. GIS can be used to construct models of vegetation habitat that rely on existing or readily obtainable information such as remotely sensed images, soil surveys, topographic maps and digital elevation models (DEMs). DEMs represent surface elevation in a GIS. DEMs are used to represent terrain. Topographic parameters such as slope and aspect are computed directly from the DEM. Slope and aspect are important indicators of vegetation habitat preference. DEMs contain errors. The nature and extent of these errors are unknown and require further investigation. There are many ways to compute slope and aspect from a DEM in a GIS. This research investigated the accuracy of two GIS algorithms that derive slope and aspect from grid DEMs and how elevation error manifests in these derived data. Centroids (geographic center of a grid cell) of a portion of the USGS Laguna Beach 10m DEM were collected using a Trimble proXRS GPS unit. These ground truth locations were used to compute field measurements of slope and aspect and were compared with GIS-derived values. Results indicate that there is a statistically signficant difference between the DEM and GPS elevations. This error propagated to slope. There was no statistically significant difference found between slope algorithms. DEM error does not appear to influence aspect calculations. These results are important for understanding the limitations associated with the use of a DEM for vegetation analysis and hydrologic modeling.
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Whittier, November 2004)
Carlos Takashima, with graduate student Aziz Bakkoury and faculty co-author Christopher T. Lee and faculty mento Stephen R. KolettyThe South Coast Wilderness (SCW) extends over 19,000 acres and establishes a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife in Orange County. However, adjacent urban developments and invasive species have been disturbing the coastal sage scrub habitat. Therefore, a vegetation map of this fragile ecosystem is necessary for an efficient wilderness management program and a guide for future research. Creating a vegetation map of the SCW involved numerous techniques and steps. For the initial task, a recent SPOT 5 satellite image was rectified with Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles for positional accuracy. Field research identified and located the different vegetation communities. During the process, GPS units were used for better information extraction. Finally, based on the GPS data collection, an initial classified vegetation map was constructed which identified the general locations of different vegetation habitats in SCW. Still, further research is indicated. For instance the view resolution of a 10 meter and four band multispectral sensor imagery of the SPOT 5 was not sufficient enough to identify specific species distributions and their relationship between slope and aspect. It is also important to compare images from different seasons. Nonetheless, this vegetation map is an important step in the proper management of this fast disappearing landscape.
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Whittier, November 2004)
Alejandro Tiburcio, Herber O. Genovese, and Shannon M. Siegel with faculty co-authors Gregory J. Holk, Donald E. Hallinger, Roswitha B. Grannell, and Geraldine L. Aron, and faculty mentor Robert D. FrancisMapping of the Currant Gap area in the White Pine Range reveals the existence of an Oligocene-Miocene detachment fault, the Currant Gap detachment (CGD), rooted in the Cambrian Lincoln Peak Formation, and suggests that the previously postulated Currant Summit strike-slip fault does not exist. Previous mappers had proposed the Currant Summit fault (CSF) in order to explain an apparent offset in formations between the White Pine and Horse Ranges. GPS (Global Positioning System) was used to locate formation contacts, faults, and other geologic features to a precision of 30 feet. This made possible accurate mapping at a scale of 1:4800 feet. Utilizing this mapping metho allowed us to choose a small area that the Currant Summit fault would have to pass through. Our mapping shows details that are inconsistent with the existence of a strike-slip fault. However, we have found evidence consistent with a detachment in the Lincoln Peak, patches of Eureka Quartzite (upper plate) and jasperoid on Pole Canyon formation (lower plate), and a ledge of silicified limestone (the "spine") with Lincoln Peak on top. Numerous igneous intrusions (presumably Oligocene) in the middle Pole Canyon suggest magma as a possible heat source to promote ductility during attenuation. Uplift of offset domes of remobilized granite could account for the observed lateral displacement of formations between the White Pine and Horse Ranges.
Geological Society of
America
(Denver, CO, November 2004)
Richard J. Behl, Elizabeth L. Ambos, R. Daniel Francis, Gregory Holk, Daniel O. Larson, Christopher T. Lee, Christine M. Rodrigue, Suzanne P. Wechsler, and David WhitneyThe strength of a geoscience department, particularly at comprehensive urban universities, depends on developing and maintaining a steady stream of motivated undergraduate students into the program. Our undergraduate enrollment levels remain disappointingly low in spite of growing, active, and successful research and funding programs. In our urban setting, effective recruitment requires tapping pools of potential students that are unaware of the nature of the discipline or career opportunities in the geosciences. These students are often guided by families, friends, teachers and councilors, or simply by lack of knowledge, into other educational and professional disciplines. The Department of Geological Sciences at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) has embarked on an aggressive outreach program to local high schools and community colleges to atttact students to the geosciences. This program includes: leading geologic field trips for students and instructors, class visits, creating new brochures and printed material, and producing and distributing (VHS and DVD) an 8-minute professional-quality video on the Earth Sciences and our department. The video, distributed to teachers and councilors and available on our department web site (http://seis.natsci.csulb.edu/), was designed to hold the attention of students of the target age, and show the breadth and excitement of the Earth sciences.The department of Geological Sciences has also partnered with two other CSULB departments - Geography and Anthropology (Archaeology) - in the Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP), a three-year, NSF-OEDG funded summer research experience for underrepresented minority students and their teachers. Our community partners included six Long Beach area community colleges and five high schools from the Long Beach Unified School District, one of the largest K-12 school districts in California. These collaborations have reinvigorated or stimulated professional development in our high school and community college instructor colleagues and led to changes in pedagogy and in grant-writing activity at their own institutions. We hope that these collaborations and connections lead to continued relationship and to an increased rate of undergraduate recruitment and retention in our department.
College and University Earth System Science
Education in the 21st Century
(Monterey, CA, June 2004)
Christine M. Rodrigue, Elizabeth L. Ambos, Richard Behl, R. Daniel Francis, Daniel O. Larson, María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Gregory Holk, Suzanne P. Wechsler, Christopher T. Lee, David Whitney, and Shellinda BarréThe Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP) is a three-year, NSF-OEDG funded project centered at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Begun in fall 2001, GDEP involves faculty leadership within three CSULB departments: Geological Sciences, Geography, and Anthropology. Partners include five Long Beach area community colleges and Long Beach Unified School District, one of the largest K-12 school districts in California. At the core of GDEP is a summer research experience. More than a dozen separate research projects developed and led by CSULB faculty involve faculty and staff from community colleges and high schools. Most of the projects model an integrated, interdisciplinary earth system science approach, e.g., geophysical archaeology projects on Santa Cruz Island; unified GIS, GIS, remote sensing, and field based projects on the vegetation, fire ecology, stratigraphy, and tectonic geomorphology of Charmlee Park and the South Coast Wilderness Area; fault imaging and alteration studies of faults in Nevada; seismological and geochemistry studies of faults in the San Gabriel Mountains; and field and lab work on coseismic deformation and palaeoseismology along the Pacific Coast of southern Mexico. The summer research experiences have been highly successful: during the summers of 2002-2003, more than 50 Long Beach area faculty and students participated in GDEP. Although our evaluation is still underway, formative assessment of the impact of the summer research experience indicates that research work combining field experiences, ready access to faculty mentors, and a team approach to investigations appeared most valuable to program participants. These research experiences also appear to figure in changes in pedagogy and content focus for some faculty participants, particularly at the high school level.
Incorporated
Research Institutions for Seismology
(Tucson, June 2004)
Elizabeth L. Ambos, Richard Behl, R. Daniel Francis, Daniel O. Larson, María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Christine Rodrigue, Gregory Holk, Suzanne Wechsler, Christopher Lee, David Whitney, and Shellinda BarréThe Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP) is a three-year, NSF-OEDG funded project centered at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Begun in fall 2001, GDEP involves faculty leadership within three CSULB departments; geological sciences, geography, and anthropology. Partners include five Long Beach area community colleges and Long Beach Unified School District, one of the largest K-12 school districts in California. At the core of GDEP is a summer research experience. More than nine separate research projects developed and led by CSULB faculty, involve faculty and staff from community colleges and high schools. Several of the projects have a strong seismology theme, including shallow seismic reflection imaging of the offshore Palos Verdes Hills Fault; seismic refraction investigations of the White Pine Fault in Nevada; and GPS measurements of coseismic deformation of the western coast of Mexico. The summer research experiences have been highly successful: during the summers of 2002-2003, more than 50 Long Beach area faculty and students participated in GDEP. Although our evaluation is still underway, formative assessment of the impact of the summer research experience indicates that research work combining field experiences, ready access to faculty mentors, and a team approach to investigations appeared most valuable to program participants. These research experiences also appear to figure in changes in pedagogy and content focus for some faculty participants, particularly at the high school level.
American Geophysical
Union
(San Francisco, December 2003)
María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, A.B. Cundy, Matt Sedor, and Vladimir KostoglodovUnderstanding the interaction between sea-level changes and tectonic activity during the Holocene is essential in determining long-term tectonic deformation rates and in identifying prehistorical earthquake events along active margins. The Guerrero coast extends along the active Pacific margin of southwest Mexico and parallels the trench where the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate. The last major earthquakes occurred in Guerrero in 1899, 1907, 1909, 1911, and 1957, but none have occurred since the major 1911 (Ms=7.6) earthquake in the northwest segment of the Guerrero seismic gap. The Guerrero gap is currently considered to be matured for a severe earthquake of estimated Mw= 8.1 to 8.4. We present preliminary results of geomorphic field surveying, sediment coring, and geochemical and microfaunal analyses of cored sediments on the Guerrero coast. The Coyuca lagoon strip of the Guerrero coast consists of long barrier beaches, behind which extends a lagoon, beach ridges, extensive swamps, mangrove swamps, salt pans, floodplains, alluvial plains, fluvial terraces, and abandoned meanders. Abandoned meanders and fluvial terraces indicate that the Coyuca River has migrated to the southeast. This migration, and changes in hill elevations near the coast, suggest a southeast tilting of this coastal segment. The morphology of the Guerrero coast has no evidence of long-term coastal uplift. This is consistent with short- term tide gauge measurements (1953-1999) and GPS data (1992-2000) indicative of subsidence rates of ~3 mm/yr (Kostoglodov et al., 2001) in this area. Five cores up to 5.5 m depth were taken nearby the Mitla, Coyuca, Tres Palos and Tecomate lagoons. Core stratigraphies show clear sequences of interbedded peats and clays, interspersed with sand units. The peat-clay sequences are similar to those observed along active margins elsewhere, and indicate fluctuations between marine and brackish/freshwater conditions. Two cores included sediments with archeological remains (pottery). The stratigraphic data, coupled with geomorphic evidence, indicate changes in relative sea-level associated with long-term tectonic deformation. On-going radiocarbon dating of shells and charcoal, and detailed geochemical and micro-faunal (i.e. pollen, ostracod and foraminiferal) analyses are being used to constrain the timing and confirm the nature of these sea-level change events.
American Geophysical
Union
(San Francisco, December 2003)
C.M. Zeleski and R.J. BehlThe Quaternary sedimentary sequence of the Santa Barbara Basin presents a unique opportunity for testing the relative importance of different environmental criteria for the preservation of organic carbon. New piston cores obtained during the IMAGES MONA Cruise (2002) from a central/ deep (569 m) and marginal/ shallow (481 m) location in the Santa Barbara Basin lie within and above the intermediate water mass and have been deposited within more consistently dysoxic (deep core) and consistently oxygenated (shallow core) settings. This study correlates total organic carbon (TOC) with C/N ratios, carbonate and grain size. Our results will help evaluate the relative significance of local environmental versus regional oceanographic/climatic variation in the preservation of organic matter. Initial sample spacing analyses were acquired at 40 cm ($\sim$275 y). TOC ranges from 3.4 to 1.0 wt.% (shallow) and 4.1 to 1.3 wt.%(deep). C/N ratios vary from 10.5 to 8.4 (shallow) and from 13.3 to 8.7 (deep). Gross trends in TOC and C/N are well correlated between core MD 2503 (deep) and core MD 2504 (shallow). The TOC profile in both has a typical "burned-down" pattern decreasing downcore from 4.1 and 3.4 wt.% respectively to $\sim$1.5 wt.% at 12 - 14 mbsf at the base of the Holocene. The C/N ratios show an inverse relationship to TOC suggesting a downcore decrease in the preservation of marine organic matter. Below the most dramatic effects of burial diagenesis C/N ratios in both cores are highly correlated with TOC, suggesting that the relative contribution of organic matter is controlling TOC. In cores MD 2503 and MD 2504, mean CaCO$_{3}$ sharply drops from higher values during the glacial (3.7 and 6.3 wt.%, respectively) to lower values during the Younger Dryas and Bolling Allerod (2.0 and 4.5 wt.%). After initially increasing at the base of the Holocene, both locations record a gradual decrease in CaCO$_{3}$ to the present. Higher (20 cm, 130 y) resolution TOC and C/N data is being produced to strengthen correlations with other proxy data. Grain size analysis for both cores is being completed to determine the role of fine-grained material. From data provided by co-workers stable isotopes of planktonic and benthic foraminifera, Mg/Ca ratios, faunal and floral (nannoplankton and pollen) assemblages, and clay mineralogy are also being correlated with TOC to determine the relative significance of provenance productivity, ventilation and substrate composition in the accumulated preservation of organic matter.
American Geophysical
Union
(San Francisco, December 2003)
P.S. Hill and R.J. BehlNatural gamma ray logs from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sites off the Central California margin and from oil wells on the outer continental shelf show cyclical variation at Milankovitch periodicities in the Neogene upper-Monterey and Sisquoc Formations and their offshore equivalents. The well-dated ODP Site 1016, 150 km offshore of Point Conception, provides the basis for development of an orbital cyclicity-refined age/depth scale that can be applied to the mid-latitude North American margin region. We correlate silica-rich/detritus- rich cycles in logs from this site to cycles in more proximal offshore and onshore oil wells in a transect across the Santa Maria Basin, thereby helping to refine dating of these rapidly-accumulated, biostratigraphically-impoverished, fine-grained sediments, which are otherwise difficult to date. The higher resolution, orbitally-based age-depth scale provides refined dating of oil well logs, revision of the numerical age range of biostratigraphic markers, recognition and quantification of changes in sedimentation rates over time and in space, and identification of generalized climatic/sedimentation trends along the Alta-Baja California margin. For example: the new age model indicates that regional age ranges of some radiolarian biostratigraphic markers extend later than previously documented in other regions. Linear sedimentation rates decrease by an order of magnitude from 45-75 cm/ky to 7-8.5 cm/ky between proximal offshore locations and the distal Site 1016A. Analysis of the frequency modulation of the major harmonic in the frequency spectrum of the gamma ray vs. depth curve reveals the presence of condensed sections between ~4.4-4.8 Ma and ~5.3-5.6 Ma at Site 1016A. These two intervals may be associated with Neogene Hiatus 7 of Keller and Barron (1983). Natural gamma ray logs from deep-sea sites of ODP Leg 167 and the proximal Santa Maria basin wells show a similarity in gross secular trends along a 1300 km stretch of the Alta-Baja California margin, during the late Miocene to early Pliocene (~7.0 to 3.5 Ma). Gamma ray count--inferred to reflect terrigenous detrital content--corresponds roughly with the broad rise and fall of eustatic sea level.
Sigma
Xi
(Los Angeles, November 2003)
Marlene Cortez, with CSULB faculty mentors Elizabeth L. Ambos and Daniel O. Larson and University of Oregon faculty mentor Michael CruzGround Penetrating Radar (GPR) data were collected on site SCrI-333, a pre-historic Chumash village, near Frazier Point on Santa Cruz Island, California. A 60 x 60 meter area within the site was surveyed in July 2002 by members of the GDEP program. The site exhibits about 38 circular-to-oval depressions that correspond to pit houses (Wilcoxon,1985). Around the rims of the pit houses there are extensive accumulations of shell middens. The latter are layers of deposited shell. Radiocarbon dating (Wilcoxon, 1985) indicates that site SCrI-333 was occupied from 6000 to 1800 YBP (years before present), making this early site highly significant in terms of its extent and complexity. The GPR method measures electrical properties in the earth. In the SCrI- 333 setting GPR should be able to show differences between sterile soil and shell rich middens. Over 190 GPR data files were carefully examined for the high reflection areas that might represent pit house floors and shell deposits. Two distinct reflection zone areas were visible in the data. The deeper zone appeared between 1-2 meter depth and it may correspond to whole red abalone shell concentrations. The upper half correlates more to surficial pit house patterns. Funded By NSF grant #GEO-1009891.
Sigma
Xi
(Los Angeles,
November 2003)
Anne Breister of CSULB, with CSULB faculty mentors Daniel Larson and Elizabeth Ambos and Lakewood High School faculty mentor Keith MillerThe purpose of this study is to show that historical aerial photographs can be very useful tools in the study of contemporary surface archaeology of the California Channel Islands. A 1929 photograph of unusually high quality taken of the western end of Santa Cruz Island shows the footprints of two Chumash villages, one prehistoric and the other historic, of which the latter is the focus of this study. The site was studied through the use of both computer enhancement of the the photograph and detailed topographic surveys of the area. When compared with a nearby prehistoric village, the historic village pithouse depressions were found to be both deeper and larger, but fewer and more tightly clustered and without a coherent pattern. The village structures can be related to the true size of the pithouses through a proposed formula called the Shadow Equation, which was found using site topographical information. This research has contributions that are potentially significant to anthropological theory and contemporary site preservation programs.
Sigma
Xi
(Los Angeles,
November 2003)
Jennifer Dyo of Long Beach City College, with UC Santa Barbara doctoral student mentor Sachiko Sakai and CSULB faculty mentor Daniel O. LarsonIn this study we will attempt to reconstruct interaction patterns among the Virgin Branch Anasazi of the Tuweep-Mt. Trumble region (located in Northern Arizona) with the Virgin River groups (in Southern Nevada). We will employ laboratory methods and analysis using bulk method by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). In the course of this research, we hope to derive specific chemical signatures of various ceramic artifacts and clay to identify source. From this study, we may then determine change in residential patterns, travel routes, and trade relationships.
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Irvine, November 2003)
Marlene Cortez, with faculty mentors Elizabeth Ambos and Daniel LarsonGround Penetrating Radar (GPR) data were collected on site SCrI-333, a pre- historic Chumash village, near Fraser Point on Santa Cruz Island, California. A 60 x 60 meter area within the site was surveyed in July 2002, and an additional 40 X 20 meters to the north of the 2002 area were surveyed in July 2003. Radiocarbon dating (Wilcoxon 1985) indicates that site SCrI-333 was occupied from 6,000 to 1,800 YBP (years before present), making this early site highly significant in terms of its extent and complexity. d Lakewood High School faculty mentor Keith MillerThe siteose of this study is to show that historical aerial exhibits circular-to-oval depressions that correspond to pit houses (Wilcoxon 1985), surrounded by extensive shell midden accumulations. In the SCrI-333 setting, GPR should be able to show differences between sterile soil and shell rich middens and pit houses, as the latter should exhibit high-amplitude reflections. Over 200 individual GPR two-dimensional data profiles were analyzed for the existence of highly-reflective data zones. Analysis revealed that two distinct reflection zone areas were visible in the data. The deeper zone appeared between 1-2 meter in depth and may correspond to concentrations of whole red abalone shell. The upper half of the GPR record appears to correlate more to surficial pit house patterns. The correlation of cultural features with GPR data characteristics was compared to excavation and augering evidence collected in 2002 and 2003 (Glassow, 2003). Our work is significant as systematic correlation of highly reflective GPR data zones with cultural evidence provides archaeologists with a rapid and objective way of describing and cataloguing subsurface cultural features.
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Irvine, November 2003)
Brian David of Cerritos College, with CSULB faculty mentor Richard Behl and Saddleback Community College faculty mentor James RepkaThe middle to upper Miocene (17-5 Ma) Monterey Formation was deposited along the California margin in a range of marine basin, slope, bank top, and shelf settings. It consists of highly siliceous sedimentary rocks derived largely from the tests and frustules of diatoms and radiolarians, plus fine detrital components. Lithologies include diatomite, diatomaceous and siliceous mudrocks, porcelanite, chert, and calcareous and phosphatic mudrocks. With increased time and temperature due to burial - biogenic opal-A converts to opal-CT and then to diagenetic quartz. In coastal Orange County, between Newport Back Bay (NBB), Crystal Cove State Park (CCSP), and Pelican Hill, x- ray diffraction reveals a prograde transition between silica phases from the northwest to southeast. The transition zone appears in a fan shape with rocks from NBB containing opal-A, rocks from Corona Del Mar and the Pelican Hill area having opal-CT, and coastal rocks in CCSP containing diagenetic quartz. Further subdivision of the opal-CT zone is made on the basis of lattice d- spacing of opal-CT, reflecting a change from a less to more ordered crystalline structure thus revealing the burial and uplift history. Results of this study indicate that CCSP was uplifted from greater depths than NBB during post depositional tectonic shortening. Further refinement of the silica phase zones and burial history will require future determination of the concentration of silica and detritus in the rocks because these variables influence the time and temperature of silica phase transitions.
Southern California Conference on
Undergraduate Education
(Irvine, November 2003)
Steve Kalina, Scott Singley, and Sharon Woods of CSULB, and Mike Van Ry of CSU Fullerton, with Orange Coast College faculty mentor Erik Bender and CSULB faculty mentor Greg HolkThe presence of water in fault zones may promote failure due to the reduction of friction caused by elevated pore-fluid pressure and reduction of pore-space volume. This occurs in response to elastic deformation of a fault rock as stress increases during the earthquake cycle. Alteration minerals formed in active faults provide evidence for fluid-rock interaction and the pressures and temperatures of deformation. This study focuses on finding evidence for water-rock interaction along a 26-km segment of the San Gabriel Fault. Rock types affected by the SGF include paragneiss, orthogneiss, amphibolite, and granitoids. A portable infrared mineral analyzer, X-ray diffractometer, thin section petrography, and hand sample analysis determined alteration mineralogy. Qualitative tests of the mineral identification software for both the PIMA and the XRD were also performed. Two styles of deformation are recognized: 1) Very thin (1 to 2 cm) bands of extreme grain-size reduction in zones of intense cataclasis; and 2) Diffuse zones of fault gouge (3-4 m) within 50-to-100-m-thick zones of deformation that include tectonic breccias. Fracture-controlled alteration with chlorite, epidote, clay minerals, zeolites, and veins of carbonate, including slickensides, filled with calcite and/or zeolites cut the brecciated zones. Preliminary petrographic analysis indicates a syn-brecciation alteration progression beginning with the conversion of anorthite and mafic minerals to epidote+chlorite+serpentine followed by the alteration of feldspar to an assemblage containing sericite+calcite+clay minerals. Our observations indicate paleodepths within the seismogenic zone (3 to 10 km) and temperatures less than 300 oC. Our study indicates that aqueous fluids may play a significant role in the earthquake cycle.
Geological Society of
America
(Seattle, November 2003)
María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Vladimir Kostoglodov, Douglas J. Kennett, Barbara Vorhies, Hector Neff, and John G. JonesThe Holocene evolution of the Guerrero coast has been marked by the interaction of sea-level changes and tectonic activity. The Guerrero coast extends along the active Pacific margin of southwest Mexico and parallels the trench where the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate. The last major seismic events occurred in Guerrero in 1899, 1907, 1909, 1911, and 1957 earthquakes, but none have occurred since the major 1911 (Ms=7.6) earthquake in the northwest segment of the Guerrero seismic gap. The Guerrero gap is currently considered to be matured for a severe earthquake of estimated Mw=8.1 to 8.4. We present preliminary results of geomorphic field surveying and sediment coring on the coast of Guerrero that suggest that this coast has experienced relative sea-level changes. The Coyuca lagoon strip of the Guerrero coastal area consists of long barrier beaches, behind which extends a lagoon, beach ridges, extensive swamps, mangrove swamps, salt pans, floodplains, alluvial plains, fluvial terraces, and abandoned meanders. Abandoned meanders and fluvial terraces indicate that the Coyuca River has migrated to the southeast. These and changes in hill elevations near the coast suggest a southeast tilting of this coastal segment. Five cores up to 5.5 m depth were taken nearby the Mitla, Coyuca, Tres Palos and Tecomate lagoons. Preliminary observations on the sediment-stratigraphic sequence (alternations of clay sediments, containing organic material, silts and sand) and geomorphic evidence point to changes on terrestrial and marine environments. Two cores included sediments with archeological remains (pottery). The sediment cores included probable stratigraphic markers indicative of tsunami events. We consider that changes in marine and terrestrial environments were produced by fluctuations in relative sea level associated to long-term tectonic subsidence. These results agree with tide gauge measurements (1953-1999) and GPS data (1992-2000) indicative of subsidence rates of ~3 mm/yr (Kostoglodov et al., 2001). In progress radiocarbon dating of shells and charcoal, geochemical and micro-faunal analyses would reveal the timing and confirm the nature of these events.
Geological Society of
America
(Seattle, November 2003)
Linda K. Sanders, María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Christine M. Rodrigue, and Christopher T. LeeHigh school students generally learn geoscience concepts and about geological features as static entities. Texts, videos and laboratory exercises most often lack the means to show the dynamic characteristics of such concepts and features. In contrast, teachers can now use computer representations of geographical information systems (GIS) and research results to process data dynamically over time. This reports on a university-high school geoscience research project to achieve that objective by mapping Charmlee Wilderness Park in Los Angeles County. Classroom lessons introduce the tools and techniques of ArcView GIS, and skills development are provided on-line through ESRI websites. Students work through mapping the park with data collected during the project, and by downloading it from internet resources. Using the data, students construct a thematic representation of an actual wilderness region in their area. Students use data to construct themes (layers) of maps for boundaries, roads, water sources, elevations and vegetation. They then use GPS units to plot points and check the downloaded information. The approach is referenced to national and state standards in science education, including those for California public schools. Guidelines, resources, and contacts to assist in developing a university-school partnership are referenced.
Geological Society of
America
(Seattle, November 2003)
Linda K. Sanders and María-Teresa Ramírez-HerreraTraditionally, high school students learn about Earth systems in a static manner. Texts, videos and laboratory exercises generally lack the means to show the actual dynamic nature of Earth processes and interactive cycles. In contrast, teachers can now use computer modeling software and student manipulated data to understand the dynamic complexity of the Earth.Scientists utilize models to study and understand complex systems. So too can educators use modeling concepts and scientific models to develop conceptual understanding of natural processes as dynamic and interacting. From the flow of energy and nutrients to the cause/effect occurrences and cycles, teachers can now use models to let students manipulate data that alters and simulates Earth processes. In this presentation, I examine how Stella software can be used to create student friendly models that help them better understand dynamic concepts and the relevance of data in the geosciences. I reference applicable learning goals as expressed in the National Science Education Standards, and California State Standards, as well as the tools and equipment needed to implement such instructional activities in high school science classrooms. Internet and other resources are likewise noted.
Boulder Hazards Research and
Applications Workshop
(Boulder, CO, July 2003)
C.M. Rodrigue, C.T. Lee, M. Ramírez, R.D. Francis, E.L. Ambos, R.J. Behl, D.O. Larson, D. Whitney, S.P. Wechsler, J.C. Sample, and C. HazenGDEP is a three year program, which began in the fall of 2001, with funding from the National Science Foundation's Opportunities to Enhance Diversity in Geosciences program. The purpose of this $852,000 project is to attract NSF- defined Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math minorities in local community colleges and high schools into the geosciences through an intensive summer research experience at California State University, Long Beach. The geosciences are defined as physical geography, geology, archaeology, and environmental science.The GDEP team includes six geologists (Elizabeth L. Ambos, Richard Behl, Robert D. Francis, Greg Holk, James Sample, and María Teresa Ramírez-Herrera), three geographers (Christopher T. Lee, Christine M. Rodrigue, and Suzanne P. Wechsler), an archaeologist (Daniel O. Larson), a psychologist and assessment specialist (David J. Whitney), and a staff member from the CSULB Student Access to Science and Math program (Crisanne Hazen). This large interdisciplinary team designs summer research projects that can incorporate partners from five local community colleges and the Long Beach Unified School District and roughly ten students from underrepresented groups, whom partner faculty nominate. This research immersion experience is designed to give students enough outdoors field work and high technology laboratory work to influence their choice of majors towards the field and lab sciences of geology, geography, and geoarchaeology and the interdisciplinary environmental science and policy major. An additional goal is to increase CSULB GDEP faculty research output and involve community college and high school faculty in this research. This is meant to improve the level of geoscience education in all our classes and thereby increase the attractiveness of the geoscience majors to non-GDEP students in our courses.
All faculty commit five weeks of full-time work with GDEP, distributed over the eight weeks of full-time work for which the students are paid and held responsible. All student participants must prepare poster presentations of their research and give them at a culminating on-campus student research symposium (the campus holds a symposium for a number of somewhat similar research immersion programs in various science disciplines). They are encouraged to give posters at regional science conferences as well, for which travel and registration moneys are provided from GDEP.
Three of the projects this summer and last have dealt with hazards topics. Chris Lee and Chrys Rodrigue have projects working on specifying changes in live fuel moisture in the chaparral-covered suburban-wildland interface around Los Angeles. It is hoped that field collection of vegetation samples will enable these changes to be detectable through the use of AVIRIS imagery, with an eye toward improving rapid detection of increases in fire hazard conditions for firefighting agencies. For more information, please visit http://wildfire.geog.csulb.edu/ or contact clee@csulb.edu or rodrigue@csulb.edu.
Tere Ramírez's project entails analysis of sudden coseismic deformation related to subduction earthquakes; and long-term coastal tectonics and paleoseismology, with field areas in Jalisco, Mexico. Her team's work will help establish the history of great earthquakes in Mexico and refine probabilistic risk estimates for such quakes in the next several decades. For more information, please visit https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/gdep/ramirezconvergent.html or contact ramirezt@csulb.edu.
Dan Francis' team is mapping the Palos Verdes Fault off the coast of Southern California, using shipboard seismic reflection. This is an active fault capable of generating Mm 7 earthquakes that would devastate the Los Angeles- Long Beach port and strongly affect much of Southern California. For more information, please visit http://seis.natsci.csulb.edu/dfrancis/pvgdep.htm or contact rfrancis@csulb.edu.
Association of
American Geographers
(New Orleans, March 2003)
C.M. Rodrigue, S.P. Wechsler, D. Whitney, E.L. Ambos, M. Ramírez, R.J. Behl, R.D. Francis, and C. HazenThe Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project (G-DEP) is a 3 year NSF-funded project at California State University, Long Beach, to increase the diversity of undergraduate students majoring in geography, geology, and geoarchaeology. G-DEP is centered around an 8-week intensive summer research experience for up to 10 community college and high school students each year, who are nominated by their faculty mentors. It represents a model co-operative agreement among the departments of geography, geology, and anthropology (as well as faculty in the departments of psychology and science education) on one campus and an unusual collaboration among faculty at CSULB, five local community colleges, and the Long Beach Unified School District. G-DEP's goal is to increase the research output of CSULB faculty, give community college and high school faculty an opportunity to engage in research using CSULB labs and facilities, and, most importantly, give underrepresented students an unforgettable research experience that may increase their interest in pursuing geoscience majors. This paper will present an assessment of G-DEP activities and student responses to them: an overview of the research projects; quantitative assessment of geoscience students' views of geography, geology, and archaeology; and qualitative information provided by the first 8 student interns during focus groups. The purpose of the presentation is to identify ways in which physical geographers, geologists, and archaeologists can improve their teaching and mentoring to attract more students, especially underrepresented students to the geosciences.Keywords: geoscience education, geographic education, diversity, undergraduate research, assessment
Association of
American Geographers
(New Orleans, March 2003)
S.P. Wechsler, Y-L O'Connor, P. Wohlgemuth, B.R. Sims, and A. Bakkoury.Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are frequently used in assessment of natural resources. Digital Elevation Models are a common GIS data source for terrain representation and analysis. Slope and aspect are topographic parameters frequently derived directly from DEMs. Numerous algorithms exist to compute slope and aspect from an elevation grid (Burrough and McDonnell, 1998; Carter, 1992; 1990, Horn, 1981, and Zevenbergen and Thorne, 1987). This research evaluated and quantified the accuracy of the computer representation of elevation and derived topographic parameters (slope and aspect) by GISs. High accuracy Global Positioning Systems (GPS) were used to ground truth elevation as represented in a 10m resolution USGS DEM. Centroids of the 10m grid cells from the Glendora, CA 7.5-minute Level 2 USGS DEM were used as ground truth locations. Issues associated with the navigation to and location of centroid points, subgrid variability and GPS accuracy will be presented. Field measurements of elevation, slope and aspect collected in the Bell 1 research watershed located in the San Dimas Experimental Forest (SDEF) were compared with GIS- derived values. The accuracy of the computer's representation of elevation, slope and aspect is a function of (a) DEM grid resolution, (b) topographic complexity, and (c) the algorithms utilized by the GIS to compute slope and aspect.Keywords: DEM, GPS, Centroids, ground truth, slope, aspect
American Geophysical
Union
(San Francisco, December 2002)
E.L. Ambos, R. Behl, R.D. Francis, D.O. Larson, M. Ramírez, C.M. Rodrigue, J. Sample, S. Wechsler, D. Whitney, and C. HazenThe Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP) is an NSF-OEDG funded project at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Program goals include increasing awareness of geoscience careers, and the availability and accessibility of research experiences, to area high school and community college faculty and students from underrepresented groups. Begun in fall 2001, GDEP involves faculty leadership within three CSULB departments; geological sciences, geography, and anthropology, as well as five community colleges, and one of the largest K-12 school districts in California, Long Beach Unified. In addition, linkages to CSULB's outreach and student orientation activities are strong, with the facilitation of staff in CSULB's Student Access to Science and Mathematics (SAS) Center. During the first year, program activities centered around three major objectives: (1) creating the CSULB leadership team, and developing a robust and sustainable decision-making process, coupled with extensive relationship-building with community college and high school partners, (2) creating an evaluation plan that reflects institutional and leadership goals, and comprehensively piloting evaluation instruments, and, (3) designing and implementing a summer research experience, which was successfully inaugurated during summer 2002. We were very successful in achieving objective (1): each member of the leadership group took strong roles in the design and success of the program. Several meetings were held with each community college and high school faculty colleague, to clarify and reaffirm program values and goals. Objective (2), led by project evaluator David Whitney, resulted in an array of evaluation instruments that were tested in introductory geology, geography, and archaeology courses at CSULB. These evaluation instruments were designed to measure attitudes and beliefs of a diverse cross-section of CSULB students. Preliminary analysis of survey results reveals significant differences among ethnic groups in their perceptions and understanding of geoscience disciplines. Objective (3), the summer research experience, was also very successful: more than 25 faculty and students participated in the experience. Our preliminary analyses of the impact of the summer research experience show that research work combining field experiences, ready access to faculty mentors, and a team approach to investigations appeared most valuable to program participants.
Geological Society of
America
(Denver, October 2002)
Elizabeth L. Ambos, James C. Sample, Richard J. Behl, Robert D. Francis, Daniel O. Larson, María Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Christine M. Rodrigue, Suzanne P. Wechsler, and David J. Whitney.The Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP), initiated in fall 1999, is a 3-year NSF-funded effort to increase the diversity of undergraduates studying geoscience disciplines in the greater Long Beach area. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) defines geosciences as studies in the geologic, physical geographic, archeologic and environmental science disciplines. GDEP represents a collaboration among four CSULB departments (geological sciences, geography, anthropology, and psychology), five community colleges, and the Long Beach Unified School District This comprehensive program is designed to foster geoscience research, strengthen exposure to the geosciences in secondary schools and community colleges, and graduate an increasing number of students from underrepresented groups who major in the geosciences. The cornerstone of the project is an intensive summer research experience. This year, four high school faculty, five community college faculty, nine CSULB faculty, eight undergraduates, and eight graduate students are working together on a variety of projects. The GDEP website includes abundant information about the projects (https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/gdep). Some of the initial achievements of this project include: 1) assembling a community of interested geoscience researchers by outreach to non-CSULB campuses; 2) collection of pre-program data on student attitudes toward geoscience education and careers; 3) design and implementation of summer research programs to mentor potential geoscience majors; and 4) educating new students in research-related skills through on-campus workshops and training seminars. We will present results from our first summer of research activities and a preliminary analysis of how GDEP participation has affected student attitudes toward the geosciences.
Association of Pacific Coast
Geographers
(San Bernardino, October 2002)
General Education Student Perceptions of the Geosciences
David J. Whitney, Suzanne P. Wechsler, Christine M. Rodrigue, María Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Richard Behl, Elizabeth L. Ambos, Robert D. Francis, James C. Sample, Daniel O. Larson, Crisanne Hazen.Eight faculty in the departments of geography, geology, and anthropology at California State University, Long Beach, received an NSF Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project grant for 2001-04. This project aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority and disabled students majoring in the geosciences by involving local community college and, eventually, high school students and their nominating faculty in research collaborations with the CSULB co-PIs. Assessment of GDEP's success in altering student perceptions of the geosciences is central to the project. The project's assessment specialist and co-PIs surveyed introductory classes in the three departments at the beginning and end of the Spring 2002 semester as a baseline study for measuring the eventual impact of GDEP. This paper reports on the results of the pre-test surveys, comparing CSULB student perceptions of geography, geology, and geoarchaeology with one another at the beginning of the semester. It also reports on the results of the post-test, to assess the changes in these perceptions induced by the classroom experience, again comparing the three geosciences.This paper is available by clicking on its title above.
Association of Pacific Coast
Geographers
(San Bernardino, October 2002)
GDEP (Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program): An Interdisciplinary Summer Research Program to Increase the Diversity of Geography, Geology, and Archaeology Majors <https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/gdep/>.
Elizabeth L. Ambos, Christine M. Rodrigue, Suzanne P. Wechsler, Robert D. Francis, James C. Sample, Richard Behl, María Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Daniel O. Larson, David J. Whitney, Crisanne Hazen.The Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP) is a 3-year NSF-funded effort to increase the diversity of undergraduates studying geoscience disciplines in the greater Long Beach area. California State University, Long Beach, defines geosciences as geology, physical geography, archaeology, and environmental science. GDEP represents a collaboration among 4 CSULB geoscience departments (Geological Sciences, Geography, and Anthropology), with assessment and outreach involving 2 other departments (Psychology and Science Education). The cornerstone of the project is an intensive summer research experience. This summer, the geoscience co-PIs are working with 5 faculty from 5 community colleges and 4 high-school faculty from the Long Beach Unified School District, 8 community college students, and 8 CSULB graduate student mentors on a variety of projects. Initial achievements of GDEP include: 1) assembling a community of collaborating geoscience researchers by outreach to non-CSULB campuses; 2) collection of pre-program data on student attitudes toward geoscience education and careers; 3) design and implementation of summer research programs to mentor potential geoscience majors; and 4) educating new students in research-related skills through workshops and training seminars. We will present results from our first summer of research activities and a preliminary analysis of how GDEP participation has affected student attitudes toward the geosciences.
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first placed on web: 07/31/02
last revised: 03/11/06
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Dr. Christine M.
Rodrigue