Earth Lab: Exploring the Earth Sciences

The Second Edition of EARTH LAB offers a variety of hands-on activities—a perfect accompaniment to either a physical geology, environmental geology, or earth science course. Full of engaging activities that help students develop data-gathering and analysis skills, the Second Edition introduces new chapters on glaciation, mass wasting, and natural processes in deserts. Other chapter topics include activities on rock identification that help students look into Earth's history as well as learn about plate tectonics and earthquakes. EARTH LAB is distinguished not only by enhanced breadth of coverage, but also by innovative pedagogy and many simple, student-tested experiments. The traditional skills of rock and mineral identification, aerial photo analysis and geologic map interpretation are emphasized through superb graphic illustrations and rich visual content. Unlike activities in other lab manuals where students might only analyze pre-created data sets and maps, students using the Second Edition of EARTH LAB will spend more time handling and interpreting samples, or even creating their own models of geological processes. Instructors will find that within chapters, the wide selection of activities provides more than enough options to design their own labs based on their own particular resources and preferences. Thus, the new edition provides an unparalleled flexible basis for the design of Earth Science and Physical Geology labs.

Claudia Owen is the lead faculty member of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lane Community College. She holds a B.S. in Geology from Stanford University, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Geology from University of Washington. Claudia's interests rest in climate change, geological resources, and metamorphic rocks. At Lane Community College, she teaches introductory geology and environmental science courses such as Rocks and Minerals, Earth's Dynamic Interior, Terrestrial Environment, Atmospheric Environment, and Global Climate Change. She also teaches classes at University of Oregon in environmental geology, surface processes, and national park geology. Her work with students in lab courses she has taught for over 20 years has allowed her to explore her interest in science education through laboratory exercises. She began working on EARTH LAB with her co-authors, Diane and Gren, at Florida International University while teaching at the companion Biscayne Bay Campus where she headed the Geology program and taught a number of lecture and lab courses.

With a background in both Earth Sciences and Fine Arts, Diane Pirie's contribution to EARTH LAB is both practical, from the experience of teaching in laboratory settings, and artistic, with the incorporation of images, creative methods and approaches in working with content. The user friendly layout of labs results from her scientific methodology and the set up of the majority of the mineral photographs exclusively for EARTH LAB is an example of her use of art as a teaching vehicle. Pragmatic methods reinforced with attention to detail are the mainstay in her current position as Scientific Research Manager at Florida International University, as much as in many past laboratory and teaching positions. She has a B.A. from the University of South Florida and a B.S. from Florida International University.

Grenville Draper is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Florida International University. He was previously the Department Chair and teaches Introduction to Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, Geologic Maps, and Structural Geology at the undergraduate level and Tectonics, Caribbean Geology, and Ductile Deformation at the graduate level. His main research interests are in metamorphic geology, structural geology, and tectonics, particularly in the Caribbean region. Apart from EARTH LAB, he is the co-author and co-editor of four books and the author of over 70 research, review, and journalistic articles.