Carmala Garzione, co-sponsored by The Institute for the Study of Planet Earth (ISPE):

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geosciences. For my dissertation, I am studying the timing and mechanisms of uplift of the southern Tibetan Plateau by examination of the sedimentary fill of N-trending basins on the southern plateau. These grabens are believed to have formed as a result of gravitational collapse of the plateau following crustal thickening and uplift to its current elevation. Changes in south Asian climate as well as global climate have been attributed to uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau. Understanding the timing of uplift of this vast elevated region is critical to assessing the affect of the growth of large mountain belts on global climate.

Through my own research, I have become increasingly aware of the public's lack of understanding of the causes and effects of climate change. While climate change regularly appears in science news, the public's poor understanding of the scientific process not only makes it difficult to understand the causes of climate change, but impossible to critically evaluate arguments for or against a proposed cause. Because science-based issues frequently receive public vote, such as the use of C.A.P. water in Tucson, it is essential to increases the public's scientific literacy to develop the public's understanding of both global and community issues related to science.

In fall of 1999, I began an outreach program through Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) geared towards increasing scientific literacy among teachers, with an emphasis on Earth Science education. The goal of the program is to give teachers an understanding of the basic content of Earth Science and the scientific process so that teachers can better guide their students to participate in the scientific process. Through the DESERT Project () TUSD is currently restructuring science education at the K-8 level by incorporating more interactive and inquiry-based learning into the curriculum. My interest in working with teachers fits well within the TUSD plan because it is through the teachers that new curriculum is being introduced.

In the fall, I became familiar with the workings of the DESERT Project by participating in various functions of the program. I attended a learning forum with Middle school science teachers aimed at developing inquiry in the classroom, fostering group interaction, attaining closure, and assessing students' understanding of scientific concepts. I also participated in a teacher workshop aimed at introducing teachers to a "Models and Designs" science kit that they used in their classrooms last fall. On a weekly basis, I meet and interact with collaborative teachers (CTs), those that deliver the new curriculum and teaching techniques to teachers.

Last fall I developed a "Geology an Earth Science Through Inquiry" course for 5th through 8th grade teachers that I will teach over a 6 week period in late January and February. This class is designed to reinforce the teachers' understanding of the earth science content they are expected to teach in their classrooms as well as introduce techniques by which they can teach through inquiry. I will also run workshops on "teaching the scientific process" at several TUSD teacher conferences. Later in the Spring semester, I will work with several teachers in their classrooms as a general science liaison to the class.