AbstractThe White River Badlands (WRB) of South Dakota record eolian activity spanning the late Pleistocene through the latest Holocene (21 ka to modern), reflecting the effects of the last glacial period and Holocene climate fluctuations (Holocene Thermal Maximum, Medieval Climate Anomaly, and Little Ice Age). The WRB dune fields are important paleoclimate indicators in an area of the Great Plains with few climate proxies. The goal of this study is to use 1 m/pixel-resolution digital elevation models from drone imagery to distinguish Early to Middle Holocene parabolic dunes from Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Results indicate that relative ages of dunes are distinguished by slope and roughness (terrain ruggedness index). Morphological differences are attributed to postdepositional wind erosion, soil formation, and mass wasting. Early to Middle Holocene and Late Holocene paleowind directions, 324°± 13.1° (N = 7) and 323° ± 3.0° (N = 19), respectively, are similar to the modern wind regime. Results suggest significant landscape resilience to wind erosion, which resulted in preservation of a mosaic of Early and Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Quantification of dune characteristics will help refine the chronology of eolian activity in the WRB, provide insight into drought-driven landscape evolution, and integrate WRB eolian activity in a regional paleoenvironmental context.

Implementation of active-learning practices into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been shown to increase student learning and performance, improve retention of material, and reduce achievement gaps among different student populations when compared to lecture-based approaches. To this end, we transformed two large-enrollment introductory geoscience courses (160 to 270 and 60 to 190 students) at a large public university in the midwestern United States into active-learning classrooms, and systematically analyzed student achievement data over a 10-year period. One course is required for majors in geology as well as majors in petroleum and architectural engineering, and also serves as a natural science distribution requirement for bachelor degrees. The other course serves as a natural-science distribution requirement for bachelor degrees. In both courses, there were measurable but not statistically significant (<95% confidence) improvements in overall student performance in the transformed course when compared to all student performances in the untransformed course, as judged by overall decreases in percentage of students in the course earning D or F grade, or withdrawal (%DFW). In the majors course, however, there were measurable decreases in %DFW in female students (–9.5% decrease) and also students from underrepresented minority groups (–5.6% decrease). During the 10-year study, female students remained ∼30% of the class, whereas underrepresented minority student enrollment increased from 10.8% to 17.1%, consistent with institutional undergraduate enrollment trends. In the nonmajors course, %DFW for first-time freshman decreased by 7.6%. Our data support previous studies that demonstrate a narrowing in student performance gaps with active-learning practices for at-risk and underrepresented populations.

This article provides concise documentation of the ongoing retreat of glaciers, along with the implications that the ice loss presents, as well as suggestions for geoscience educators to better convey this story to both students and citizens.We present the retreat of glaciers-the loss of ice-as emblematic of the recent, rapid contraction of the cryosphere.Satellites are useful for assessing the loss of ice across regions with the passage of time.Ground-based glaciology, particularly through the study of ice cores, can record the history of environmental conditions present during the existence of a glacier.Repeat photography vividly displays the rapid retreat of glaciers that is characteristic across the planet.This loss of ice has implications to rising sea level, greater susceptibility to dryness in places where people rely upon rivers delivering melt water resources, and to the destruction of natural environmental archives that were held within the ice.Warming of the atmosphere due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases released by the combustion of fossil fuels is causing this retreat.We highlight multimedia productions that are useful for teaching this story effectively.As geoscience educators, we attempt to present the best scholarship as accurately and eloquently as we can, to address the core challenge of conveying the magnitude of anthropogenic impacts, while also encouraging optimistic determination on the part of students, coupled to an increasingly informed citizenry.We assert that understanding human perturbation of nature, then choosing to engage in thoughtful science-based decision-making, is a wise choice.This topic comprised "Savor the

For near-surface environments ( Presentation Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Start Time: 4:25:00 PM Location: 142 Presentation Type: ORAL

Vadose Zone JournalVolume 12, Issue 1 vzj2012.0026br p. 1-2 Book Review Advances in Near-Surface Seismology and Ground-Penetrating Radar Gregory S. Baker, Corresponding Author Gregory S. Baker gbaker@tennessee.edu Dep. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1410Corresponding author (gbaker@tennessee.edu).Search for more papers by this author Gregory S. Baker, Corresponding Author Gregory S. Baker gbaker@tennessee.edu Dep. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1410Corresponding author (gbaker@tennessee.edu).Search for more papers by this author First published: 15 February 2013 https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2012.0026br All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume12, Issue1February 2013Pages 1-2 RelatedInformation

This will be presented in Early Career Awardee Session