2007 GSA Biggs Award

Journal of Geoscience Education, Mar 2008 by Richardson, Justin

Is my pleasure to provide introductory remarks for Joe Elkins, recipient of the 2007 Biggs Earth Science Teaching Award. I regret not being able to attend to in person to introduce him. I got to know Joe while I was a graduate student at Bowling Green State University and a field instructor on a unique field program called "Geojourney"- a program Joe created. The impact Geojourney has had on the BGSU campus has been profound and it exemplifies Joe's commitment to undergraduate education. Geojourney's curriculum has been the primary focus of Joe's teaching efforts as well as the unifying theme of his research program.

Joe received his BS in Geology and his MEd in secondary Education from the University of West Georgia. It was there that he discovered his interest in earth science and his love for teaching. Upon receiving his teaching certificate, Joe taught earth science at Northgate Middle School in Coweta County, Georgia. In 1997 he began graduate research in geology at the University or Georgia and it was at UGA that he found a way to combine his love for teaching and his interest in field work. In the summer 1998, he became a teaching assistant on the University of Georgia Interdisciplinary Field Program- a western field trip for introductory-level geology credit. His experiences on that program taught nim that field-based learning environments have many advantages over classrooms, most importantly the ability to integrate other topics like environmental science and archeology with geology in order to examine earth environments in the context of the interactions between physical, biological, and cultural systems. While at the University of Georgia, Joe founded Geojourney, Inc., a non-profit corporation whose mission is to develop interdisciplinary, field-based learning experiences. Upon graduating with his PhD in 2002, Joe accepted the geoscience education position at Bowling Green State University. Two years later, the first Geojourney began its 14,000 mile itinerary around the country.

The scope and itinerary of Geojourney requires Joe to be in the field for nine weeks, living with undergraduate students (most of which are incoming freshmen) in an outdoor, communal camp environment. The courses on Geojourney are taught concurrently in an interdisciplinary format utilizing roughly 30 national parks and public lands as "classrooms and visiting 24 states across the U.S. The itinerary for this program is designed to use field stops as the basis for teaching introductory-level concepts in geology, environmental studies, the cultures of indigenous people of North America and critical thinking. The expedition travels by van, moving every few days to new campsites. Despite the intense schedule, Joe is available 24 hours a day for Geojourney students, whether he is brushing his teeth or setting up his tent, he takes time to answer students' questions and deal with students' issues. Since his involvement in the University of Georgia Interdisciplinary Field Program in the summer of 1998, every year Joe has spent at least nine weeks in the field sharing what he has learned about North America with his students; for several years, Joe participated in both Geojourney during the fall semester and the UGA program during the summer semester, for a total of 18 weeks in the field!

In addition to innovative curriculum design and commitment to undergraduate education, Joe's other research interests and creative activities include assessment of field-based curricula and experiences. Results of these assessments suggest that field-based learning environments can effect positive change in student attitudes toward geoscience and can improve geoscience concept knowledge beyond what has been demonstrated in the traditional classroom setting.

Joe has also developed new ways of incorporating instructional technology into the field environment, specifically while traveling in vehicles to field stops. His goals are to make effective use of travel-time in vehicles, to bring instructional media traditionally used on campus to the field, and to use electronic course materials in-route to reduce student "novelty space". Last year, Joe redesigned the curriculum of Geojourney to include the iPod personal media player which gave Geojourney students access to many electronic course materials used on campus to help teach geologic concepts. He also created a series of podcasts to serve as the platform for teaching the critical thinking component of the Geojourney curriculum.

Joe has mentioned to me that one of the most rewarding aspects of Geojourney to him is the profound impact the Geojourney experience has on the student participants, an impact that extends well beyond the initial nine-week experience. Geojourney students have created a student organization called "BaseCampus" at BGSU which serves as a rally-point for the Geojourney learning community. BaseCampus is a sixty-member student organization comprised of Geojourney alumni whose mission is to enhance the Geojourney on campus and to serve the public through service projects and volunteer efforts. As advisor to BaseCampus, Joe has established partnerships between local environmental non-profit groups and his students. One of these groups, the Maumee River Riparian Action Plan (Maumee RAP), is a government funded community organization dedicated to the remediation of the Maumee River International Area of Concern. Utilizing the water sampling strategies and techniques learned on Geojourney, students are engaged in a stream clean-up and water monitoring program for the Maumee River.