LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
of geoscience concepts through attending and are able to incorporate these new concepts into their curriculum. Students learn that research is so much more than googling. They get to see how fun research can be and the positive relationships you build as a researcher with the community. Students also learn how scientists can make positive changes in their communities. Networking is a critical, yet under appreciated, aspect of becoming a professional. Students love to build meaningful relation- ships and attending conferences could potentially help students build mentorship partnerships with university representatives or professionals in the field.
I brought 12 high school students (grades 10 - 12) to the Geological Society of America’s annual conference a few years ago. I was absolutely amazed how well these students inter- acted with professionals and presenters at the conference. We attended two days and the conversations with students after each session was mind-blowing. Not all of these students were interested in geoscience, but they were interested in science as a career and attending the conference opened their world to what research looks like and the types of problems geoscien- tists investigate. One of the students who attended that trip recently published an article on his original field research to the International Journal of High School Research.
The fact is geoscience is solving the problems plaguing soci- ety, such as feeding the world’s population, equitable access to quality water, and managing natural resources. The role of geoscience in society is growing increasingly important. The future of geoscience resides in the K-12 schools. It’s up to geoscientists to access that resource and maximize its yield.
Thomas Anthony
Earth Science Instructor, Garrett High School Garrett, Indiana
Dear Editor:
The last issue was jammed packed with great articles, notes and tidbits. Thank you!!
I read with interest James Howard’s article about “Geosciences in Modern Society,” and by the time I got to the examples of Stealth Education, I was excited to learn some- thing. However, I have read and re-read those examples and they were a little ‘stealthy’ for me. I saw nothing that pointed to the specific value of geosciences to modern society. I was expecting something that pointed to the value of the geosci- entist in understanding and resolving these critical natural resources issues, even if it was a soft-sell. But I think we missed the mark. Please pass along my comments to James and let him know I am looking forward to future examples – but hope they point the reader more directly to geoscientists helped resolve these challenges.
Other articles I enjoyed in this issue included: Letters (always worth reading); Hays Slaughter; Malibu, CA; Professional Ethics; and Why History Matters.
Thanks again, Paul F. Putzier
Hydrogeologist Supervisor | Groundwater Atlas Program Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
10 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2021 Response to Comments by Paul Putzier:
I read with interest the comments by Paul Putzier concern- ing my article on Geosciences in Modern Society. I feel that Paul has missed the point of the program in that he interprets the title of the discussion as a method of touting the geosciences to the public as a major mechanism for solving problems in mod- ern society. In many cases, the insertion of an understanding of the geosciences into decision-making is vital to identifying critical elements of the process of problem-solving. However, a basic problem in the decision-making process is a lack of basic awareness by the public of the role which elements of the geosciences have played and are playing in critical facets of modern society.
One of the elements that must be avoided, except with selected audiences, is the overt “preaching” of the benefits of the geosciences in approaching the development of solutions to modern problem-solving. Such an approach will primar- ily result in the assumption that the individual making the presentation is biased, basically “tooting his own horn” and promoting his profession over the value of others. The purpose of the Stealth Education approach is to teach geoscience influ- ence without overtly announcing the subject to the audience.
In the first article, the example used was one that can be applied to a variety of audiences. It was not intended to be other than an example of a core vehicle that could serve as a method for blending an individual’s own background in the geosciences into a subject that would be of interest to a broader, non-geoscience audience. Expansion of the subject material into a broader context of the geosciences would be the preroga- tive of the individual geoscientist involved.
As an example, the subject of the first article was the effects of climate change on human migration and empire building using the Egyptian Empire as a theme. If, for example, Paul Putzier, a hydrogeologist, was a presenter, his background would allow the insertion of brief discussion and illustrations of the water resource availability from water in deep wells derived from earlier wetter climate intervals in the region of the present Sahara Desert and its impact on the development of the modern North African nations as well as the potential crises associated with the ongoing depletion of that resource and the resultant impact on the population and resources of the modern-day migrants which utilize that resource. If appropriate, further extrapolation could involve the trend of depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States and the impact of that depletion on agriculture and economic develop- ment of the central and southern United States. This could also be linked to similar conditions in California, in which the major subsurface aquifers contain water that was stored during the Pleistocene wetter climate conditions and is now being depleted by overdraft. This overdraft is severely impact- ingwater resource availability in both both population centers and agriculture. This impact is resulting in the promotion of desalination technology for new coastal developments as well as increasing investment dam and pipeline infrastructure which further impacts public policy on potential environmen- tal degradation and economic requirements.
In short, the slides and discussion involved in the articles on the Stealth Education approach are intended to merely provide a methodology for inserting the geosciences into areas in which most non-science trained audiences lack perspective. I do not intend to provide full presentations on selected topics. The first articles are intended only as illustrations of themes which can used to “piggyback” the insertion of the expertise
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