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Saturday morning, the students took the final exam. That afternoon, Jackie Floyd, an ExxonMobil geophysicist and former U.T. student, gave a presentation on her career and experiences as a student. The day ended with the closing ceremony attended by 200 family members. All of the students were invited back to the 10th Grade Academy after everyone made an A on the final exam! Congratulations to all of the GeoFORCE 9th grade students!
Instructors Peggy Neill and Andy Dewhurst congratulated students on a job well done.

Julie Spink and Doug Ratcliff, U.T. Jackson School of Geosciences, are the driving forces behind GeoFORCE. Doug developed the program and Julie is the coordinator. Without them, GeoFORCE would not exist.

The fieldtrip to the D.C. area ended on Thursday evening and day 7 was spent flying back to San Antonio with a bus trip back to Uvalde. The students got to hear a presentation by Shell geophysicist Carlos Guzman. Shell is one of the sponsors of the GeoFORCE program. The evening included an intense review of the academy in preparation for the final exam the next day. The students must make at least a B on the final exam to qualify for the GeoFORCE 10th Grade Academy.

The students reviewed for the quiz with a game of Wheel of Fortune, geology-style. Instructor Peggy Neill asks students to define geological terms.

The USGS sponsored a half-day program that included exhibits on careers in the earth sciences and presentations from government agencies that employ earth science professionals.

The students spent the afternoon at Great Falls National Park with Dr. E-an Zen, former USGS geologist who currently serves as a faculty member at the University of Maryland. Dr. Zen is an expert on Great Falls and discussed plate tectonics, geologic features formed by rivers, and floods. Ranger Cheryl Bresee talked to the students about the history of Great Falls.

GeoFORCE students learned a lot about career opportunities at the USGS career fair. Dr. Zen talks to the students about the age of the Great Falls rocks and the power of the Potomac River.

GeoFORCE students and high school students from Fort Valley State University met at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on Wednesday. Fort Valley developed the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program for high school students, which focuses on increasing the number of minorities and women working in private and governmental sectors of the energy industry—a focus very similar to that of the GeoFORCE program. Students met again on Wednesday evening at the U.S. Geological Survey for an evening of food and fellowship.

One group of GeoFORCE and CDEP students at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers at Fort Valley, West Virginia. The pedestrian bridge across the Potomac gave students the opportunity to walk above 3 states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The students learned about the Piedmont Province, metamorphic rocks, plate tectonics, and processes and features associated with rivers.

Monday, July 17, 2006, was a travel day, and GeoFORCE students flew to Baltimore and took the bus to the hotel at Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. That evening they attended lectures on the geology of field-trip areas in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

On Tuesday July 18, 2006, the students spent the day at the D.C. National Mall, which included monuments and memorials and the Smithsonian Museums of Natural History and Air and Space. At the Natural History Museum they participated in an activity called “Where on Earth?” The object was for students to visit exhibits at the fossil, plate tectonics, and gem and mineral sections and find the answer to a question at each exhibit. That evening the students had lectures, review, and a quiz.

Students take a break at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The museums were a great learning opportunity for the students.

On Sunday, July 16, 2006, students spent the day at McKinney Falls State Park. They learned about the concepts of superposition and lateral continuity, which help explain deposition of limestones at McKinney Falls. They observed Onion Creek and geologic processes, such as terraces, floodplains, and differential erosion. They also saw geologic features, such as potholes and burrows in the limestone. Instructors Peggy Neill and Andy Dewhurst discussed floods, faults, and volcanoes, which are common features in the Central Texas area.

Students observe the power of water at Onion Creek. Even very small channels at the creek can demonstrate water flow, deposition, and erosion. The students will see many of the same geologic concepts and processes that they witnessed at McKinney Falls when they visit Great Falls National Park and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

On July 15, 2006, 40 outstanding students from Southwest Texas embarked upon the annual GeoFORCE 9th Grade Summer Academy managed by the U.T. Jackson School of Geosciences. The week-long field trip takes the students to the northeast, where they will learn about the basics of geology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia, Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, and Great Falls National Park in Virginia. The students will also visit the U.S. Geological Survey for a day of presentations and exhibits on careers in the earth sciences. The goal of the summer academy is to inspire high school students in grades 9 through12 to pursue a geoscience degree. Bureau Geologist Sigrid Clift is an instructor at the academy. Peggy Neill and Andy Dewhurst, graduate students at the Jackson School, are co-instructors. Funding is provided by sponsors Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Minerals Management Service, AT&T Foundation, Dominion, Halliburton, Marathon, Schlumberger, and Swift Energy Company.

Day 1 included a trip from Uvalde to the U.T. campus. The students stayed at Jester Dorm during their visit to U.T. Students take a pretest each year to find out what they already know and don’t know. This is a good tool for instructors to determine students’ knowledge of the basics of geology.