The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, a research consortium of over 125 U.S. universities, took one of its more popular learning apps, "Determining and Measuring Earth's Layered Interior," and made a free
online version for Earth science classes in grades 6-12, it said in a
news release yesterday.
With a funding assist by the National Science Foundation, IRIS' web tool aims to challenge students to gather earthquake data — the same data used by scientists — to learn about Earth’s interior layers.
“Students today have unprecedented access to seismic data and web tools that allow them to explore fundamentally big ideas such as the predictive power of models to help explain the Earth’s system and to measure the Earth’s core,” Michael Hubenthal, the senior science education specialist at IRIS, said in a public statement.
The tool, which adheres to Next-Generation Science Standards, is based on a study from 1900 by Irish geologist Richard Oldham, who made two fundamental discoveries that have greatly influenced the development of the field of seismology, the news release said. By using the website, students can take part in activities to get comfortable using models and using empirical evidence to make observations about Earth’s interior layers. With the aid of instructional videos, students will take on the role of a scientist, answering interactive questions and analyzing real-world earthquake data in exercises meant to encourage independent thinking, data analysis, engineering and design skills, while earning a certificate upon completion.
