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Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist

App State receives funding for K–12 geosciences outreach project

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By engaging in Appalachian’s Picture Yourself as a Geologist (PYES) outreach program, students at the Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork learn about careers in geoscience. The students pictured here are wearing safety gear used by geologists. Photo submitted

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A student at the Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork tries on a survival suit worn during Antarctic research expeditions through Appalachian’s Picture Yourself as a Geologist (PYES) outreach program. Photo submitted

Edited by Jessica Stump
Posted May 30, 2019 at 5:28 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Students, faculty and staff in Appalachian State University’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences are giving regional K–12 students the opportunity to step into the shoes of a geologist, a paleontologist, a volcanologist, or even a deep ocean explorer through the department’s Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist (PYES) mobile photo booth.

The booth is used in the department’s outreach programs to raise awareness for geoscience careers and the importance of earth science literacy.

Marta Toran, the department’s K–12 outreach coordinator, has received a $5,700 grant from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to upgrade the existing PYES photo booth. She said the project is part of a larger initiative to promote geoscience careers among underrepresented groups in North Carolina.

Citing geoscience scholars, Toran said, of all STEM disciplines, geosciences are the least diverse, due in part to the lack of early exposure to geoscience fields and misperceptions about job opportunities.

“Our Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist (PYES) outreach activity directly addresses these issues by targeting middle and high school students from underrepresented groups to advertise how a geoscience career can provide a good income while ameliorating environmental and societal issues,” she said.

Toran said the new, “high-tech” version of the booth, available in fall 2019, will include a green screen, an iPad and various props — such as tools and safety equipment — to educate students about geoscience career paths by placing them, visually, within these roles.

“The green screen setup is accompanied by a table with hands-on activities modeling tasks geoscientists carry out (e.g., creating a cast of a fossil specimen, analyzing an ice core or using environmental probes to determine water quality). Participants walk away with a ‘souvenir’ — a photo of themselves as a geoscientist — and print information about geoscience career paths in either Spanish or English,” she explained.

Appalachian’s PYES outreach program has been featured at regional schools, including the Appalachian Academy at Middle Fork, as well as libraries, community centers and learning centers such as The Children’s Playhouse in Boone. The photo booth has also been used in Appalachian’s Geobago — a mobile earth and environmental science lab that brings the geosciences to students in the High Country.

Dr. William Armstrong, assistant professor of glaciology in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, is collaborating with Toran on the project, and several Appalachian geological and environmental sciences majors will help operate the photo booth in outreach programs in the 2019–20 academic year.

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Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist
Picture Yourself as an Earth Scientist

Wondering what it's like to be an earth scientist? There are many different jobs available within the field of geoscience, from paleontologist to vulcanologist to mining engineer and deep ocean explorer. Learn more about career options and what earth scientists do, with ASU GES. There's something for everyone!

Learn more
McKinney Geology Teaching Museum
McKinney Geology Teaching Museum

The F. Kenneth & Marjorie J. McKinney Geology Teaching Museum is a teaching and outreach initiative of the Department of Geology at Appalachian State University.

Learn more
PreK-12 Education and Outreach
PreK-12 Education and Outreach

Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

Outreach offerings at the Appalachian State University Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences include services and programs for PreK-12 and the general public through our dedicated facilities — the McKinney Geology Teaching Museum, Fred Webb Jr. Rock Garden and Mobile Earth and Environmental Science Lab (the "Geobago"). Students and faculty members also travel off campus for events such as guest lectures, career days and fossil fairs.

Learn more
Water quality, volcanic destruction and glacier recession among Appalachian's research highlighted at national conference
Water quality, volcanic destruction and glacier recession among Appalachian's research highlighted at national conference
March 6, 2019

Fifteen Appalachian State University students, alumni and faculty attended the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., where the students and alumni presented research in a range of earth science topics.

Read the story

About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at https://earth.appstate.edu.

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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