New Earth as Inspiration Chapter Highlights Collaborative Field Experience at Valles Caldera

As featured in a new Earth as Inspiration video released today, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and its partners joined together in late September to facilitate an outstanding day of outdoor earth science learning. Eighth grade students from two local schools worked with Earth Science Education Ambassador Sally Jewell and additional geoscientists to explore and understand the structure, deposits, and hazards posed by volcanoes in their own backyard.

In her third engagement as AGI’s Earth Science Education Ambassador, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell led this diverse group of partners. “The scientists that were around us from the State of New Mexico and across the entire United States were teaching these kids how they do their work,” says Jewell in the video. “They were opening their eyes to how much geology is around them and how much they actually rely on it for their daily lives.”

Throughout the day, the students became acquainted with the science and learned the basics of geo-hazard mitigation and field safety. For some, it was their first visit to Valles Caldera National Preserve, the site of a spectacular volcanic eruption about 1.25 million years ago, located just a short drive down New Mexico Route 4.

Creating opportunities like this one are at the heart of AGI’s mission to connect Earth, science, and people. “The earth sciences touch virtually every aspect of our lives, from the goods and services we consume to the issues that shape our civic life,” said AGI Associate Director of Strategic Communications Geoff Camphire. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the geosciences in unique outdoor experiences like this one, along with Earth Science Education Ambassador Jewell.”

“It’s all about unlocking the curiosity in the next generation so they can be inspired to think about going into scientific disciplines and actually engage in the process of creating a future that is going to be exciting for them, but also sustainable for our planet,” said Sally Jewell.

Watch the third chapter of Earth as Inspiration here.