AAPG Program Support
Bookout Initiative
John F. Bookout generously donates to the Bookout Fund so that K-12 teachers are receiving training in the earth sciences. In turn, teachers are able to pass on this knowledge to students in the classroom.
The AAPG Foundation partners with the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute (EMGI) to offer teacher workshops and conferences. Teachers who complete the workshops receive a certificate stating the number of credit hours they have received. These certificates can be used by most school districts as credits for state-required yearly update certification hours.
Progress Reports
2010- The EMGI actually hosted a total of 3 “Geo on the Bus” field trips. fifty teachers were trained that instructed over 3,000 students for the year of 2010. A wide range of teachers were trained, from kindergarten to high school professionals, which received instruction from qualified professors.
2011- On April 2, 2011, the EMGI hosted a “Geo on the Bus” field trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Fifteen teachers were trained that instructed over 2,650 students for the current year; teachers from all levels were in attendance.
2011- On August 5, 2011, the EMGI hosted a “Geo on the Bus” field trip to Ocean Dallas. We were able to train 22 teachers from the Mesquite I.S.D, Science Department. This field trip was designed to familiarize teachers with the local geology and paleontology of the Metroplex. The teachers:
• Investigated the rich geologic history of the Metroplex area, concentrated on the Cretaceous and Pennsylvanian periods.
• They discovered evidence of how the area has changed from ocean deposits in Paleozoic Pennsylvanian time, to an era where Texas was mostly above water and had very few deposits, back to the oceans of the Mesozoic/Cretaceous time, and finally to the high-and-dry landscape you see today.
• Picked out the weathering and erosion effects, including our river’s fluvial systems, from the landscape and discussed them in detail.
• Investigated the important connection between soils (the final product of erosion) and local vegetation patterns.
• Familiarized a “Typical” local fossil suite so they would feel confident identifying common local fossils and the Texas environment they live in.
• Worked in the field and learned how to observe and understand pertinent geologic information. They also learned how to collect samples and data appropriately.
