When MGRRE was established in 2006 with funds from the Department of Energy, scientists at the facility made education a priority and called for the development of a K-12 outreach program. The resulting program, now called CoreKids, utilizes the unique geological resources of the MGRRE facility to bring real Earth science to K-12 students. CoreKids’ fundamental mission is to increase awareness and understanding of Earth, its processes and its natural resources, and a basic tenet is to provide programming to schools and non-profit organizations without charge. Visits to classrooms by CoreKids teaching staff, coupled with school field trips to MGRRE and the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, have enriched the classroom Earth science experience of over 60,000 southwestern Michigan K-12 students to date, many of whom come from at-risk populations.
The rock samples and data archived at MGRRE, as well as the many research interests of the faculty, provide a rich environment for developing inquiry-based hands-on displays and activities. These resources enable K-12 students and their teachers to visualize what lies beneath their feet, often in their local area.
CoreKids outreach programs include coordinating scientists’ visits to schools and community events, field trips to MGRRE, internships for high school students and K-12 teacher workshops. Dr. Peter Voice, director of CoreKids, has developed several modules regarding: geologic history, groundwater, geologic hazards to shale energy and hydraulic fracturing. Through this program, we aim not only to excite students about earth resources by relating them to their daily lives, but also to inspire some of them to think about the geosciences as a possible career choice.
Duration
CoreKids classroom visits generally last from one to two hours per group, depending on each school’s scheduling needs and the ages of the students. Each presentation includes an introduction describing geology and the jobs that geologists do, followed by an interactive multimedia presentation on the chosen module with time for students to do related hands-on activities.
Service Area
CoreKids covers all of the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, including the Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit Metro regions.
Group Size
CoreKids modules are designed for groups of thirty students. We bring all the materials that we use, including mineral samples and hands-on activities, to the classroom. Depending on the module, we may need access to water or electricity. Hands-on activities and samples are usually arranged as stations throughout the classroom for small groups to enjoy. We encourage schools with multiple sections of the same grade level at each period to schedule more than one day of CoreKids visits (i.e. one day for each sixth grade teacher’s sections) because we are not equipped to facilitate large groups of combined classes.
Western Michigan University’s CoreKids K-12 Outreach Program invites Michigan teachers who are looking for Earth science resources to schedule a visit to WMU to explore our geological facilities.
CoreKids provides two options for WMU geology tours:
- Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education (off-campus)
- Rood Hall, the home of WMU’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences (on-campus)
The CoreKids program provides a flexible schedule for tour groups that can be tailored to the specific needs of the students. Tours at MGRRE and Rood Hall both include tours of the facilities as well as hands-on activities. Teachers can choose from one of our six modules for the hands-on component of the tour.
MGRRE’s faculty and students also conduct geological research about geothermal energy, glacial geology and mapping, groundwater aquifers, subsurface mineral deposits and the geological history of the Michigan Basin. The 27,000 square-foot MGRRE facility archives the most comprehensive collection of geological samples and data in the state of Michigan, including approximately 530,000 linear feet of rock cores. These cores were drilled during oil, gas and mineral exploration; environmental research; and geological mapping projects.
The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Western Michigan University is a growing center for geologic education and research. The department’s research is focused on geologic mapping, groundwater, energy utilizing the applied geophysics, hydrogeology, remote sensing, paleoclimate studies and subsurface sample coring and characterization.