Ron Zawislak

RLZ1@mtsu.edu

Ron Zawislak

Geosciences

Discipline specific equipment

KOM 102B/302/308

New Technology

N/A

Geosciences is a computer and instrumentation intensive department. Faculty teach computer-based courses and maintain analytical instrumentation serving undergraduates from many majors (e.g. geosciences, anthropology, environmental science, chemistry, concrete, aerospace). We request funds to: 1) Purchase licenses, upgrades, and technical support for Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing software used to teach courses in GIS, Remote Sensing, Cartography, Image Interpretation, and Computer Methods ( ~110 students per year, based upon most recent enrollments; 75% students in GIS are non-geoscience majors). Academic Affairs allocates no funds to Geosciences for this software. The current software cannot be used without new software key codes. It is absolutely essential that these items be funded to continue teaching these courses. 2) Purchase a portable X-ray diffractometer (XRD). XRD is used to identify microcrystalline minerals and study atomic structures in crystalline solids. Faculty in geosciences, chemistry, concrete, and soils science have committed to use the XRD to teach undergraduate lab exercises in courses such as Mineralogy, Concrete Lab, Soil Formation, and Chemical Pollutants (~170 students/year, based upon recent enrollments). Geosciences agrees to maintain the XRD, but with availability to all departments. It is emphasized that both requests in this proposal are for multi-disciplinary instructional technologies, serving students from many majors.