Resources

Here you can access docs, resources, articles and more from GeoSPACE. This page is updated with new material as the project continues.

Disability Advocacy in the Geosciences

This program is a result of the efforts and advocacy of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity. If you would like to connect with a community of people at all career stages in the geosciences with disabilities, or are an instructor or researcher passionate about evidence-based, disability-centered inclusion in earth science disciplines, this is a great community to be a part of.

GeoSPACE Course Supporting Documents

The following documents are used in the GeoSPACE field course and may be useful for other field course organizers.

Note for current GeoSPACE students - the following links are read-only example documents. Please refer to the links and documents we send to enrolled students for the most up to date versions!

Itinerary: An overview itinerary is listed on the "Details" page. A detailed daily itinerary is provided to students and is available to field instructors looking for ideas on locations and accessible scheduling on request.

2024 Syllabus: Details may change from year to year, but it gives you an overall picture of what the course is like.

Pack List: A detailed pack list is very important to reduce anxiety in students who are new to field work, or unfamiliar with the environment in which the field course takes place. Our pack list is annotated with extra info about why certain items are on the list, so students can adapt the list to their needs. It has been collaboratively built with input from student alumni of the program. A narrative section at the end offers additional tips.

Behavioral Norms Agreement: The GeoSPACE Code of Conduct is collaboratively written with staff and students and edited each year by participants, so it changes from year to year (this example is from 2025). The goal is to establish the norms of the group together as an act of community building. UF's Student Code of Conduct is the binding agreement on acceptable behavior, but this document helps everyone start on the same page in terms of how the group should interact.

The "Roomie Survey": Quick form that helps us pair up roommates with similar habits and preferences.

Teaching Resources Developed by our Team:

Quick Guide to Google Earth Engine: (Thatcher, updated 2024) This document is a short and direct introduction to the tools and features our students need to get started with Google Earth Engine.

Quick Guide to JMARS: (Meier, 2023) A concise introduction to using the JMARS plaform to access planetary remote sensing data.

Virtual version of ASU's Holey Tour Created by GeoSPACE co-PI Dave Williams and colleagues at Arizona State University, this collection of annotated 360 images takes you to many of the stops we use in our field course:

Outside Technology Resources:

The LIFT kit - Library of Inclusive Field Technology: Our project uses equipment from the LIFT kit (NSF Award #1941497) - a lending library of wireless communication tools, digital tablets, go pros, and other equipment that can enable technology-based access improvements in field courses.

UNAVCO Geodesy Field Education GPS/GNSS Equipment Loan Program:This program enables geoscience field instructors to participate in training workshops and borrow GPS equipment to use in undergraduate field courses. Field technicians can assist with mastering tools, and robust teaching resources are available online for instructors wishing to implement kinematic GPS surveys into their field courses like ours (NSF Awards 1914915, 1914946, 1914872).

Press and news stories about the GeoSPACE Project

Clark, A. Field Tested: A groundbreaking field camp opens Earth sciences to students with disabilities. Explore Magazing, UF press. Published November 17, 2022. https://explore.research.ufl.edu/field-tested.html

Doerfler, A. Leveling the Field: UF Geologists develop fieldwork course that’s accessible to all. UF CLAS Connected News. Published October 22, 2020 https://news.clas.ufl.edu/leveling-the-field/

Selected Publications and Presentations from our team about GeoSPACE

Check out the presentations below, and contact us if you would like to discuss seminars, workshops or keynotes from our team.

Webinar: GeoSPACE: Building Community for Students in a Hybrid, Multi-Modal Field Course Designed for Inclusion and Access. Marshall, A., and Arroyo, Y. Belonging in the Field Discussion Series, April 26, 2023.
Article: Flexible Fieldwork. Marshall, A. M. S., Piatek, J.L., Williams, D.A., Gallant, E., Thatcher, S., Elardo, S., Williams, A.J., Collins, T., and Arroyo, Y. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00375-9
Video: Going Live: Enabling Real Time Access to Field Sites Using Video Streaming & Discord. Arroyo et al. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, 2023. Going Live: Enabling Real Time Access to Field Sites Using Video Streaming & Discord.
Video: GeoSPACE: Mission Control and Astronaut Exploration Field Course Teachings. Meier et al. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, 2023.
Video: Enhancing Spatial Reasoning Utilizing a Hybridized Field Course Model. Thatcher et al.. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, 2023.
Abstract: Increasing Accessibility of the Holey Tour, ASU’s Introductory Planetary Geology Field Trip. Williams, D.A, Piatek, J., Gallant, E., Marshall, A., 2021. Workshop on Terrestrial Analogs for Planetary Exploration, USGS Astrogeology Science Center. June 16-19, virtual.

Courses and Programs inspired by GeoSPACE

One of the key goals of GeoSPACE is to create sustainable solutions for high quality experiential learning for people with disabilities pursuing geoscience degrees. The following programs credit GeoSPACE as a key inspiration for new/revised programs. Field instructors who have adapted ideas from GeoSPACE- we'd love to add yours to the list, just contact us with info!

Rutgers University Physical Geography field course.
- Rennermalm, A., Thatcher, S., Xiao, J., Carpenter, P., 2022. Designing a Physical Geography Field Course to Improve Accessibility and Inclusion for All Students. AGU Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL, Dec 12-16.

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