SCEC InstaNET News
	SCEC Resources Represented at DLESE Annual Meeting

The DLESE community works together on future plans for the library in the Kaibab Room at NAU. Text and photos by John Marquis The Southern California Earthquake Center was well-represented at the 2nd Annual Conference of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), held at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, on August 2-4, 2001. SCEC, through its partnership with CUREE and IRIS in the Electronic Encyclopedia of Earthquakes -- a National SMETE (Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education) Digital Library project -- has already established a bond with the DLESE community. The Encyclopedia is a collaborating partner with DLESE, and SCEC was represented at its first Annual Conference in July 2000 by John Marquis, Digital Products Developer for SCEC Communication, Education and Outreach and a web developer for the Encyclopedia. This time, SCEC director Tom Henyey was invited to attend and lead a session on the topic of "Using DLESE Resources to Teach Earthquake Hazards." The online educational products that SCEC has created over the years are perfect candidates for integration into DLESE's developing collection, and the initial presentation portion of the session focused on these products. DLESE members enjoy the view, and earth science presentations, at Shoshone Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The presentation, delivered jointly with Cindy Shroba from Umpqua Community College in Oregon, and with help from SCEC outreach staff members Bob de Groot and John Marquis, gave an overview of SCEC science and the products that have resulted from the research, as well as issues of pedagogy in using such products in formal education. These talks led up to the heart of the session -- soliciting valuable feedback from those in attendance. This was done by dividing the group into smaller focus groups, each of which brainstormed on a particular question elevant to using online resources to teach about earthquakes in the classroom, while being guided by one of the four presenters. The responses we gathered from our session will contribute to the construction of DLESE and its services. DLESE meetings always emphasize the importance of building a strong community, and the ties within. To that end, they generally include ample opportunities to network and build friendships while learning about earth science. Field trips are a great way to accomplish this, and this year's excursion was no exception, with a series of earth science presentations about the geology of northern Arizona, seismicity in the area, and the environment alongside the Colorado River deep within the Grand Canyon. These last two talks were emphasized by their extraordinary setting -- at Shoshone Point on the south rim of the Canyon! As an organization that is clearly entusiastic about making earth science education more accessible and exciting, SCEC looks forward to continuing our partnership with DLESE.