This project was prepared as part of a BioQUEST faculty development workshop entitled Annual BioQUEST Faculty Summer Workshop
Global Health in Undergraduate Education at Beloit College in June 2010. The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium is committed to the reform of undergraduate biology instruction through an emphasis on engaging students in realistic scientific practices. This approach is sometimes characterized as an inquiry driven approach and is captured in BioQUEST's three P's (problem-posing, problem-solving, and peer-persuasion). As part of this workshop groups of faculty were encouraged to initiate innovative curricular projects. We are sharing these works in progress in the hope that they will stimulate further exploration, collaboration and development. Please see the following links for additional information:

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Displaying Spatial Data Using Excel and Google Earth
  
 
Authors          Audiences          Overview           Materials          Resources           Future Directions
  

 


Authors

  
 
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Possible Audiences:

Undergraduate biology students.  

 
 


Brief Overview:

This project developed a working classroom model of how to utilize Excel and Google Earth to display spatial data. Students work with real world large data sets from allowing them to engage in citizen science as well as propose and answer questions about abundance and distribution of organisms.  

 
 
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Project Materials:

PowerPoint Google Earth Microsoft Office Excel Earth Point: Tools for Google Earth Large data sets.  

 
 


Resources and References:

Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) Microsoft Office Excel Earth Point: Tools for Google Earth (http://www.earthpoint.us/ExcelToKml.aspx) Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project: Calling Frog Survey (http://www.habitatproject.org/frogsurvey/index.html) Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project: Illnois Butterfly Monitoring Network (http://www.habitatproject.org/projects/ibmn.html)  

 
 
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Future Directions:

Possible interaction with the Chicago Wilderness Project Habitat will be explored to make their data available to the general public and to allow graphic representation of the data on their web site. Possible grants related to conservation and rehabilitation of natural areas on the authors campus will be explored.