Pasadena City CollegePasadena, CaliforniaDave Douglass, Dean Natural Sciences
College Founded in 1924First Geology Course taught in 1927
First overnight field trip in 1928
Hispanic Asian PI White Black Native Amer.05
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ETHNICITY
One of 112 California Community Colleges• ~23,000 Credit Students• 53 acre urban campus• ~ 1800 students per year transfer to the
University of California (UC) of the California State University System (CSU)
“Traditional” 2YC Geology Curriculum• Physical -> Historical -> Mineralogy• Emphasis on Field Experiences
General Education CoursesOceans, Environmental, Dinosaurs,
Hazards, Earth Science etc.
Recent Additions…Field Methods
Paleontology
~600 Students/year take Physical GeologyAbout 5% of those become geology “Majors”Most are headed for Transfer…
Traditional Geology Department
• Strong emphasis in field experiences
• Laboratory focus on identification of geological materials
• Excellent relationship with transfer institutions
• Large contribution to general geoscience literacy
• Collaborative faculty
21st Century Geoscience Department
• Friendly acquisition of geography• Embracing active, project-based
learning • Classroom technologies such as
clickers, lap tops etc.• Working towards early “research”
experiences• Working towards improved
partnerships with 4-year institutions
• Working towards skills certificate in GIS
• Better roadmaps for “majors” in broader STEM curriculum