Every outreach experience is also a learning experience, especially when you have to adapt what you are teaching to meet the needs of a visually impaired, multi-age audience. This was the case during the Geography Outreach and Awareness Committee’s winter event with the Santa Barbara Braille Institute’s youth program on February 24th. The Geography Outreach and Awareness Committee, which includes Geography graduate students Bonnie Bounds, Helen Chen, Kitty Currier, and Heather Frazier, with the help of another Geography graduate student, Ann Tan, decided to organize an interactive soil science event for the Braille Institute students.
In order to communicate about the importance of soil processes and the distribution of soils across the earth’s surface to a visually impaired audience, the Committee organized a hands-on event where students learned how to identify different soil textures using their sense of touch. Soil texture – the percentage of sand, silt, or clay in a soil sample – is an important part of soil classification and mapping. The participating students were led through a step-by-step flow chart procedure that allows a rough estimation of soil texture by adding water, shaping the soil into a ball or ribbon, and feeling for smoothness or grittiness in the sample. By working in small groups, the activity could be adapted to the different ages and visual abilities represented in the student group.
The hands-on activity was framed with an interactive discussion about soils, plants, and gardening. “The students were quick to relate what they were learning about soil properties to gardening and plant growth,” said Outreach Committee member Kitty Currier. “They asked good questions and seemed enthusiastic to dive into the activity and get their hands dirty.” Questions flowed freely throughout the activity, many of which were fielded by Geography graduate student Ann Tan, who volunteered to help the committee make the event a success. “The kids were really great to work with, and it’s always excellent to be able to share my excitement about soils with others,” said Tan, who studies soil science. “They were really receptive and I think they had fun too.”
“This was a great experience for our students,” said Bob Quackenbush, the Santa Barbara Braille Institute Youth & Career Consultant. He was glad to see the students learning about soils using their sense of touch. “Tactile learning is, of course, a key method in acquiring information for the blind and visually impaired, and this lesson utilized that sense.” Quackenbush was also glad to forge an outreach relationship between the Braille Institute and UCSB students. “The students from the Geography Department were very informative and took a personal interest in each participant. We really appreciate the opportunity to work with them. This event also gave our young people a chance to spend some time on a university campus which gives them an idea of what’s available to them after high school.”
While outreach to the broader community is an important goal within the Geography department, students were also hard at work sharing the joys of Geography with other UCSB students this spring when the UCSB Geography Club joined forces with the Geography Outreach and Awareness Committee to put on a Geography Jeopardy event on May 22nd in the Lobero Room of the UCen. Building upon the success of a similar event last year, the event aimed to test participating students’ general geographical knowledge while also increasing the visibility of the Geography major on campus. The event combined friendly competition with socializing, food, and prizes, attracting over 30 undergraduate and graduate students from both the geography department and other departments on campus.
Teams were composed of two contestants each. Alex Hammer-Barulich and Seth Gorelik, both 4th-year geography majors, took 1st place, while political science majors Ralph Hall, an international student from New Zealand, and Lily Kley, a second-year student, placed second. In third place were Zach Toll, a third-year geography major, and Carlos Baez, a graduate student in the Geography Department. The winning contestants were rewarded with prizes generously donated by Blenders in the Grass, Silvergreens, the UCSB Bookstore, and the Geography Department. Hopefully, the runner-ups and other geography fans will have another chance to compete next year. Congratulations to all our Geography Jeopardy winners!
Editor’s note: Many thanks to the Geography Outreach and Awareness Committee for contributing this article, not to mention their time and devotion to such a good cause!
