A friend sent me this great website called EarthCache. It's like geocaching, only each site has a earth science lesson attached to it. There are waterfalls and fault scarps and volcanos, it's super cool. What's even better, IMHO, is that they have instituted a program where you can get pins for visiting and developing Earthcaches (think Boy Scouts only more fun). I am going to see if the school I work with is down for developing one.
This got me thinking about PCS season and how it gives lots of milfam an opportunity to live somewhere new. This is really wonderful, but tough on kids in particular. I wonder if it would be easier if milfam took advantage of the EarthCache system to learn about the new place they are living (even overseas). I know that I find a great deal of comfort in getting outside and connecting to the natural world wherever I wind up. It makes me feel more at home when I know about the area in which I live. I think it is also comforting to know that while my life is in flux all the time, Earth processes are pretty similar wherever I go, which Earthcache reinforces. Ironically, or perhaps not, science is my stability.
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| This forest was flooded and the trees were killed during a tsunami generated by the 1964 Alaskan earthquake (the Good Friday EQ, magnitude 9.2) |
At a minimum, think about passing this along to your DoD school. It provides a lot of resources for your kids to learn about science and the natural world. This is really important, because climate issues, energy policy (including strategic oil reserves, biofuels, nuclear, solar, wind, etc), water policy (huge issue i.e. toxic red sludge), air/water/soil pollution, earthquakes, volcanoes, ecology, mining (strategic metals, blood diamonds, etc) are all the purview of earth scientists. These are all important issues for individuals to be informed on. They are nationally and globally important. They are also of special importance to military families, because our ability to provide energy to the troops allows us to be a global force. Our understanding of geography and geomorphology allows us to better inform them of where the bad guys might hide and which locations provide the best tactical advantage. Our understanding of earthquakes and volcanoes protects military families around the world, but especially those stationed in the Pacific Ring of fire, where these events can trigger catastrophic tsunami. As someone who used to contract for the DoD, I can tell you that environmental responsibility is really important part of maintaining a safe environment on base. I can also tell you that platinum group metals on the periodic table are incredibly rare and expensive, but required for many of the high-tec pieces of equipment required for the military. I should also note that a lot of former defense sites have been redeveloped and this has lead to munitions showing up in people's yards. This is one of the things I used to try to ID for the gov't (before it became an issue) when I was in industry.
Earth scientists are an integral part of national defense. Many of the decisions we make can directly affect the military and military families. So as you are jaunting off to your next duty station, take the opportunity to learn a bit about the natural world around you and learn about the many ways earth science is a part of your everyday life. Hopefully this will include some earthcaching (as I think it would be fun), but if not at least get out and take in some of the natural beauty in this world, wherever in the world you are.
As a side note: Army spouses in particular, if you like Earth/Environmental Science, you can get scholarship funding to finish a BS/MS/PhD (your choice) in this field while being paid by the DoD, with placement in a DoD research facility (which are commonly associated with Army bases) or Army Corp of Engineers through the SMART scholarship program. It's an even exchange (you get money for college tuition/stipend/books etc in exchange for equal # of years of civilian service) and could be the next "it" portable career, since so many DoD scientists are retiring over the next 10 yr.
This is available for other science fields too. I am just promoting the Earth Science end because it is Earth Science Week. :D
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