When
Where
Available via zoom only
Abstract
This talk describes student-led research conducted during COVID, when our campus switched to online learning. Rather than isolate at home, our research group sequestered at a 10-mile-long cave with a 400 ft waterfall. Outside the cave is a 5-acre campground, a Porta-Potty, electricity, a bunkhouse, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a campfire every night. Our group consisted of students from a wide range of disciplines, including hydrology, soils, geology, geography, engineering, public health, atmospheric sciences, and ecology. This alternative learning environment was positively received, increasing domain knowledge and building professional relationships. Faculty colleagues said these students were dramatically more engaged during online lectures than their stay-at-home peers.
Bio
Todd grew up in the forested mountains of Northern California, where caves (both limestone and lava tubes) were abundant. He started exploring these with friends in High School, and then teamed up with world-class cavers after college to explore the Bigfoot-Meatgrinder Complex in the Marble Mountains, which set the record for the deepest cave in the US. After joining the Peace Corps in Honduras, Central America, he again teamed up with other cavers to explore enormous tropical caves in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. While in graduate school at the University of Arizona, Gary Woodard introduced him to Cave of the Bells in the Santa Rita Mountains. He also conducted research in nearby Kartchner Caverns before it became a State Park. Moving to Georgia, he then learned about the fabulous caves in TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia), and started bringing his students there to share the mysteries within.
Todd Rasmussen, HAS Alumnus (UA-HWRS Postdoc, UA PHD HYD '88, UA MS HYD '82), and Professor Emeritus, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia [Google Scholar]
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