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Earth Science in the News
You are a journalist for the prestigious, nationally broadcast station EarthNews9. One day, you get an
unexpected zoom call directly from the board room of the station executives. They explain to you that
the station needs a story that fulfills its mission to communicate to the public that geology and earth
processes actively shape our society. To connect with the audience, they would like to cover a recent
event or interesting geologic process that has had a notable impact on a local community, then address
how this topic is relevant to the broader public. Sometimes, extreme events, such as landslides, bring a
sharp reminder of our interaction with earth; more often the effects are more subtle. Processes such as
the development of soil and its influence on local agriculture, to local mining’s economic and
environmental influence, to even the last few decades of gradual change in climate, all have had primary
effects on our culture and infrastructure. Conversely, as the impact of human society on the
environment grows, it is crucial that we understand how we interact with the earth’s natural processes
and how those processes shape us.
Suddenly, they ask you where you are from. You answer. After a brief muted conversation, the
CEO turns to you and says “Beautiful spot, let’s go with it. We want YOU to do this story”.
Instructions
Presentation
1. Find at least one recent article about geologic features/processes or environmental hazards that
are relevant to your hometown/home region. Resources could be from local or national news,
peer-reviewed research articles, or other reliable/relevant sources. The specific topics you
include are at your discretion, and will depend on where you are from and what you are
interested in.
2. Prepare a 3-to-5-minute video presentation on the topic, summarizing the content of the article,
to be broadcast both locally, and on national news.
3. Upload your video to the appropriate discussion thread on Canvas. Include a catchy headline
and a link or .pdf of the article(s) featured.
Discussion
All videos will be available to view in a discussion thread on Canvas. Watch at least three videos created
by your peers that interest you. For each video, respond in a comment describing:
1. What you found most interesting about their video.
2. One question for the video author about something featured that you would like to know more
about.
Presentation Details
To receive full credit, your video presentation must be structured to include the five topics described
below. How they are incorporated in your presentation is up to you, and the length and detail of each
will depend on the topic and how you choose to tell your story. Make sure your presentation includes
relevant images!
● Context. Introduce your topic and provide the setting for your story. Include relevant details
about the location and geography of your area. Set the stage by explaining why the
events/processes you will talk about are newsworthy. Include a location map that shows where
your story takes place.
● Background. Explain the science behind the events or processes your story is about. Describe
when and how they occur, and what causes them to happen.
● Event/Process. Describe the specific event or process that occurred in your area. What were the
specific causes, and specific immediate effects?
● Local impacts. Report how the event or process has effected your local community. Describe
any long-term changes that have resulted.
● Societal impacts. Explore the implications that your story has for the broader society. Have
these events affected other nearby communities, the nation, or even the globe? Are these
events/processes likely to occur in other locations? Are these events/processes part of a larger
trend?
How to Record Your Presentation
There are many possible ways to record a presentation, and you may choose to use whichever method
you prefer as long as the final product is 1) an acceptable file size (<500MB) in .mp4 format, 2) Includes
your own clear and audible voice narrating the presentation, and 3) clearly shows images relevant to
your presentation. Many guides can be easily found on the internet. You may choose to appear in your
video, but it is not required. One possible option to record your presentation is with Zoom. To do so:
1. Make a slideshow presentation in the software of your choice (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Slides).
2. Adjust the settings to present your slideshow in an individual window, then open the slideshow
in presentation mode.
3. Open a personal zoom meeting. Make sure your video and microphone settings are properly
adjusted so that your voice is fully audible.
4. Click “Share Screen” on the zoom control bar, and select the window that your slideshow is in.
5. Click on the “More” tab on the zoom control bar, then select “Record on this Computer”.
6. Begin presenting.
7. When you are done, click “Stop Recording”, then end the meeting. Your video file can be found
in your main Zoom folder.
● Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom
● Mac: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
Rubric
Presentation
Presentation, headline, and article uploaded (1)
Presentation content (10)
Context (2)
Background (2)
Event/Process (2)
Local impacts (2)
Societal impacts (2)
Presentation quality (1)
Discussion
Comments (1 point each) (3)
Total Points 15
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