Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the geologic, meteorologic, oceanographic, and astronomic processes that affect the Earth today.
• Students will be able to evaluate contemporary scientific issues and relate these to Earth's physical environment and processes.
• Students will be able to apply scientific terminology and methodology to analyze the natural processes affecting the Earth.
• Students will be able to describe the origin and nature of the solar system (planets, moons, asteroids, meteoroids, comets) and other astronomic features (stars, galaxies) beyond Earth's solar system.
• Students will be able to describe the origin and composition of Earth's atmosphere and how physical and chemical differences between air masses create clouds, precipitation, lightning and thunder, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
• Analyze atmospheric circulation patterns, their influence on ocean circulation (surface currents, waves, upwellings, etc.), and the physical and chemical factors affecting local and regional weather and climate.
• Students will be able to describe and classify essential minerals and rocks that compose the Earth's crust.
• Students will be able to analyze global plate tectonics and its influence on the formation and occurrence of minerals, rocks, earthquakes and volcanoes, continents and oceans, and their physical features.
• Students will be able to synthesize inter-relationships between geologic, meteorologic, oceanographic and astronomic processes.