Abstract
Building stones provide conveniently located and accessible “urban outcrops.” As such, building stones may be used for semester-long student research projects in upper-level geology courses. I present students in my Earth Materials class with a scenario: A building owner in downtown St. Petersburg hires you as a geologic consultant. The owner is considering replacing the stone currently adorning the building. Write a persuasive essay discussing the identity, geologic history, and suitability of the building stone in its current use. Compare and contrast the current building stone with several other building stones that might be used for the job.To gather data for their consulting reports, students use a combination of standard field tests and petrographic techniques to identify the building stones and determine possible geologic histories. The students lead a walking tour during the semester to report on their progress and ask for ideas from their classmates. The project culminates in both oral and written reports aimed at convincing their “clients” to buy the most appropriate building stones. As part of this paper, a student who completed the project in the fall of 2000 provides a brief overview of his research and a positive assessment of his overall experience.
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