The Omega Project: A multidisciplinary module in earth and environmental science

The Omega Project is an educational module designed to challenge, engage, and facilitate the learning process in science education. The Project is used as a culmination to an earth science ( or related ) course after a foundation of basic concepts and principles have been established. As the project commences, typically during the latter part of the course ( hence the term "Omega", or "the end" ), students are divided into teams of three. In turn, teams select an earth science/environmental topic of interest. (Selected topics have ranged from planning a mission to the planet Mars, to nuclear arms.) The selcted topic is then subdivided into specific subtopics between each team memeber. Ultimately, each team produces a research paper on their respective topic which includes a collaborative peice that describes their own original solutions to the problem, as well as an international set set of resolutions. The project concludes with a scientific style meeting in which each team gives a presentation followed by a brief question and answer period. After a respite, the second session then commences in which a "Global Security Council" is assembled and is composed of a representative of each team. In a style based on the United Nations model, each set of resolutions are voted for or against, with the prevailing resolutions adopted by the Council.

This paper will focus on a detailed account of the implementation of this module in various classrooms using the actual work of sthe students as a case study.