![\"IMG_7694\"](\"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2015\/12\/IMG_7694.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cIt can be hard to understand geology when you\u2019re not working with it firsthand,\u201d says Cory Holmes, ACC student and co-creator of the ACC AR sandbox. \u201cWe get that opportunity in class through field trips and labs. This sandbox will allow us to bring that experience to others without ever leaving their classroom.\u201d<\/p>\nThe sandbox uses sensors, responsive software, and a projector to simulate topographical features on the sand. The projector displays a color-coded contour map on the sand, with lines portraying different elevations. When the sand is moved and molded, the topography changes in real-time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt brings geology to people in a way that\u2019s easy-to-learn,\u201d says Eric Hiatt, an ACC geology student who designed the ACC sandbox with Holmes. \u201cEvery rock has a story from formation to where it is now. Being able to read that story is fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Users can even\u00a0make it rain. The shadow of a hand mimics a cloud. Water then appears to trickle onto the sand below and begins flowing down hills and mountain peaks, ultimately demonstrating how erosion occurs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to get people excited about science,\u201d Holmes says. \u201cA lot of people will look at a paper map and say \u2018I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m looking at.\u2019 We want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hiatt and Holmes are sharing their creation with ACC\u2019s Geology Department and plan to take it to area schools to get younger generations excited about science.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way of getting geology out into the community,\u201d says Hiatt. \u201cEven adults act like kids around the sandbox; building mountains and carving out rivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information about the ACC Geology Department, visit austincc.edu\/geology<\/a>. Registration is underway now for spring. Visit austincc.edu\/spring<\/a> to enroll.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Playing in the sand just got more interesting: Two Austin Community College students are using technology to turn a simple sandbox into an interactive tool for teaching concepts in geology and environmental science. By mimicking … Continue reading