Combining a historical geology project with a campus student organization's fundraising efforts

Combining a classroom activity with the goals of a campus student organization can promote active learning for the enrolled students, the campus and local community. A service-learning project in a general education geoscience course encourages stronger student enthusiasm and a vested interest towards the success of the project. Undergraduate students enrolled in historical geology are required to present summaries of geologic time periods and fossil samples during the change Thru Geologic Time project, a service-learning activity at Penn State University Delaware County. Attendees at the event are asked to donate change to a student organization's fundraising efforts for pediatric cancer patients, their families, and innovative pediatric cancer research. The success of this event demonstrates that a common historical geology class assignment requiring students to scale geologic time over a certain distance can be modified to serve as an educational showcase and a fundraiser for a campus student organization.