The objective of our new introductory geology/environmental laboratories is to bring science to the students through computer-aided participatory laboratories.  Field and laboratory data aquistition, statististical analysis and computer modelling of complex systems, are elements through the sequence of laboratories.  Non-science students and introductory geology students learn to develop multiple working hypotheses, to understand the variability of data, to use computers for visualization of geologic phenomena, and to understand the importance of hypothesis testing as a societal responsibility.

The topics of the laboratories include earthquakes, mass wasting, volcanoes, topography, surface water chemistry and earth resources and materials.  Although the topics are standard for introductory geology and environmental science, the approach described involves the use of interactive educational modules to learn the principles of a physical system.  Laboratories on earthquakes, mass wasting and volcanoes demonstrate how students use numerical experiments and graphical displays to study the interaction of variables in a physical system.