school, which is on the Navajo reservation, and surrounding areas. Using the school's computers, students in grades 4 through 6 studied the natural resources in their own backyard and learned the fundamentals of image processing by analyzing the local geology, vegetation, and soils. Dealing with images of their own community is seen as a way to encourage the students to think about resource management issues and perhaps someday make a contribution toward resolving environmental issues on the reservation.

"For the first time, students are seeing and understanding the real-world usefulness of school work. In my entire career, I have never seen so much excitement in the classroom. Even though they are very young, some of the students have expressed an interest in pursuing a career in the earth sciences 'when they grow up'," said teacher Keith Franklin, coordinator of the Nazlini project.

The success of the Nazlini project is leading to a multiple-volume CD-ROM set including multimedia presentations of reservation culture and history, remotely sensed data showing the Navajo and Hopi reservations, instructional material on basic digital image processing procedures, and examples of using scientific data for research purposes, with emphasis placed on geology, land use, vegetation, archeology, and hydrology.

Hands-On Learning Center in Rock Creek Park

I'

In an innovative effort to bring a greater understanding of water resources and the environment to students and visitors, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), the National Park Service (NPS), and the USGS signed an agreement in 1993 to work together to turn a USGS stream-gaging station in the District's Rock Creek Park into a water learning center for students and volunteers. The station, which monitors the flow of Rock Creek, will provide educational opportunities for students who are interested in learning about hydrology in an urban environment.

Under the agreement, the USGS will operate the station, which will present demonstrations to park visitors and furnish real-time hydrologic information to the Water Resources Research Center at

UDC for classroom use. UDC will work with the USGS in planning equipment and instruments for the data-collection facilities at the park. USGS and NPS volunteers will be part of the outreach program at the UDC center and will also promote water resources activities with the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.

Educational Outreach to the Ethnic Minority Community

SGS ethnic minority employees have identified educational outreach in their communities as a primary activity of the Geologic Division's Ethnic Minority Advisory Committee. During 1993, committee members participated in numerous outreach projects in schools across the country.

In Flagstaff, Ariz., USGS personnel collaborated with the Resource Center for Environmental Education, a nonprofit organization that works with school districts in northern Arizona. Four elementary schools populated predominantly by minority students were selected for the program, which introduced students and teachers to basic remote-sensing and earth-science concepts. Program accomplishments included educating teachers about CD-ROM technology, remotesensing and image-processing concepts, and the wealth of resource materials available for classroom education; providing role models for students by having ethnic minority professionals present the

technical material; and placing computers in classrooms, where they are available for additional teacher training and use.

In Menlo Park, Calif., USGS ethnic minority employees are providing role models and heightening the awareness and interest of pre-college ethnic minority students in technical and scientific careers through modular, hands-on programs presented by ethnic minority professionals. The employees developed a day-long program covering plate tectonics, seismology, faulting, and geologic maps. Perhaps the most popular module was one in which students made their own "earthquake" by using seismometers, an online computer display, and a drum recorder. The large number of requests for classroom presentations indicates the success of this program.

Ethnic minority employees visited several schools in the San Francisco Bay area and surrounding communities to present computer programs on the earth sciences. More than 120 students in an inner city high school in Portland, Oreg., participated in 2 days of talks and demonstrations about the earth sciences. Members of the USGS Ethnic Minority Advisory Committee presented workshops on earthquake monitoring and plate tectonics to about 1,000 middle- and high-school students (and accompanying teachers and parents) from Colorado and Wyoming. The students were participating in a 1-day fair on career opportunities in the geosciences, sponsored by the Colorado School of Mines and the Colorado Minority Engineering Association.

Sigrid Asher-Bolinder and William Earl Brooks were honored in a ceremony at the

Colorado Governor's Mansion for earthscience outreach to students in the Denver public school system.

Partnerships in Education

The USGS supports Partnerships in

Education agreements with school districts across the country. This program allows the USGS to use its resources to enhance earth-science education, encourage scholarship, and build students' selfesteem. Employees give presentations in classrooms, lead field trips, judge science fairs, serve one-on-one as mentors or tutors, and provide materials for displays and demonstrations. In many locations, employees provide similar resources under informal agreements with neighborhood schools. Highlights of these partnerships in FY 1993 include:

Horace Mann Middle School, Denver, Colo.: Students, teachers, and USGS scientists worked together on National Disaster Awareness Day. Enactments of disasters and correct responses to them were demonstrated.

Grandview Heights Public Schools, Columbus, Ohio: Scientists spoke at school career days, emphasizing the professional opportunities available for women in the sciences and at the USGS. Study units on geology, including methods of determining the age of rocks and fossils, were presented to fourth graders and middle-school students.

Dogwood Elementary School, Reston, Va.: About 100 sixth graders participated in a year-long "Bucket and Broom" hydrology project that involved collecting and analyzing surface- and ground-water samples. USGS employees also donated children's books and collected grocery receipts toward the purchase of computers for the school.

Langston Hughes Middle School, Reston, Va.: Scientists gave presentations on a range of earth-science topics, including chemistry and the environment, geography and its use in the study of acid rain damage, and hydrology and the impact of herbicides on water quality. Hughes students mounted an art exhibit at USGS headquarters in Reston with the theme "Science and Technology are Everywhere."

• Cole Elementary School, Cheyenne, Wyo.: A USGS hydrologist judged a science fair at the school, and students toured the Cheyenne office laboratory and learned how sediment samples are collected and analyzed.

Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities

Making Technology-and JobsAccessible

The

The first Department of the Interior Conference on Disability Awareness and Accessible Technology was held at the USGS National Center in Reston, Va., in October 1992, to show how computer technology can be adapted to help people with disabilities function and excel in the workplace. The conference showcased the latest in adaptive technology and included keynote speakers and panel sessions on specific accessibility issues. Exhibits featured computers having both speech and Braille output, auxiliary listening devices, keyboard enhancements for people with mobility impairments, computers that can recognize speech, and the latest in TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) technology.

A Disability Awareness Fair held in Menlo Park, Calif., in August 1993 provided information on Canine Companions, the California Relay Service, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation and Auditory Services. A highlight of the fair was entertainment by a deaf poet and a dance troop of both wheelchair and able-bodied dancers. The fair was well attended by employees, people with disabilities from the community, and representatives of agencies that provide services to people with disabilities.

Another conference was held in Denver, Colo., in September 1993. People with disabilities who also have successful and productive careers in both Govern

ment and private industry (one with multiple sclerosis, one with lupus, and one who is blind) spoke about their experiences. An organization in Denver that is dedicated to helping people become more aware and accepting of people with disabilities presented a panel discussion. A motivational speaker and trainer spoke to attendees on beliefs about and reactions to hiring and working with people with disabilities. The conference also presented information on Government regulations and accommodations for the disabled and exhibits by service organizations and vendors of adaptive equipment.

These conferences have not only helped to disseminate information but have also provided an increased awareness of the role of persons with disabilities in the workplace. Encouraging people to question their assumptions and change their perceptions will perhaps dispel some of the skepticism, fear, and apprehension directed toward people with disabilities.

The USGS Selective Placement Program Committee promotes disability awareness by approving requests for equipment that employees with disabilities need to successfully do their work and enhance their opportunities for advancement. Some of the equipment that was approved and purchased in FY 1993 included computer equipment for visually impaired employees, text typewriters (TTY) for the deaf and hearing impaired, new or replacement monitors that allow employees having poor vision to more efficiently use their computer workstations, and specialized telephone handsets for individuals who have difficulty hearing the spoken word over the telephone.

The committee provided funding for the conferences on employees with disabilities that were held in Reston, Va.; Denver, Colo.; and Menlo Park, Calif. The committee also funded sign language interpreters so that hearing-impaired employees could have an equal chance to participate in the Government-sponsored training that is required to update their knowledge and skills.

Career Planning

The with long- and short-term career

The USGS provided bureau employ

and managerial development opportunities from both internal and external training sources and academic institutions. Emphasis was placed on women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

A career planning manual was developed for use by employees who are pursuing career growth and advancement. The manual includes a personal guide for career planning, including job information, a self-assessment exercise, a guide to setting performance goals, and tips on developmental activities to facilitate goal accomplishments. The manual should be particularly useful for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The manual encourages the concept of "mentoring" by providing opportunities for employees to interact with their supervisors. It can also be a tool for helping employees make informed career decisions and for setting goals to reach career objectives.

Training and educational opportunities provided to women and minorities by all USGS divisions in FY 1993 were wide ranging and included technical, academic, and administrative types of training. Academic courses taken by employees included undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering, physics, and isotope hydrology. Technical training included Government contract law and accounting courses. Administrative training was also provided in management and supervision, Total Quality Management, communication skills, and Equal Employment Opportunity counselor training.

During FY 1993, the Women's Advisory Committee (WAC) focused on a number of projects to help Geologic Division employees. Task forces studied training for first-line supervisors, methods used in other Government agencies to resolve workplace conflicts, and problems associated with fair promotions for women. One group has begun a statistical analysis of the career patterns of women and men in scientific and technical positions in the Office of Mineral Resources

Sexual

Harassment
Questionnaire

and Response

A confidential questionnaire was developed by the Women's Advisory Committee and distributed to all Geologic Division employees. The results indicated a need for education on sexual harassment, and a contract was awarded to conduct training nationwide. A significant benefit of the training was the opportunity for male and female co-workers to spend a full day discussing their (often very different) opinions regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.

over the last decade. Another group has developed a pilot program for mentoring in which 28 employees are participating. A report on alternative work schedules and flexiplace was presented to Division management; work on those recommendations continues. Recommendations of the task force charged with studying the classification of secretarial, administrative, and editorial assistant positions are being implemented; some secretarial positions have been upgraded, and others are being reviewed. Revised guides for administrative and editorial assistant positions are expected to be approved soon. Another task force is beginning to study the standards for physical science technicians to see if outmoded and inaccurate job descriptions are hampering employee promotions in this series.

Managing Diversity in the Workplace

The

USGS is working toward a better understanding of the challenges of a diverse workforce and is attempting to move toward accepting and managing diversity as it relates to USGS human resources initiatives and goals. As the composition of the USGS workforce continues to change, the bureau is focusing on providing training in the critical area of workforce diversity, including awareness of cultural, disability, and gender diversity, to all employees, especially supervisors and managers.

The major emphasis this fiscal year was on providing employees with sexual harassment awareness and prevention training. This training helped employees learn and understand the legal definition of sexual harassment, recognize the indicators of harassing behavior, and distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

The USGS recognizes that many changes are occurring in the workplace and that it is the responsibility of each employee to meet the challenges that these changes present with common sense, respect, and honest communication. To assist employees in this regard and to ensure a nonthreatening work environment and avoid sexual harassment in the USGS, all employees were required to receive sexual harassment prevention training.

USGS

target specific organizations and institutions having major programs related to the earth sciences. As in previous years, emphasis was placed on maintaining partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as well as on developing relationships with new participants in these programs. USGS personnel participated in career fairs and education association conferences nationwide in order to provide information to qualified students at, among others, Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala.; Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn.; Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.; the University of Missouri in Rolla; the University of Texas in El Paso; the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces; and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.

The USGS has a long-standing program of cooperation with and support of HBCU. Continuing that tradition, the USGS sponsored a seminar for faculty members of HBCU schools from July 26 through August 6, 1993, at the USGS offices at the Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Miss. The 2-week seminar was designed to assist HBCU schools in devel