May 20, 2026 • 26 mins
When Tim Hawthorne arrived at Auburn in the summer of 2024, he brought with him a lifelong love of exploration.
“I knew early on I wanted to become a geographer and travel the country,” Hawthorne said.
As the new chair of Auburn’s Department of Geosciences, Hawthorne found not only a professorship but a bold new endeavor. Soon after his arrival to the Plains, Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) invested in a start‑up science lab on wheels — a project designed to spark curiosity and bring hands‑on STEM learning directly to communities across Alabama.
“We wanted to bring something big to the children and teachers of Alabama — something that gets them excited about the science and technology work we do here at Auburn and beyond,” Hawthorne said.
That vision accelerated in fall 2024 when COSAM purchased a used 2023 Thor Windsport RV from Bama RV.
Their mission was ambitious: gut the entire vehicle and rebuild it from the ground up.
“This was built at Auburn by our faculty, students, and staff,” Hawthorne said. “Everything is hands‑on. There is movement, motion, and sensory engagement at every turn.”
The team transformed an old bathroom into a tornado tunnel. A former bedroom was converted into an augmented reality topography sandbox. Geosciences research associate Dustin Braden designed a custom vehicle wrap. Six months later, Geo Explorer Auburn — now the largest mobile geosciences‑themed lab in the world — roared to life.
“When people first see it, they’re like, ‘What is this thing?’” Hawthorne said. “Then they step inside and say, ‘It’s even cooler than I thought.’”
Last summer, the thirty-five‑foot, solar‑powered mobile lab logged 14,000 miles from San Diego to Oklahoma City to Gulf Shores, serving more than 5,000 students at open houses, school visits, and pop‑up events.
“We see more smiles than a dentist’s office,” joked Amanda Savrda, curriculum director for the Department of Geosciences.
Savrda — an Auburn alumna who has been “bleeding orange and blue” since her father began teaching at Auburn in 1986 — says the mobile lab advances Auburn’s land‑grant mission by taking STEM education directly into communities. Geo Explorer Auburn aligns with state of Alabama science and education standards, strengthening students’ foundations in science, technology, engineering, and math.
“It’s incredibly immersive,” she said. “Students can examine biological and mineral samples, study topography, and explore rainforests or coral reefs through virtual reality headsets.”
The mobile lab also offers students the opportunity to explore maps, gaze through microscopes, fly mini drones, and interact with touch screens displaying weather data.
And yes — there is even a simulated tornado.
“We have some powerful leaf blowers that can get us up to about an EF3 tornado,” Savrda said.
Students rotate through ten‑minute learning stations, and the curriculum continues to evolve with modern technology, including AI‑powered learning tools.
The result? Kids step off the RV buzzing with excitement.
“They’re just fired up every visit,” Hawthorne said.
This summer, the geosciences team is shifting into high gear. Beginning in July, Geo Explorer Auburn will travel to Washington, D.C., then head west as part of Auburn’s official America 250 programming. The national tour will highlight environmental education, civic engagement, and public service while celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“We’re calling it America 250 Coast to Coast with Geo Explorer,” Hawthorne explained. “We’ll visit national parks, landmarks and wildlife refuges to tell the story of America’s public lands.”
The tour also brings Auburn innovation to a national stage — and brings those stories back home.
Events are already planned in New Mexico, Virginia, and Gulf Shores State Park. The team kicked off the celebration last month at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, where they met pilots and Blackhawk helicopter crews from Fort Rucker.
“We want to inspire the rest of the country to get behind what we’re leading here at Auburn University,” Hawthorne said. “Our goal is to build more of
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome into the EverythingAuburn Podcast, the monthly podcast
we get to have hereon the campus, Auburn University.
We get to speak tomembers of the Auburn Family,
get to know a little bit more about them,what they do,
what makes them tick,and what they're excited about.
Today, I'm joined by TimHawthorne, the chair and professor
of Department of Geosciences,and Amanda Savarta
director, Curriculumand Department of Geosciences.
(00:27):
Welcome to the Everything Auburn Podcast.
Thank you for having us.
We're excited to be here.
Thanks for having us, Carter.
It's awesome. We're glad you're here.
Big thing we're herewe want to talk about
is your very cool bus that you have.
That's the thing that kind ofwe started to talk about.
We started seeing I've seen itparked in the parking lot of the Coliseum
many, many times. And yeah.
(00:49):
So let's just startfrom the very beginning.
I'd love to hear aboutwhere the bus come from.
How, where?
How did we get to where we are today?
What's the original idea?
How long we've been doing it?
Give me all the dirty details. Yeah.
So I came to Auburn University in 2024as the new department
chair in Geosciences.
As part of that, the College of Scienceand Math
(01:09):
made a pretty generous investmentin this opportunity.
Geo Explorer Labs is really simple.
The idea iswe want to bring something big
to the children and teachers of Alabamato get them even more excited
about the scienceand technology work
we do here at Auburnand beyond Auburn as well.
So our mobile science lab,it's connected to state science
and education standardsthat teachers love and they value.
(01:32):
And we have to makesure our students are prepared
for the teststhat they're going to be taking
for the school accreditation processes.
Everything new is very hands on insidethe lab as well.
So children are always interactive.
There's a lot of movement and motionthroughout,
and it's not just being lectured at.
Right.
It's all about engagementand really sensory
level engagement with the technologiesand the in the R-V as well.
(01:55):
So in termsof how it kind of got started.
So we were really luckywith that investment from Dean Thomas
in the College of Science and Math.
But then what happened fromthere was truly epic.
We went to a local R-V company,Bama RV, out in Opelika.
They're incredible partnersand sort of
told them what we wanted to do.
And they they provided uswith probably the best vehicle
(02:16):
we could find.
It was a 2023 used 36ft thirdWind Sport RV, and it was so funny.
The first time we met them,we talked about the price point
that we were looking atand things like that,
and they looked at usand they said, well,
this thing is pristine.
Why do you want to get ridof everything inside?
And we explained, you know,we're going to got the whole thing
and we're going to build it from scratch.
(02:36):
And so our team of students,staff and faculty
and this is where Amanda came in.
Beginning in November of 2024,we started working to build this.
It got on campus,I think it was the week
after Thanksgivingin 2024, and then in about six months,
we went from a usedRV to what you see now,
which is a mobile science labwith interactive
(02:57):
learning stations as well.
And I think, you know,we were talking earlier
about the passion that I think drivesthis project.
The passion was we took an RVand turned it into something
that would be memorable and hugefor the kids and the teachers
that would see us.
I mean, we did everythingfrom taking an old bathroom
and turning it into a tornado tunnelto taking an old bedroom,
turning it into an augmentedreality sandbox
(03:18):
to teach about topographyand contours and elevations.
So that just shows youthe spirit of the Auburn family
coming together to do somethingreally innovative
for the students of the schools we go to.
It's a really wonderfuland this is a massive
it's it cannot understatehow large it is.
It's a very large vehicle.
And you see it in the parking lot.
Get a really cool wrap on it.
Geo explores all the cool things on it.
(03:39):
So this is a great segue.
You just talked about it.
This is where you come in programing.
You really are dictating a lotof what's actually happening in
that vehicle.
What are some of those programingthings look like?
Where did you kind ofget your start in this?
And when you get the crazy idea,I'm sure pitch of
this is what we want to do.
And then actually distilling thatinto a curriculum for these, these kids,
(04:01):
it was actually really,really kind of fortuitous.
I'm a departmental alumnifor geosciences,
and I've got a geology backgroundand an education background.
I was actually teaching locallyat Auburn High School for six years,
and I left to be home with my son.
I had a babyand I was at an alumni meeting,
and Doctor Hawthorne had come inas our new department chair
(04:24):
and was talking about this ideathat he had brought with him.
And I kind ofwent up at the end of the meeting.
I said, I'd like to be a part of this,and I was in quotes in retirement.
Right. I'm home with my son.
And so my my passion behindthis comes from one being being local,
being Alabama public school educated,being an Auburn alumni both
(04:44):
in education and geoscience, and wantingto give back and be be part of this,
it's really, really thrilling.
And so with my perspectives,with my geoscience background,
and as a teacherclassroom teacher,
I can really get behindeverything that we're doing,
not just for the students in Alabamaand beyond,
(05:05):
but even for the teachers as well,supporting them and educating students.
It's amazing. That's really wonderful.
You know,having being a parent myself,
it's something that it's changed, right.
And I think it's kind of natural.
You start to think about nowI have a daughter
and I start to see these.
I'm like, oh, that's a reallyI got to get my daughter on this bus,
you know, and doing stuff like that more.
(05:26):
It's becoming a little bit more.
I'm looking for those thingsa little bit more.
And to see Auburn havingthose resources is so incredible.
I have to tell you,I was thinking about it.
We see more smilesthan a dentist's office like,
and that's not even just K through12 students.
That's their little brothers and sistersthat come on board.
That may be toddlers,and they gravitate
(05:47):
towards the sandbox to play inor even the the parents as well.
And we have kids coming back for more.
I think we had some students,fifth grade
students from Creekside Elementary,which is a local school here recently,
and they wentthrough our learning stations
but weren't able to see all of them.
And some of them found outwe were doing an event on campus
(06:08):
a few weeks later,and they dragged their parents out
to come and see us, and they said, well,I want to finish these stations.
And so we're having that impactat the elementary school level.
And then with the high school studentswe've been visiting in April,
we have students coming backduring later class blocks,
you know, asking their, their,their physical education teachers, hey,
(06:29):
I want to go see this science RV.
And so that's been really special for us.
The response has been greatfrom the students
and from the teachersand from families to it's been amazing.
So walk me throughwhat's the normal kind of operation here?
We just rolled this up toelementary school high schools
throughout the state.
You know, you'veyou've already kind of mentioned it.
We were talking before.
(06:49):
I know you've gone on somepretty long road trips
with this thing as well.
What's that kind of travel mobileschool look like
in terms of local things?
And when I say that,I mean kind of Alabama.
So far we have gone summit to seaand and the rivers in between.
So we've been up in northern Alabama.
(07:09):
We've been down in Gulf Shores,we've been in almost Mississippi,
we've been around town.
And those visits oftentimes are veryschool visit
focused, tied directlyto state standards, a little bit
more of a controlled scheduledlearning environment.
Students rotate through differentlearning stations
(07:30):
related to thingsthat they're learning in school.
But we also have open house style events.
And Tim can speak more to thethe travel across the US
because this was done last summerand there are plans to do that
this summer too.
Yeah.
So in terms of the travel,I mean,
I think one of the things that wereally want to do is our goal
is to build more of these across the US,with the home base being here at Auburn.
(07:52):
But we want toinspire the rest of the country
to kind of get behind whatwe're leading here at Auburn University.
And so last summer,with the dean and the College of support,
we did a road trip across the US.
So we started here in Auburn,and we went all the way out
to a big education and technologyconference called the ESRI Education
Summit in San Diego, California.
(08:12):
During that trip,we were able to present
right on the Bay in downtown San Diego.
Just epic.
Just totally epic. Cool thing.
We probably had 4 or 5000 peoplesee it during that visit.
But then what was alsocool is we're like, well,
if we're going to driveall the way to California,
we might as wellmeet some alumni and friends.
And so what we did iswe did a series of pop up
events across the US.
We met some alumni,one of our generous donors
(08:35):
and Gab members in our department,Herb Martin.
He set up an eventwith us in Oklahoma City,
where we actually workedwith the Oklahoma
Geological Society and Foundationand some of their partners
to talk about potentiallybringing one of these to Oklahoma.
Then we went toseveral other events
across the US, includingwe were dead tired.
I mean, we did this trip,I think, in
like four days to get to California.
(08:57):
Even with how many,how many people were driving
three drivers, myself, Dustin and Tony,and we just would get up every morning
at 4 or 5 a.m.
and drive,you know, 8 to 10 hours most days.
We started first day,we got to Oklahoma City.
We did a 13 hour day. That was wild.
But then we got tothe very end of our trip towards
San Diego and the way out,and what we were planning was an event.
(09:18):
We went from Arizona, Tempe,Arizona, near Arizona State's campus.
We did a podcastthe evening before
and an alumni eventat a local establishment.
Then the very next morningwe got up at about 330,
and we had to be outsideof La Jolla, California
for a school event
at about 2 (09:33):
00 in the afternoon.
And we were dead tired.
I mean,we just driven across the country.
And what was so cool about this,the minute we got there,
these kids,they were in their summer school.
They were just fired up.
They were cheering. They were excited.
We did this assemblyand then we served about 150 kids
in about three hours.
And what was really neat aboutit was just their excitement.
(09:54):
It energized us.
I mean, I mentioned we were dead tired,but the minute those lights went on
and we were there, it was justit was completely energizing
to see their passion.
And it really got our passion,like even flowing more as well.
And then we came backacross the US
after the conferenceand our final stop,
we stopped at a couple places,but our final stop was at the big event
in mobile at the USS Alabama.
(10:16):
Phenomenal event with alumni and friends.
We probably served about 100200 folks in just a really nice way
to kind of end the experience.
So we're going to do that againthis summer. That was our test.
I was going to say, yeah,you signed up again.
That was our test.
And so this year, as we all know,America 250 kind of a big deal
here in the US.
We're excited to be a part of it.
So we're actually a partof Auburn University's
official America 250 programing.
(10:38):
And so one of the ideas we cooked upprobably in like late
November, earlyDecember of this previous semester year,
we really sat down and said,how can we do something even bigger
and better than last summer?
And so the ideanow that we've got the mobile lab
really outfitted,we're hitting our stride.
We've been talkingwith a lot of alumni and friends
about what we can do.
And so what we decidedthis year is we're going to be
(11:01):
a little more epic than last year.
We're going to call it America250 Coast to Coast with Geo Explorer.
We're actually going to start hereand then go up the east
eastern seaboard to Washington, D.C.
we expect around Independence Day,do a couple of things in D.C.
and then head across the country againvisiting.
And this is what I think is really cool.
(11:21):
We're going to be visitingnational parks,
landmarks and national wildlife refugesto kind of
tell the story about America'spublic lands and doing pop up events
at these placeswith families and friends,
and just have an opportunityto not only show the innovation
that's happening at Auburnacross the country,
but also bring those storiesback to campus.
We're going to be doing interviewswith alumni and friends
(11:42):
about their careers.
We're going to be showcasingsome of the things we see
at the parks and landscapeswho visit as well.
So we're just we're psyched about this.
We're ready to go.
That's a handful.
Are you on this trip now?
So I co-host in the Drive.
I will beI will be going on some of the trip.
I think that's the plan.
What's what's really special?
Last year last year's trip was was great.
(12:05):
What's extra specialthis years we've got even more
alumni that we've tapped into,not just folks who are, let's say,
retired industry partnersfrom the wheel and gas, for example. Or
on thegeography side of things, with ESRI,
we have an alumni.
That's in New Mexico,that's with the Park Service,
and they have an eventthat they've planned at caldera
(12:27):
that we're really excitedabout being part of.
Jordan Ray isis also education and
and and geoscience background.
So we're excited toto visit with them and
and there are going to bea bunch of people there for that too.
I also I was going to add really quickly,in addition to the Summer
July trip,America 250 is an entire year
(12:47):
long celebration.
And so we actually startedabout two weeks ago.
We did an event locally hereat the Tuskegee Airmen site
just 20 minutes down the road.
We were therewith the National Park Service.
We we worked withabout 300 kids that day.
We also metsome of the pilots out at Fort Rucker
and got some just epic conversationsand shots with the
the mobile app nextto one of their blackhawk choppers.
(13:11):
And so this has led to a conversationabout coming out to Fort Rucker later
this summer for one of their Stemaviation days.
And we're just really excitedto see that energy in these
these partnerships kind of pop up.
So if any of the listenersaround the country hear
this and are interested in uscoming out to them,
especially in thatJuly trip, we'd love to.
But throughout the year we're opento traveling elsewhere as well.
(13:31):
We'll be going up to Virginia,I think, in October for a conference,
and then we'll be travelingthroughout the state and region
throughout the year as well.
So if you find yourselfbetween somewhere
in the middle of Washington,DC in California, you're in. Absolutely.
It's possible. It's possible.
And I think we plan to endin Alabama this year,
(13:51):
probably at Gulf Shores State Park.
We've done some eventswith with them down there
and they're they're amazing.
So that's not a farthat's not a far drive
for all of the particularlythe local Alabama folks
to come down and and hang out.
Yeah.
So as part of this, you know,I'm curious.
It's a I have some I have some stats.
Here is a you said it's a 35ft long bus.
(14:16):
It's a lab. Right.
What is all in this thing?
Because that's what I'm really like.
I'm just thinking, driving 13 hourswith some microscopes behind me.
I don't know if I'dbe trusted to do that,
but what's in this thing that we can,you know,
from elementary kids to high schoolers,what are they getting on the bus
to actually see?
It's a solar powered bus,which I think
is a really remarkably cool.
(14:38):
But justwhat are some of the toys and gadgets
get on this thing?
So from a technology standpoint,we do have things that you would argue
are relatively simpleand expected in a science classroom,
like a microscope.
And so students are ableto look at biological
and mineral samples with those.
We also have virtual reality headset.
So recentlystudents have been visiting
(14:59):
the rainforestor they've been going to a coral reef.
And that's amazing to watch themkind of freak out and be,
you know,they're clinging to the
to the table in front of themand they really feel like they're there.
So that immersivenature of, of of going places is, is
really awesome with those virtual realityheadsets, especially
until Tim decidesto drive it to a rainforest.
(15:20):
Oh yeah, 100%.
We are about to buildone in Central America.
That is true.
And additionally, we've got a lot of likeinteractive data
sets on touchscreens too,so students can explore things
like weather data.
We really like Wendy or the Wendy appfor that.
And we have anaugmented reality sandbox
(15:41):
in the back of the RV.
So we have kinetic sandand also a projector.
And so as the studentsmanipulate the sand,
the topographic projection changesso they can think about
landscapes and landformsand then also natural hazards.
With that we, we have aa tornadic experience on the RV as well.
(16:02):
The bathroom has been changeda little bit.
We've got some powerful leaf blowersthat can get us up to,
we think an EF three tornado.
So the studentsyou can imagine really enjoy that.
And then we also have some what we sayoff RV experiences.
Students get to flymini drones and explore
different maps and geologic time.
(16:24):
So there's we have a lot going onthat let students think about
the Earth as a system,whether it's
something related to the atmosphere,the biosphere, the juicy,
or the hydrosphere.
So lots of good, good fun, I think.
Also,what's really cool about it too
is, you know, likeI alluded to earlier,
our team designed all of this.
So there are companiesthat can kind of
build these things for you.
(16:45):
I mean, they're crazy expensive.
Of course they do great work.
But I think what's really innovative,and I hope the listeners
take away from this,this was built at Auburn by Auburn
faculty, students and staff,designed from like taking a bathroom
and saying, let's build a tornado.
Tuttle I mean, how complex is that?
Right?
Taking an old bedroom,turning it into an AR sandbox
with some additional touch screens toto look at the the
(17:07):
the water ecosystems of Alabamaas an example.
Like that doesn'thappen at all universities.
So I think one of the cool things aboutthis for me
is just seeing that passioncome out
and our students, facultyand staff taking these ideas
that sound nuts, right?
And then putting them into a mobile app.
I mean, it'swild, and I think it's been really cool
to do that as a professor.
But also I think with our alumni,like Amanda said, what's been
(17:28):
cool is the response from outside.
When people see it first, they seethey see it in the parking lot,
like you said, and they're like,what the heck is this thing? Right?
What's this big GeoGuessr?
And then you bring em inand they're like, it's
even cooler than I thought it would be.
Right?
And so I think the alumni industrypartners have really helped
drive this bus, pun intended.
I thinkwe've had some really great partnerships.
(17:48):
CDW, the big tech company,provided a lot of generous technology
as part of a partnership.
You mentionedthe solar powered nature of our interior
that was donatedby a really great friend of ours,
Lisa Piercey,the CEO of 15 Light Years, a company
that I've workedwith previously in Florida.
They donated the entire solar systemand wiring for us to power
the interior lab when we're driving.
(18:10):
And just like that, that to meis what's been really cool about this.
Seeing the excitementand the the core idea is it's
supporting children.
Right at the end of the day,I think that's what gets our alumni
and friends excited,and they see the passion that we have
and the passion that kids havewhen they step into this giant,
crazy learning experience as well.
Yeah, I think that'sone of the cool things for me.
We talked last month.
(18:31):
We had some people from extension on,and something we talk about a lot on
this podcastis like meeting people
where they are, right?
You look at Auburn University,you think that's a four year
college, I'm going to get my degree.
I'm going to get my master'sand get my doctorate.
And that's what I'm there for.
Its after high school.
It's my adult education, right?
But there's so much more than whatAuburn does and more Auburn can do.
(18:51):
And what's really cool about this,which is what made me think
about what we talk aboutlast month of the extension, is it's
going to see people where they at.
We literally roll up to the school,and that's the principal at the school
we visited last week atit was Randolph Elementary.
She was like,this is like McWane
Science Center in Birminghampulling up to your school.
(19:11):
And that is that is a very high concept.
Some rare air McGuane Science Center.
I grew up going there as well.
So yeah, that's so coolbecause there's so many people
that don't have opportunityto go to the McWane Science Center
right in Birmingham, or do inor don't even know
about those sorts of things.
You just roll up totheir their front door
and bringing that to them,which is so incredible.
(19:32):
If I can brag a little biton y'all as well.
You mentioned how it's all donein-house, people.
There's companies you get to hire this.
But even more than that,you guys have,
if I understand correctly,your undergrad students and faculty
are are the science teachers,which is also really awesome for them
to get to do a great experience for them,but also what great outreach
(19:53):
it is for Auburnand for these kids,
these students to learnabout teaching and education
and furthering that for other people.
And they're not just geosciencemajors either.
We have studentsthat are getting a minor in 2D art.
We have students that are pre dental,like that type of, you know,
I kind of hope we indoctrinatesome of them to the geosciences.
(20:16):
But that's just, you know, myand I think to
you know, the point you just brought upI think is really important.
Is there there are other mobilescience labs around the US
that are doing phenomenal work,and some of them are more professionally
staffed with,you know, professional educators.
And it's just 2or 3 educators, summer staff
with students in college levellike we are.
But I think what's really to me,really exciting about this project
(20:38):
is those Auburn studentconnections, right?
To be able to have achild in fifth, sixth grade
talking to an open student,saying, hey, I'm from your community.
I'm from thisneck of the woods in Alabama.
I'm succeeding at Auburnand having that conversation.
Like,I can't say just as a professor
and a parent,how powerful that moment is.
So I love the studentmentoring angle of what we do.
And I'd also saylike what I think is cool.
(20:59):
Amanda mentioned the idea ofwe have students from all majors
that, you know,at the end of the day,
our mobile lab is all about the Earthas a system.
I mean, we like to saythat could literally be anything, right?
From what's in the groundor what's in the atmosphere
and everything in between.
And so the exposure to studentsfrom all majors,
I think, really cultivatesthat idea of the explorer mindset
that we're trying to do within the workwe do in the mobile lab.
(21:20):
And the work I've doneis both a professor
and as a National Geographic Exploreras well.
Yeah, and science is all about curiosity,right?
And curiosityis like a fundamental human experience.
It doesn't matterif someone is two years old or
40 years old or likepicking up a rock and being like, I'm
going to take this home in my pocket.
(21:41):
Like what?
What's in it?
What does it look like?
Why is it this way?
I mean, that's part of it.
I back to Timwhen Tim was mentioning the visit
they did out in Californiaat one of the schools,
one of the the young women,one of the students found out
that the floor was coming,and she brought her own rocks
from hometo look at under the microscope.
(22:03):
My goodness, that's so cool.
And at that point,I mean, we're not famous like, but she
she was like, well, it's a geo.
I'm going to I'm going to bring thisand they're going to know them,
they're going to have the answersfor him. Yeah, that's so cool.
And so that's thatthat type of response from the again
the students is just awesome.
What we're coming up on time here.
(22:24):
So I want to give a few moments tokind of this is your
this is a shamelessplug moment of the podcast.
If you listen to it always happens.
Right.
So someone wants to learn more.
You knowwe want to see it spotted down the road,
you know,try to figure out what's going on
or you want it to come to your school.
What is the best wayto get in contact with you?
Figure out,hey, I want this at my school,
want this in my community.
(22:45):
I want to meet you all.
What's the best way? Yeah.
So our website, really simple.
GeoExplorerLabs.orgEverything you need to know is on there.
If you want to bring us to your school,there's a schedule a Visit link
right there on the main page.
It will send an email to myself, Amandaand our team
and then we can kind of discussthe scheduling and things like that
(23:06):
for the alumni and friendsthat are out there
that would like to partner,whether that's a donation
of time, talents or treasures,there's a way to connect
with us on that site as well.
It goes to us as an email.
We're always looking for folks tojoin us, especially alumni,
especially if they can drive a 35.
You're looking for new,more drivers and just fun.
Fun fact you do not need a CDL license.
(23:26):
You can use a regular driver'slicense with additional training,
so we're always lookingfor temporary staff to join us for
that as well.
But you know,what I would say is
our website is pretty comprehensive.
It also includes some more informationcoming up
about our curriculum management systemthat we've customized and design our own.
So we mentioned earlier that connectionto the state science
(23:47):
and education standards.
Again,if you want to get into the schools,
you have to be connectedto those standards
or you can't be in the schools.
And so we haven't done a lot yetwith the website on that.
But coming this summer,we're going to have a lot more
that shows all thatcurriculum management system.
I just wantto put in a shameless plug for this,
because both Amanda and Dustinfrom our team really co-led this
in a way that I thinkis spectacular and makes us
(24:08):
stand out to other mobile labsaround the US.
We have a custom systemthat basically does
10 to 12 minute lessonsthroughout the RV, and at the end of it,
you can spin out a reportto the teachers that says,
here are the standardsthey aced, here
are the ones they struggled with,and here are some suggestions
for improvementthat to my knowledge,
I haven't seen anything elselike that in the mobile app space.
(24:29):
And so we're able to showthat connection
to that educationstandards to the teachers. That's huge.
That's what every teacherkind of dreams of.
So we're really excited about that.
We're also working this summerto develop some
AI learning that comes with that too.
So let's say you strugglewith the concept.
We're going to work on some lessonsthat can be AI supported that say,
all right,AI is going to let you know
(24:50):
you struggle with concept X.
Here's a couple additional learningpathways from our curriculum you can use.
So we're trying to modernize even beyondwhat we are in this continued innovate
as we continue to have success as well.
I don't know, Amanda,what else from your perspective?
Yeah, I think with that too,thinking about the state standards,
you know, the students don'tthey're not thinking about that. Right.
But the thethey're enjoying the fun of it.
(25:12):
The teachers care a lot about that.
And so we're also very fortunateto have a network of teachers.
We've got an education advisory council.
We've got some partnersthrough another program
at the university called Garrett.
We've got some fellows there areactually coming onto campus on Friday,
and we're all going to work togetherand brainstorm some curriculum stuff.
So that's been really valuable to like,we're for the students.
(25:32):
We're for the educators were forthe families were for Alabama,
were for anybodywho wants us to come by and visit.
So it's it's a it's good, it's good.
It's it's thorough.
It's rigorous and it's fun.
That's I mean,what more could you ask for?
Sounds like a great day to me.
Well, I appreciate all the workthat you guys have put into this.
(25:55):
It's clearly a labor of love.
And it's really awesomethat Auburn University
is doing things like this.
It's beenone of my favorite parts
about doing thispodcast is I've gotten to see
so many cool things the university does,and all the outreach and education
and cool things we get to do,and this is certainly an incredible one.
Good luck on your summertravels across the country.
(26:15):
That's quite the journey.
I'm excited to see what you guys doand where you go and where you stop.
But until then, we'll be back againnext month with some more members
of the Auburn familyand figure out what they do
and learn more about them.
Until then, thanks for listening.
If you want to listen to more,we got years
worth of other podcasts back.
You golisten to some other cool things and cool
people we've gotten to speak with.
(26:37):
War Eagle! War Eagle! War Eagle!
Welcome into the EverythingAuburn Podcast, the monthly podcast
we get to have hereon the campus, Auburn University.
We get to speak tomembers of the Auburn Family,
get to know a little bit more about them,what they do,
what makes them tick,and what they're excited about.
Today, I'm joined by TimHawthorne, the chair and professor
of Department of Geosciences,and Amanda Savarta
director, Curriculumand Department of Geosciences.
(00:27):
Welcome to the Everything Auburn Podcast.
Thank you for having us.
We're excited to be here.
Thanks for having us, Carter.
It's awesome. We're glad you're here.
Big thing we're herewe want to talk about
is your very cool bus that you have.
That's the thing that kind ofwe started to talk about.
We started seeing I've seen itparked in the parking lot of the Coliseum
many, many times. And yeah.
(00:49):
So let's just startfrom the very beginning.
I'd love to hear aboutwhere the bus come from.
How, where?
How did we get to where we are today?
What's the original idea?
How long we've been doing it?
Give me all the dirty details. Yeah.
So I came to Auburn University in 2024as the new department
chair in Geosciences.
As part of that, the College of Scienceand Math
(01:09):
made a pretty generous investmentin this opportunity.
Geo Explorer Labs is really simple.
The idea iswe want to bring something big
to the children and teachers of Alabamato get them even more excited
about the scienceand technology work
we do here at Auburnand beyond Auburn as well.
So our mobile science lab,it's connected to state science
and education standardsthat teachers love and they value.
(01:32):
And we have to makesure our students are prepared
for the teststhat they're going to be taking
for the school accreditation processes.
Everything new is very hands on insidethe lab as well.
So children are always interactive.
There's a lot of movement and motionthroughout,
and it's not just being lectured at.
Right.
It's all about engagementand really sensory
level engagement with the technologiesand the in the R-V as well.
(01:55):
So in termsof how it kind of got started.
So we were really luckywith that investment from Dean Thomas
in the College of Science and Math.
But then what happened fromthere was truly epic.
We went to a local R-V company,Bama RV, out in Opelika.
They're incredible partnersand sort of
told them what we wanted to do.
And they they provided uswith probably the best vehicle
(02:16):
we could find.
It was a 2023 used 36ft thirdWind Sport RV, and it was so funny.
The first time we met them,we talked about the price point
that we were looking atand things like that,
and they looked at usand they said, well,
this thing is pristine.
Why do you want to get ridof everything inside?
And we explained, you know,we're going to got the whole thing
and we're going to build it from scratch.
(02:36):
And so our team of students,staff and faculty
and this is where Amanda came in.
Beginning in November of 2024,we started working to build this.
It got on campus,I think it was the week
after Thanksgivingin 2024, and then in about six months,
we went from a usedRV to what you see now,
which is a mobile science labwith interactive
(02:57):
learning stations as well.
And I think, you know,we were talking earlier
about the passion that I think drivesthis project.
The passion was we took an RVand turned it into something
that would be memorable and hugefor the kids and the teachers
that would see us.
I mean, we did everythingfrom taking an old bathroom
and turning it into a tornado tunnelto taking an old bedroom,
turning it into an augmentedreality sandbox
(03:18):
to teach about topographyand contours and elevations.
So that just shows youthe spirit of the Auburn family
coming together to do somethingreally innovative
for the students of the schools we go to.
It's a really wonderfuland this is a massive
it's it cannot understatehow large it is.
It's a very large vehicle.
And you see it in the parking lot.
Get a really cool wrap on it.
Geo explores all the cool things on it.
(03:39):
So this is a great segue.
You just talked about it.
This is where you come in programing.
You really are dictating a lotof what's actually happening in
that vehicle.
What are some of those programingthings look like?
Where did you kind ofget your start in this?
And when you get the crazy idea,I'm sure pitch of
this is what we want to do.
And then actually distilling thatinto a curriculum for these, these kids,
(04:01):
it was actually really,really kind of fortuitous.
I'm a departmental alumnifor geosciences,
and I've got a geology backgroundand an education background.
I was actually teaching locallyat Auburn High School for six years,
and I left to be home with my son.
I had a babyand I was at an alumni meeting,
and Doctor Hawthorne had come inas our new department chair
(04:24):
and was talking about this ideathat he had brought with him.
And I kind ofwent up at the end of the meeting.
I said, I'd like to be a part of this,and I was in quotes in retirement.
Right. I'm home with my son.
And so my my passion behindthis comes from one being being local,
being Alabama public school educated,being an Auburn alumni both
(04:44):
in education and geoscience, and wantingto give back and be be part of this,
it's really, really thrilling.
And so with my perspectives,with my geoscience background,
and as a teacherclassroom teacher,
I can really get behindeverything that we're doing,
not just for the students in Alabamaand beyond,
(05:05):
but even for the teachers as well,supporting them and educating students.
It's amazing. That's really wonderful.
You know,having being a parent myself,
it's something that it's changed, right.
And I think it's kind of natural.
You start to think about nowI have a daughter
and I start to see these.
I'm like, oh, that's a reallyI got to get my daughter on this bus,
you know, and doing stuff like that more.
(05:26):
It's becoming a little bit more.
I'm looking for those thingsa little bit more.
And to see Auburn havingthose resources is so incredible.
I have to tell you,I was thinking about it.
We see more smilesthan a dentist's office like,
and that's not even just K through12 students.
That's their little brothers and sistersthat come on board.
That may be toddlers,and they gravitate
(05:47):
towards the sandbox to play inor even the the parents as well.
And we have kids coming back for more.
I think we had some students,fifth grade
students from Creekside Elementary,which is a local school here recently,
and they wentthrough our learning stations
but weren't able to see all of them.
And some of them found outwe were doing an event on campus
(06:08):
a few weeks later,and they dragged their parents out
to come and see us, and they said, well,I want to finish these stations.
And so we're having that impactat the elementary school level.
And then with the high school studentswe've been visiting in April,
we have students coming backduring later class blocks,
you know, asking their, their,their physical education teachers, hey,
(06:29):
I want to go see this science RV.
And so that's been really special for us.
The response has been greatfrom the students
and from the teachersand from families to it's been amazing.
So walk me throughwhat's the normal kind of operation here?
We just rolled this up toelementary school high schools
throughout the state.
You know, you'veyou've already kind of mentioned it.
We were talking before.
(06:49):
I know you've gone on somepretty long road trips
with this thing as well.
What's that kind of travel mobileschool look like
in terms of local things?
And when I say that,I mean kind of Alabama.
So far we have gone summit to seaand and the rivers in between.
So we've been up in northern Alabama.
(07:09):
We've been down in Gulf Shores,we've been in almost Mississippi,
we've been around town.
And those visits oftentimes are veryschool visit
focused, tied directlyto state standards, a little bit
more of a controlled scheduledlearning environment.
Students rotate through differentlearning stations
(07:30):
related to thingsthat they're learning in school.
But we also have open house style events.
And Tim can speak more to thethe travel across the US
because this was done last summerand there are plans to do that
this summer too.
Yeah.
So in terms of the travel,I mean,
I think one of the things that wereally want to do is our goal
is to build more of these across the US,with the home base being here at Auburn.
(07:52):
But we want toinspire the rest of the country
to kind of get behind whatwe're leading here at Auburn University.
And so last summer,with the dean and the College of support,
we did a road trip across the US.
So we started here in Auburn,and we went all the way out
to a big education and technologyconference called the ESRI Education
Summit in San Diego, California.
(08:12):
During that trip,we were able to present
right on the Bay in downtown San Diego.
Just epic.
Just totally epic. Cool thing.
We probably had 4 or 5000 peoplesee it during that visit.
But then what was alsocool is we're like, well,
if we're going to driveall the way to California,
we might as wellmeet some alumni and friends.
And so what we did iswe did a series of pop up
events across the US.
We met some alumni,one of our generous donors
(08:35):
and Gab members in our department,Herb Martin.
He set up an eventwith us in Oklahoma City,
where we actually workedwith the Oklahoma
Geological Society and Foundationand some of their partners
to talk about potentiallybringing one of these to Oklahoma.
Then we went toseveral other events
across the US, includingwe were dead tired.
I mean, we did this trip,I think, in
like four days to get to California.
(08:57):
Even with how many,how many people were driving
three drivers, myself, Dustin and Tony,and we just would get up every morning
at 4 or 5 a.m.
and drive,you know, 8 to 10 hours most days.
We started first day,we got to Oklahoma City.
We did a 13 hour day. That was wild.
But then we got tothe very end of our trip towards
San Diego and the way out,and what we were planning was an event.
(09:18):
We went from Arizona, Tempe,Arizona, near Arizona State's campus.
We did a podcastthe evening before
and an alumni eventat a local establishment.
Then the very next morningwe got up at about 330,
and we had to be outsideof La Jolla, California
for a school event
at about 2 (09:33):
00 in the afternoon.
And we were dead tired.
I mean,we just driven across the country.
And what was so cool about this,the minute we got there,
these kids,they were in their summer school.
They were just fired up.
They were cheering. They were excited.
We did this assemblyand then we served about 150 kids
in about three hours.
And what was really neat aboutit was just their excitement.
(09:54):
It energized us.
I mean, I mentioned we were dead tired,but the minute those lights went on
and we were there, it was justit was completely energizing
to see their passion.
And it really got our passion,like even flowing more as well.
And then we came backacross the US
after the conferenceand our final stop,
we stopped at a couple places,but our final stop was at the big event
in mobile at the USS Alabama.
(10:16):
Phenomenal event with alumni and friends.
We probably served about 100200 folks in just a really nice way
to kind of end the experience.
So we're going to do that againthis summer. That was our test.
I was going to say, yeah,you signed up again.
That was our test.
And so this year, as we all know,America 250 kind of a big deal
here in the US.
We're excited to be a part of it.
So we're actually a partof Auburn University's
official America 250 programing.
(10:38):
And so one of the ideas we cooked upprobably in like late
November, earlyDecember of this previous semester year,
we really sat down and said,how can we do something even bigger
and better than last summer?
And so the ideanow that we've got the mobile lab
really outfitted,we're hitting our stride.
We've been talkingwith a lot of alumni and friends
about what we can do.
And so what we decidedthis year is we're going to be
(11:01):
a little more epic than last year.
We're going to call it America250 Coast to Coast with Geo Explorer.
We're actually going to start hereand then go up the east
eastern seaboard to Washington, D.C.
we expect around Independence Day,do a couple of things in D.C.
and then head across the country againvisiting.
And this is what I think is really cool.
(11:21):
We're going to be visitingnational parks,
landmarks and national wildlife refugesto kind of
tell the story about America'spublic lands and doing pop up events
at these placeswith families and friends,
and just have an opportunityto not only show the innovation
that's happening at Auburnacross the country,
but also bring those storiesback to campus.
We're going to be doing interviewswith alumni and friends
(11:42):
about their careers.
We're going to be showcasingsome of the things we see
at the parks and landscapeswho visit as well.
So we're just we're psyched about this.
We're ready to go.
That's a handful.
Are you on this trip now?
So I co-host in the Drive.
I will beI will be going on some of the trip.
I think that's the plan.
What's what's really special?
Last year last year's trip was was great.
(12:05):
What's extra specialthis years we've got even more
alumni that we've tapped into,not just folks who are, let's say,
retired industry partnersfrom the wheel and gas, for example. Or
on thegeography side of things, with ESRI,
we have an alumni.
That's in New Mexico,that's with the Park Service,
and they have an eventthat they've planned at caldera
(12:27):
that we're really excitedabout being part of.
Jordan Ray isis also education and
and and geoscience background.
So we're excited toto visit with them and
and there are going to bea bunch of people there for that too.
I also I was going to add really quickly,in addition to the Summer
July trip,America 250 is an entire year
(12:47):
long celebration.
And so we actually startedabout two weeks ago.
We did an event locally hereat the Tuskegee Airmen site
just 20 minutes down the road.
We were therewith the National Park Service.
We we worked withabout 300 kids that day.
We also metsome of the pilots out at Fort Rucker
and got some just epic conversationsand shots with the
the mobile app nextto one of their blackhawk choppers.
(13:11):
And so this has led to a conversationabout coming out to Fort Rucker later
this summer for one of their Stemaviation days.
And we're just really excitedto see that energy in these
these partnerships kind of pop up.
So if any of the listenersaround the country hear
this and are interested in uscoming out to them,
especially in thatJuly trip, we'd love to.
But throughout the year we're opento traveling elsewhere as well.
(13:31):
We'll be going up to Virginia,I think, in October for a conference,
and then we'll be travelingthroughout the state and region
throughout the year as well.
So if you find yourselfbetween somewhere
in the middle of Washington,DC in California, you're in. Absolutely.
It's possible. It's possible.
And I think we plan to endin Alabama this year,
(13:51):
probably at Gulf Shores State Park.
We've done some eventswith with them down there
and they're they're amazing.
So that's not a farthat's not a far drive
for all of the particularlythe local Alabama folks
to come down and and hang out.
Yeah.
So as part of this, you know,I'm curious.
It's a I have some I have some stats.
Here is a you said it's a 35ft long bus.
(14:16):
It's a lab. Right.
What is all in this thing?
Because that's what I'm really like.
I'm just thinking, driving 13 hourswith some microscopes behind me.
I don't know if I'dbe trusted to do that,
but what's in this thing that we can,you know,
from elementary kids to high schoolers,what are they getting on the bus
to actually see?
It's a solar powered bus,which I think
is a really remarkably cool.
(14:38):
But justwhat are some of the toys and gadgets
get on this thing?
So from a technology standpoint,we do have things that you would argue
are relatively simpleand expected in a science classroom,
like a microscope.
And so students are ableto look at biological
and mineral samples with those.
We also have virtual reality headset.
So recentlystudents have been visiting
(14:59):
the rainforestor they've been going to a coral reef.
And that's amazing to watch themkind of freak out and be,
you know,they're clinging to the
to the table in front of themand they really feel like they're there.
So that immersivenature of, of of going places is, is
really awesome with those virtual realityheadsets, especially
until Tim decidesto drive it to a rainforest.
(15:20):
Oh yeah, 100%.
We are about to buildone in Central America.
That is true.
And additionally, we've got a lot of likeinteractive data
sets on touchscreens too,so students can explore things
like weather data.
We really like Wendy or the Wendy appfor that.
And we have anaugmented reality sandbox
(15:41):
in the back of the RV.
So we have kinetic sandand also a projector.
And so as the studentsmanipulate the sand,
the topographic projection changesso they can think about
landscapes and landformsand then also natural hazards.
With that we, we have aa tornadic experience on the RV as well.
(16:02):
The bathroom has been changeda little bit.
We've got some powerful leaf blowersthat can get us up to,
we think an EF three tornado.
So the studentsyou can imagine really enjoy that.
And then we also have some what we sayoff RV experiences.
Students get to flymini drones and explore
different maps and geologic time.
(16:24):
So there's we have a lot going onthat let students think about
the Earth as a system,whether it's
something related to the atmosphere,the biosphere, the juicy,
or the hydrosphere.
So lots of good, good fun, I think.
Also,what's really cool about it too
is, you know, likeI alluded to earlier,
our team designed all of this.
So there are companiesthat can kind of
build these things for you.
(16:45):
I mean, they're crazy expensive.
Of course they do great work.
But I think what's really innovative,and I hope the listeners
take away from this,this was built at Auburn by Auburn
faculty, students and staff,designed from like taking a bathroom
and saying, let's build a tornado.
Tuttle I mean, how complex is that?
Right?
Taking an old bedroom,turning it into an AR sandbox
with some additional touch screens toto look at the the
(17:07):
the water ecosystems of Alabamaas an example.
Like that doesn'thappen at all universities.
So I think one of the cool things aboutthis for me
is just seeing that passioncome out
and our students, facultyand staff taking these ideas
that sound nuts, right?
And then putting them into a mobile app.
I mean, it'swild, and I think it's been really cool
to do that as a professor.
But also I think with our alumni,like Amanda said, what's been
(17:28):
cool is the response from outside.
When people see it first, they seethey see it in the parking lot,
like you said, and they're like,what the heck is this thing? Right?
What's this big GeoGuessr?
And then you bring em inand they're like, it's
even cooler than I thought it would be.
Right?
And so I think the alumni industrypartners have really helped
drive this bus, pun intended.
I thinkwe've had some really great partnerships.
(17:48):
CDW, the big tech company,provided a lot of generous technology
as part of a partnership.
You mentionedthe solar powered nature of our interior
that was donatedby a really great friend of ours,
Lisa Piercey,the CEO of 15 Light Years, a company
that I've workedwith previously in Florida.
They donated the entire solar systemand wiring for us to power
the interior lab when we're driving.
(18:10):
And just like that, that to meis what's been really cool about this.
Seeing the excitementand the the core idea is it's
supporting children.
Right at the end of the day,I think that's what gets our alumni
and friends excited,and they see the passion that we have
and the passion that kids havewhen they step into this giant,
crazy learning experience as well.
Yeah, I think that'sone of the cool things for me.
We talked last month.
(18:31):
We had some people from extension on,and something we talk about a lot on
this podcastis like meeting people
where they are, right?
You look at Auburn University,you think that's a four year
college, I'm going to get my degree.
I'm going to get my master'sand get my doctorate.
And that's what I'm there for.
Its after high school.
It's my adult education, right?
But there's so much more than whatAuburn does and more Auburn can do.
(18:51):
And what's really cool about this,which is what made me think
about what we talk aboutlast month of the extension, is it's
going to see people where they at.
We literally roll up to the school,and that's the principal at the school
we visited last week atit was Randolph Elementary.
She was like,this is like McWane
Science Center in Birminghampulling up to your school.
(19:11):
And that is that is a very high concept.
Some rare air McGuane Science Center.
I grew up going there as well.
So yeah, that's so coolbecause there's so many people
that don't have opportunityto go to the McWane Science Center
right in Birmingham, or do inor don't even know
about those sorts of things.
You just roll up totheir their front door
and bringing that to them,which is so incredible.
(19:32):
If I can brag a little biton y'all as well.
You mentioned how it's all donein-house, people.
There's companies you get to hire this.
But even more than that,you guys have,
if I understand correctly,your undergrad students and faculty
are are the science teachers,which is also really awesome for them
to get to do a great experience for them,but also what great outreach
(19:53):
it is for Auburnand for these kids,
these students to learnabout teaching and education
and furthering that for other people.
And they're not just geosciencemajors either.
We have studentsthat are getting a minor in 2D art.
We have students that are pre dental,like that type of, you know,
I kind of hope we indoctrinatesome of them to the geosciences.
(20:16):
But that's just, you know, myand I think to
you know, the point you just brought upI think is really important.
Is there there are other mobilescience labs around the US
that are doing phenomenal work,and some of them are more professionally
staffed with,you know, professional educators.
And it's just 2or 3 educators, summer staff
with students in college levellike we are.
But I think what's really to me,really exciting about this project
(20:38):
is those Auburn studentconnections, right?
To be able to have achild in fifth, sixth grade
talking to an open student,saying, hey, I'm from your community.
I'm from thisneck of the woods in Alabama.
I'm succeeding at Auburnand having that conversation.
Like,I can't say just as a professor
and a parent,how powerful that moment is.
So I love the studentmentoring angle of what we do.
And I'd also saylike what I think is cool.
(20:59):
Amanda mentioned the idea ofwe have students from all majors
that, you know,at the end of the day,
our mobile lab is all about the Earthas a system.
I mean, we like to saythat could literally be anything, right?
From what's in the groundor what's in the atmosphere
and everything in between.
And so the exposure to studentsfrom all majors,
I think, really cultivatesthat idea of the explorer mindset
that we're trying to do within the workwe do in the mobile lab.
(21:20):
And the work I've doneis both a professor
and as a National Geographic Exploreras well.
Yeah, and science is all about curiosity,right?
And curiosityis like a fundamental human experience.
It doesn't matterif someone is two years old or
40 years old or likepicking up a rock and being like, I'm
going to take this home in my pocket.
(21:41):
Like what?
What's in it?
What does it look like?
Why is it this way?
I mean, that's part of it.
I back to Timwhen Tim was mentioning the visit
they did out in Californiaat one of the schools,
one of the the young women,one of the students found out
that the floor was coming,and she brought her own rocks
from hometo look at under the microscope.
(22:03):
My goodness, that's so cool.
And at that point,I mean, we're not famous like, but she
she was like, well, it's a geo.
I'm going to I'm going to bring thisand they're going to know them,
they're going to have the answersfor him. Yeah, that's so cool.
And so that's thatthat type of response from the again
the students is just awesome.
What we're coming up on time here.
(22:24):
So I want to give a few moments tokind of this is your
this is a shamelessplug moment of the podcast.
If you listen to it always happens.
Right.
So someone wants to learn more.
You knowwe want to see it spotted down the road,
you know,try to figure out what's going on
or you want it to come to your school.
What is the best wayto get in contact with you?
Figure out,hey, I want this at my school,
want this in my community.
(22:45):
I want to meet you all.
What's the best way? Yeah.
So our website, really simple.
GeoExplorerLabs.orgEverything you need to know is on there.
If you want to bring us to your school,there's a schedule a Visit link
right there on the main page.
It will send an email to myself, Amandaand our team
and then we can kind of discussthe scheduling and things like that
(23:06):
for the alumni and friendsthat are out there
that would like to partner,whether that's a donation
of time, talents or treasures,there's a way to connect
with us on that site as well.
It goes to us as an email.
We're always looking for folks tojoin us, especially alumni,
especially if they can drive a 35.
You're looking for new,more drivers and just fun.
Fun fact you do not need a CDL license.
(23:26):
You can use a regular driver'slicense with additional training,
so we're always lookingfor temporary staff to join us for
that as well.
But you know,what I would say is
our website is pretty comprehensive.
It also includes some more informationcoming up
about our curriculum management systemthat we've customized and design our own.
So we mentioned earlier that connectionto the state science
(23:47):
and education standards.
Again,if you want to get into the schools,
you have to be connectedto those standards
or you can't be in the schools.
And so we haven't done a lot yetwith the website on that.
But coming this summer,we're going to have a lot more
that shows all thatcurriculum management system.
I just wantto put in a shameless plug for this,
because both Amanda and Dustinfrom our team really co-led this
in a way that I thinkis spectacular and makes us
(24:08):
stand out to other mobile labsaround the US.
We have a custom systemthat basically does
10 to 12 minute lessonsthroughout the RV, and at the end of it,
you can spin out a reportto the teachers that says,
here are the standardsthey aced, here
are the ones they struggled with,and here are some suggestions
for improvementthat to my knowledge,
I haven't seen anything elselike that in the mobile app space.
(24:29):
And so we're able to showthat connection
to that educationstandards to the teachers. That's huge.
That's what every teacherkind of dreams of.
So we're really excited about that.
We're also working this summerto develop some
AI learning that comes with that too.
So let's say you strugglewith the concept.
We're going to work on some lessonsthat can be AI supported that say,
all right,AI is going to let you know
(24:50):
you struggle with concept X.
Here's a couple additional learningpathways from our curriculum you can use.
So we're trying to modernize even beyondwhat we are in this continued innovate
as we continue to have success as well.
I don't know, Amanda,what else from your perspective?
Yeah, I think with that too,thinking about the state standards,
you know, the students don'tthey're not thinking about that. Right.
But the thethey're enjoying the fun of it.
(25:12):
The teachers care a lot about that.
And so we're also very fortunateto have a network of teachers.
We've got an education advisory council.
We've got some partnersthrough another program
at the university called Garrett.
We've got some fellows there areactually coming onto campus on Friday,
and we're all going to work togetherand brainstorm some curriculum stuff.
So that's been really valuable to like,we're for the students.
(25:32):
We're for the educators were forthe families were for Alabama,
were for anybodywho wants us to come by and visit.
So it's it's a it's good, it's good.
It's it's thorough.
It's rigorous and it's fun.
That's I mean,what more could you ask for?
Sounds like a great day to me.
Well, I appreciate all the workthat you guys have put into this.
(25:55):
It's clearly a labor of love.
And it's really awesomethat Auburn University
is doing things like this.
It's beenone of my favorite parts
about doing thispodcast is I've gotten to see
so many cool things the university does,and all the outreach and education
and cool things we get to do,and this is certainly an incredible one.
Good luck on your summertravels across the country.
(26:15):
That's quite the journey.
I'm excited to see what you guys doand where you go and where you stop.
But until then, we'll be back againnext month with some more members
of the Auburn familyand figure out what they do
and learn more about them.
Until then, thanks for listening.
If you want to listen to more,we got years
worth of other podcasts back.
You golisten to some other cool things and cool
people we've gotten to speak with.
(26:37):
War Eagle! War Eagle! War Eagle!
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com