May 4, 2010
East Arkansas Community College-Forrest City
Press Release- Photo Attached

Students in the Introduction to Environmental Technology class in the East Arkansas Community College Secondary Career Center recently participated in a 'geocaching' project as part of their class. The students, Jermaine Stewart and Antonio McNutt, are part of the Renewable Energy Technology program at EACC and are learning the basics of geospatial technology and its applications in the environment.  Using the ArcGIS computer software, the students were able to take large amounts of raw data and produce a geographical map that interprets the data.  

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. Geocaching is used in the course at EACC to solidify the textbook knowledge and implement the learned objectives with hands-on skills.  Students were given a set of coordinates in the degree-minute-second format to locate a hidden object on the College’s campus using the handheld GPS devices.  Each hidden object contained the clue to the next cache.  A series of nine clues were hidden and when the ninth cache was found, the students turned in the cache to collect their rewards. 

Other class projects have included planting and agriculture planning by soil types, monitoring of the water table, mapping the population of Arkansas using census data, and mosquito control. This course also includes learning how to use handheld global positioning systems (GPS) to mark specific locations on earth.

According to geocaching.com, there are 8,193 geocaches hidden in the state of Arkansas.  Of the thousands of geocaches hidden, approximately 28 are located in Forrest City. For additional information about this topic visit Geocaching.com the official Global GPS cache hunt site.

Photo from left: Students Antonio McNutt and Jermaine Stewart, both of Forrest City