It is funded by the State Council of Higher Education For Virginia and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Science and Education Act. Teachers spend five educational weeks in Radford University's dorms studying the unique geological history and structure of Virginia. This successful program has been operating since 1987, and participants from past years have had input into the design of the SOL's. Some of the new Virginia-specific content has been a result of suggestions from these participants. Lab work includes lectures on different aspects of geology, such as topographic and geologic mapping, rock identification, structure, and the formation and history of Virginia provinces.
Field work includes many trips to locations within Virginia.
Most local field trips in the Valley, Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau are done during a single day trip. Other trips in the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain are done during The Grand Virginia Tour. The Grand Virginia Tour is a five day camping extravaganza where members travel throughout Virginia and piece together the history of the formations. Another project of the field trip is mapping. Members are taught the basic principles of field mapping and given an area to map.