Campus Compact » Geology

Geo 266: Groundwater Hydrology, and Geo 362: Contaminant Fate and Transport on Geologic Systems

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 04 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Statement on Teaching and Seminar
I have designed (and redesigned!) nine courses and short term units, all with labs in my seven years at Bates College. Those course range from first year seminars to upper level geology courses. I teach courses offered in the Geology Department and cross-listed with the Environmental Studies Program.

But it's not about teaching anymore; learning is the real issue. I have listened to excellent lectures that were well thought-out, logically constructed, intriguing and adventuresome; and about which I remembered very little the next day. I learned very little even though I thought I was learning a lot during the lecture. My own learning style requires my direct interaction with the material. Students also learn in multiple and different ways. It is a part of my task to determine how I can best cause each student to know that which I think important in my courses rather than to pour facts into them.

Our world will change in ways that I can't begin to imagine, the most important things I do for my students is to connect their classroom learning with the world and to ensure that they learn to examine issues with a hydrogeologic component methodically.

Science literacy or scientific literacy?
Over that last several years the National Science Foundation and various policy groups have called for significant redesign of undergraduate education of potential scientists (see for example Boyer, 1990; NSF, 1995, 1999; George et al., 1996; and Moore et al., 1997). In addition, the science focused reports (NSF, 1995, 1999; George et al., 1996; and Moore et al., 1997) note a significant need to encourage a scientifically literate citizenry. Each of the four reports calls for a change from a teaching paradigm to a learning paradigm (i.e. from a faculty centered to a student-centered system) where inquiry-based learning replaces much of the lecture regurgitation of the older pedagogical methods. The most recent NSF document notes the need to "develop the capacity for excellence in all segments of society, whether or not they have been part of the scientific and engineering tradition." I find it very interesting that these calls for reform echo those of feminist scientists seeking more minority and female participation in the sciences (Davis and Humphreys, 1985; and Rosser, 1986 for example) who have encouraged an inquiry based learning paradigm since Vetter (1980) documented differences in the fractions of men and women seeking careers in scientific fields.

In my mind, introductory classes should work to help educate scientifically literate persons while classes for majors add the task of science literacy education. Maienschien et al. (1998) contrasted the terms scientific literacy and science literacy very well in an editorial in Science. They define scientific literacy as emphasizing "scientific ways of knowing and the process of thinking critically and creatively about the natural world." Science literacy, on the other hand, "emphasizes practical results and stresses short term instrumental good, notably training immediately productive members of society with specific facts and skills." The editorial further notes that not everyone needs science literacy but that effective citizen participation in present-day society and informed decision making requires scientific literacy.

I agree with Maienschien that there is a difference between scientific literacy and science literacy. Scientists need to be both. Non-scientists need to be scientifically literate, particularly if you also consider Conant's (1952) definition of scientifically literate, which included the ability "to communicate intelligently with men (sic) who were advancing science and applying it." This includes understanding the limits of one's own knowledge and being able to find an expert when necessary.

There is a corollary to this. If we ask that citizens be scientifically literate, then scientists must interact with the citizenry. This applies to me, it does not necessarily apply to all geologists or all scientists but as a hydrogeologist, I deal with water supply and quality issues. I have a responsibility to be responsive to the needs of my communities if my expertise is requested. For this reason, I have Incorporated service learning projects into several of my courses and into my research.

Courses
Although I prefer a particular pedagogical style (combining some traditional lecturing with other engaging learning activities), obviously the societal implications, course goals, and objectives change depending on the level at which the course is offered. As we examine a sequence of three of the courses I teach, I think you'll see what I mean.

Geo 106: The Hydrosphere
The Hydrosphere is fundamentally a detailed analysis of the water cycle and the interaction of water with rocks, sediments, and minerals. This is my first (sometimes only) opportunity to help students understand the significance of water-related issues in their lives. I focus on three questions in addition to the course content: How should a problem like "this" be analyzed? Are there any assumptions inherent in the analysis? Where can we find reliable information on the topic? In this course I worry as much about scientific literacy as it pertains to water related issues as I do about content. Not only what is the 100-year flood but, also, where can you find the 100 flood maps to help you select a location for a home not in the flood plain. In addition, during one of the labs students calculated the magnitude of the 100-year flood in a watershed of their choice. This involves them in the science on a personal level.

Furthermore, this offers an unparalleled opportunity to show students how ingrained assumptions no longer seem like assumptions. One student emailed an unsolicited comment more than a year after she graduated:

"I enjoyed your class, even though I battled trying to turn my non-scientific brain to considerations of hydrology! I thought that you brought a wide perspective to your subject and taught it in the context of the larger world in which we exist, which is very different from most professors, who seem too mired in their specialty. So a belated thanks!"

Geo 266: Groundwater Hydrology
This course begins the business of science literacy in the hydrogeology sequence. Although groundwater hydrology is taught at the senior or graduate level in most institutions (requiring at least two semesters of calculus as prerequisites), at Bates, I was required to teach it as a sophomore level course for Geology majors with no math requirement.

Not only do I cover the fundamental information for such a course (water budgets, hydrographs, flood frequency calculations, hydraulic head, Drake's Law, groundwater flow, and some water contamination issues), the students begin to use the equipment and techniques used by professional hydrogeologists (water level recorders, geochemical testing equipment, Global Positioning Systems, Geographical Information Systems, permeameters, map analysis, systems analysis based on conservation of mass, and numerical ground water models).

A significant component of this course is the laboratory project. Over the last few years, I have included a semester long service learning project as the lab portion of the course. In 1997, Geo 266 students studied the Garcelon Bog in Lewiston along with Envr 302: Wetland Science and Policy taught by Curtis Bohlen. Our classes evaluated the impact of a road through the wetland, analyzing the water table, geochernistry and other aspects of the work. At the end of the semester, both classes presented their work in a public meeting at City Hall (see Ongley et al., 1999). In Fall, 1998 with twenty-one students, the class took on two projects: an evaluation of the hydrogeology of Androscoggin Lake at the request of the Androscoggin Lake Homeowners Association and of several ponds in Turner at the request of the Turner Conservation Commission. We found acceptably high arsenic concentrations in water from one well. At my request, the homeowner verified the result at a state-certified lab and then, chose to install a point of use remediation system. We presented our results at a public meeting and have been asked to return and perform more tests in 1999.

Heather Piper, now a consultant, (a Colby College '98 grad who came to Lewiston three times each week during Fall'97 to take Geo 266) recently emailed me and said:

" I thought of you yesterday as I was putting together a constant head permeameter. We were sent a really old setup so that we can possibly start doing sand perms right from our office instead of having them sent to Bangor. No one in the Caribou office knew what to do with the setup though so I brought in Fetter and my lab report and did some assembling. We will have to test for leaks and then see if results are accurate, but regardless I was pretty excited I could do that on my own. And thankful I attended your lab that day!"

Geo 362: Contaminant Fate and Transport on Geologic Systems
Students in Geo 362 are usually senior geology majors (although I have had physics and biology majors as well). I expect students here to integrate all their prior coursework in order to consider issues of ground water contamination. In this course students learn some of the fundamental terminology of organic chemistry, research the use and physio-chemical properties of a contaminating chemical of their choice, engage in comprehensive discussions of professional papers and select and lead the discussion of a paper of their choice. This course could easily become a graduate level offering.

The lab portion of this class is devoted to a semester-long project. Here I expect the students to design at least portions of the investigation we will undertake. In 1997 (the last time I taught this), we set out to determine if it were possible for leachate from the Gracelawn landfill to contaminate Lake Auburn. This was a service learning project undertaken at the request of the Lake Auburn Watershed Commission. The students examined existing reports, designed and built seepage meters to install in the lake, decided which geochemical parameters to measure, installed the meters, sampled various wells (with the assistance of the consultant in charge of the monitoring wells), analyzed the water, wrote a joint report and presented the report to the Lake Auburn Watershed Commission.

One student who took the course a few years ago told me:

I have been "…in contact with Weston, Inc., an environmental rehab company that works in Penn. N.J., and West Va. A job with Weston would have something to do with SuperFund site evaluations. It sounds really exciting. And you can remember how excited I was to visit the Winthrop Landfill … the majority of the jobs listed in the paper and with the USGS are related to some aspect of what we covered in class. A perfect example of this is the SuperFund job. But there are also several technical and research/problem solving jobs listed … And I tell you their descriptions are like repetitions of class goals and tasks … you did a great job of including enough of everything that I feel confident applying for these jobs."

Conclusion
The level of sophistication and required technical expertise to successfully complete my courses increases as students progress through the sequence of hydrogeology courses. From basic scientific literacy through a high degree of science literacy and technical expertise, I lead students in learning experiences from which they emerge as capable entry-level hydrogeologists; and/or citizen-scientists.

Literature Cited
Boyer, E. L. , Scholarship reconsidered – Priorities of the professoriate: Princeton, NJ, The Carnegie

Conant, J. B., 1952, General Education in Science Cambridge, MA, Harvard Univ. Press.
George et al., 1996, Shaping the Future - New expectations for undergraduate education in science,

Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 147 pp.

mathematics, engineering, and technology_: report to the National Science Foundation from the EHR Advisory Committee, NSF 96-139,76 pp.

Maienschein, Jane et al., 1998, Scientific literacy: Science, vol. 281, no. 5379, p. 917.

Moore et al., 1997, Science teaching reconsidered – a handbook: National Academy
of Sciences, Washington, DC, 88 pp.

NSF, 1995, NSF in a changing world – The National Science Foundation's Strategic Plan Washington, DC,

The National Science Foundation, 38 pp.

NSF, 1999, Environmental Science and Engineering for the 21' Century hiterim Report, NSB 99-1333, 80 PP.

Ongley, L.K., Bohlen, C., and A. Lathrop, 1999, Evolution of the consultant model of environmental service learning, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, Harold Ward, (volume editor), Acting Locally,

Service Learning in Environmental Studies part of American Association of Higher Education's Series on Service Learning in the Disciplines.

Typical Schedule
This preliminary schedule may change as required by our progress. In addition, if there are topics you wish to particularly discuss in class, we may be able to do that.

The readings listed by chapter are from your book. The others are on reserve in the library and the reserve number is listed in parentheses after the author's last name.

Week 1 – Introduction
Reading – Syllabus, Chapter l.
Monday – Introduction to the course. Logistics. What is science?
Wednesday – Condonts and the Scientific Method, Systems Analysis and
Some Earth Systems
Friday – Dynamic Earth Systems
Just for Fun – The Mars Trilogy ( Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) by
Kim Stanley Robinson, Bantam Books. Terraforming Mars and
creating a humanophile atmosphere. You may have to buy copies.

Week 2 – Earth Systems
Reading – Chapter 2, LaRiviere (7612), Spiedel and Agnew (7659) Monday – MLK Day. Homework I Wednesday – Water Cycle and Budgets, Global and Watershed

Friday- Water budget discussion. Do the reserve reading before class. Read both articles. Prepare a paragraph summarizing one of them. Just for Fun – In the Path of the Killer Volcano video. Shows interaction of scientists and politicos. Awesome footage of volcano creating its own weather systems and consequent mud slides.

Week 3 – The Atmosphere
Reading – Chapter 9, Davis and Dolan (7764)
Monday – Energy Budget of the World, Mechanisms of Energy Transport
Wednesday – Climate and Weather Systems
Friday – Severe Storms
Just for Fun – Secrets of Ice, video, QC981.8.C5 S43 1991 (using ice cores
from the Arctic to determine global climate change)

Week 4 – Surface Water Systems
Reading – Chapter 7 (206 – 216), McPhee (7824), Cobb (7763)
Monday – Watersheds
Wednesday – Stream Flow and Hydrographs. Using Russian River Data
Friday – Floods and Flood plain Management.
Just for Fun – The River (video) F354.R584. A 1930 documentary on the
devastating Mississippi River floods prior to the Federal Emergency
Management Flood protection system. This won a Pulitzer Prize.

Week 5 – Surface Water Systems
Reading – Chapter 7 (216 – 229) Myers and White (7822) Monday – Impact of Urbanization Wednesday – Role Playing Exercise: County Commissioners Meeting, Harris County, Texas. Application of Jane Developer's Proposed Nature's Own Subdivision Friday – Drinking Water and Waste Water, Use and Treatment Just -for Fun – The 1993 Mississippi River Flood US Army Corps of Engineers video

Week 6 – Groundwater
Reading – Chapter 8 (not on exam) Monday – Midterm Exam Wednesday - Aquifers, Hydraulic Head Friday – Water Table, Groundwater flow Just for Fun – Jean de Florette. 1988 video (PQ263 LA26 J43 5) in French where water is of major importance in the plot. Based on Pagnol, M., 1963, L'eau des Collines PQ263 LA26 E2. English translation of the book, The Water of the Hills, PQ263 LA26 E213 1988.

Week 7 – Groundwater
Reading – Dolan and Goodell (7728) Monday – Aquifers and Problems, Water Quality Lab Preparation Wednesday – Aquifers and Problems 2 Friday – Water in Orange County, CA Just for fun – Marion des Sources. 1988 video in French (PQ263 LA26 M356) sequel of Jean de Florette.

Week 8 – Groundwater
Reading – Chapter 8 (pp 233 – 248 Monday – Aquifer Over-exploitation Wednesday – Water in the Mexico City Basin Friday – Aquifer Pollution Reading – Chapter 8 (248 – 257), Dolan and Goodell (1986)

Week 9 – Time Rocks
Reading – Chapters 3 and 4 (90-100, 111-119) Monday – Geological Scale, Time Wednesday -Sequencing Geologic Events Friday – Rocks

Week 10 – Mineral Resources and Weathering
Reading – Chapters 5 (122-138) and 6 (158-178)
Monday – Ores
Wednesday – Natural Processes and Water Pollution Friday – Arsenic Contamination around the World

Week 11 – Energy
Reading – Chapter 11 (3 26-3 3 8)
Monday – Fossil Fuels
Wednesday – Course Evaluation, Sustainable Energies
Friday – "Midterm" Exam

Week 12 – Where'd the water go?
Reading – Chapters 12 and 13, Gleick (7836), Postel (7872)
Monday – Past Changes
Wednesday – Future Hopes
Friday – Sum-up

Geology 106 – The Hydrosphere: Michaud Farm, Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary

tdomf_26a6d — Fri, 26 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Fall Semester, 1999
Lecture MWF 11 AM – Cam I I I
Lab F I PM – Cam 219
Lois K. Ongley Assistant Professor

SummaryThe Hydrosphere focuses on water in three regimes of the planet, Earth: the atmosphere, surface waters, and ground water. The inter-relationships of water, earth materials and people are considered.

Book: Environmental Geology, Merritts et al., 1997. This is available in the bookstore, two copies will be on reserve in the library.

Supplies: pencils with eraser, colored pencils, ruler/protractor, calculator, computer discs. Always bring pencils to lab.

Geo Lunch: Tuesdays at noon in Room 10, Commons (everyone is welcome)
Help Sessions: TBA if you want them.
Labs: will meet the first week. See lab handouts for details.
Mid-term Exams: October 11, December 3

Purpose of Course
This course will introduce you to some of the fundamentals of the hydrologic sciences. We will study water; its physical and chemical properties, its role in energy distribution around the Earth, its occurrence, and its contamination. We will consider natural, historical, and emerging issues. You are expected to use the professional literature, historical accounts, the World Wide Web, and newspapers, as well as our textbook. The overall context for this study will be Earth Systems Science, a new paradigm for examining the Earth and its systems.

The first thing you need to know is: The Water Cycle. If your schools did the same as schools in Lewiston do, you learned this when you were about 9 years old. Remember? Draw one.

We'll improve on this somewhat! The point is that everyone knows something about water. When you leave this course in December, I want you to take with you the capability of critically analyzing water-related issues. I think it very important that you begin to doubt much of what you hear and to ask many questions. For instance, do you agree or disagree with this statement: "Living near a SuperFund site is hazardous"? How can you decide? What informational questions do you need to ask? What are the interpretive issues? What are the term definitions? What questions and experiments can you ask or set up to get some data that would help you decide whether it was appropriate or not to purchase a property near a contaminated lot? Are there any social or economic issues you need to consider? what other academic disciplines would you need to draw on to effectively and carefully consider any associated issues? Where or from whom would you seek information?

In addition to the 'normal' content-related goals of this course, I want you to meet nonacademic scientists and others who use water and related information everyday in order to do their jobs. This may include meteorologists (National Weather Service and TV), wastewater engineers, and environmental chemists.

Throughout the centuries scientists, engineers, and philosophers have been actively curious about water. The earliest documented water engineering projects were undertaken about 5,000 to 6,000 years before present. Archeologists have found ancient canals, levees, dams, aqueducts, and wells in the Tigris-Euphrates, Nile, and Hwang Ho River valleys and in Mayan ruins. King Solomon (3000 BP) is ostensibly quoted "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again" (Ecclesiastes 1:7). Aristotle thought that when air got cold it turned into water(condensation). Deep well drilling was undertaken in Artois, France in about 1126, which post-dated the drilling of the ancient Chinese wells by several thousand years! It wasn't until the 17th century that Perrault proved a cause/effect relationship between precipitation up-stream and river flow volumes in the Seine River in France.

How can people use and control water? What are the connections between the water cycle and the other Earth systems? How can we integrate all our knowledge to understand aquatic phenomena? Be curious and active. Passive learning is boring.

Almost everything is negotiable, except that all written materials (essays, labs, etc.) must be typewritten (to use an archaic word), spell-checked and proofread. You must proofread because spell checkers don't know which word you mean. For instance, this sentence passed the spell-checker "Thus pauper disgusts the fax about warder contaminates." This should have been "This paper discusses the facts about water contaminants."

Fun of the Course
I'll admit to being biased. Not only as a science fan, but also I think it is fun to learn how to use new tools ( such as computers) or to use familiar tools in new ways. If you don't already know, you should learn how to use Email, word processing, and spreadsheet software this semester. Taking classes at the Academic Computing Center in Pettigrew will be helpful, not only for this course but for the rest of your time at Bates and probably beyond the Bubble. The Help desk (x8222 or Email helpdesk) can tell you when the classes are. I recommend you take classes because I won't be able to help with every problem that comes up.

Many people like Geology as a science because it is a study of the world outside the confines of buildings. That is fun and gives you the opportunity to see and wonder about natural visible phenomena. In my experience, few geologists actually spend the bulk of their time in the field. We will bring information from outdoors in so that we may analyze and think about it. I like Geology and Earth Science because it requires integration of numerous disciplines and knowledge sets to solve the problems that we experience on this planet.

Instructors: Email is the best way to contact me.

Lois Ongley, Assistant Professor - I have held many different positions other than here at Bates. I have worked as an oceanographic geophysical shipboard technician, studied oceanic basalts (M.S. Texas A&M), explored portions of Texas and the mid-continent for oil and gas, and conducted EPA funded research in contaminant transport through soils (Ph.D. Rice University). For the past several summers, I went to Mexico to work with Mexican scientists on an arsenic contaminated aquifer in rural Hidalgo State.

TAs
There will be a TA for the class. As I write this, I do not know who it will be.

Class Times
Lectures – MWF 11 AM. Carnegie 111, Labs – F 1-4 PM, Carnegie 219

Grading
Exams – 400 of 700 points
100 each – 2 mid-terms (Oct I I and Dec 3) 200 – Final, which is cumulative and may be optional depending on your prorated grade as of Dec 10. If you have earned some variety of A, you need not take the final.

Or substitute a Paper (100 points) for one (only) of the mid-term exams.
Water in the News - Analyze a current event related to this course (a flood, storm, tsunami, landslide, water pollution problem, or drought for example). Determine the impact of the event. Decide if the impact was accurately reported and what the scientific issues are. What scientific questions can you pose that are not (or are poorly) answered in the news article? Would better or additional information prior to the event have helped to alleviate the consequences? Don't forget to identify the news article and provide me with a copy of it.

Water in Sci-Fi - Choose a course related issue that formed the basis of a work of science fiction. Research the topic to decide if the issue was appropriately dealt with in the story.

The paper is due the day of the exam you would otherwise take (i.e. Oct 11 or Dec 3). In the event that the exam date is adjusted, the paper due date is also. Let me know which option you choose by Oct. 1, 1999.

You should clear your topic with me in advance by submitting a brief informal description of your planned discussion no later than 2 weeks prior to the due date of the paper. The length and format of the paper are left to your discretion with the following caveats: 1) the paper must be long enough to fully address the issue, 2) there must be some evidence of library research beyond the 100 level textbook, and 3) make sure that you introduce your topic, discuss it (information, interpretation and synthesis), and come to some conclusions which you state.

Grading is more subjective on papers than on exams. In general, 'A' papers are those that are interesting, that present something I hadn't thought of and that are mechanically sound. 'B' papers are well done to OK;'C' papers are OK to disorganized, and it is possible to get' D' or' F. I use a grading rubric in which the topic selection is worth – 10%, the mechanics (spelling, numbered pages etc.) of the paper – 25%, the introduction – 25%, the discussion (analysis, not just summary) – 25%, the conclusion (supported by your discussion?) – 5% and the references – 10%.

If you wish, you may re-submit your paper to me for re-grading within a week after I return it to you. My commented copy must accompany any re-write. You may get help from me, other students, and/or the Writing Workshop as long as you acknowledge the assistance in writing and the paper reflects your own thoughts and work.

Lab – (230 points) You must pass lab in order to pass the course! To do this, you must attend lab as well as do the work. See the Lab Guidelines and Schedule.

Homework – (up to 50 points)

Participation in Class – (up to 50 points) I appreciate the courtesy when you let me know you will not be able to make it to class. This does not constitute an excused absence though. Excused absences are available from the Dean of Students for specific reasons.

Books and Supplies
The required text is Environmental Geology : an Earth System Science Approach by Merritts et al., 1997 published by WH Freeman. Two copies will be on reserve in the library. This book treats the Earth as a system. We will look at pieces of the system and at the whole. Additional readings are on reserve in Ladd Library.

You will need colored pencils, calculators (+, -, *, /), ruler-protractor, notebooks, pencils, etc. in lab and in class. Always bring pencils to lab. Computer discs may be handy.

There are also many web sites relating to the hydrosphere. In 1998, Geo 106 students compiled a list of sites they liked. This link will take you to my summary of those sites.

GeoLunch - Tuesday Commons room 10 (noon – 1: OOPM) Everyone is welcome to join Geo students and faculty at this time.

Seminars and Guest Speakers - early December – Geology seniors will defend their theses. Each student will give a 15-20 minute talk and answer any questions you have about their work. More later. Last modified: 1/3/99 by LKO

Michaud Farm, Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary
Lewiston, ME
Geo 106: The Hydrosphere

Objectives

1. To help the Stanton Bird Club assess the water table near the Michaud Farm
2. Continued exposure to Geographical Information Systems
3. Contouring (again!)
4. Analysis of spatially distributed data sets

Background
The Stanton Bird Club (named for Bates professor Johnny Stanton, an avid birder) owns the Thomcrag Bird Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is not open to vehicles (cars, bikes, snowmobiles or ATVs), you may come hike and ski here. The Michaud Farm was recently acquired by the Bird Club and they have asked our assistance in evaluating the water resources they have.

The farm has an interesting history. This was a subsistence farm (you can still see the apple trees). The Michaud family had a rough time of it and finally abandoned the farm, selling everything of value they could move. They sold the topsoil, the granite sills of the barn foundation, and the house. The house is still in use and is somewhere on Wood St. The bird club plans to leave some meadow for habitat and is considering establishing a duck pond in the wetland near the farm.

Last year ENVR 302 assessed the wetland near the farm (report available from Lois if you want to see it), this year we are going to map the water table using four wells and the surface water features.

Tasks
In the field:

1. Read handout.

2. We will be working near old wells. Please be careful. We will cover them up as we finish with each one.

3. Take careful notes. Locate each well on your map. At each well we will need to measure the land surface elevation, the depth to water in the well, and various water quality parameters (the pH, the uncorrected oxidation-reduction potential (measured in millivolts mV) (sort of a measure of how much oxygen is in the water), the specific conductance (related to TDS)), and the temperature. We will try to bring samples back for further analysis (calcium, sodium, etc).

4. Note any surface water features and draw them in on your map. Do you think the unconfined aquifer is very thick? How do you know? What is under the soil?

5. Back at the lab (You may choose to do this by hand or using the GIS software. The directions below are given for the GIS software.)

6. Get a disc from the lobby desk in Carnegie. Find a PC that has ArcView on it (in Cam 231 for instance).

7. Move the Michaud folder from the disc to the C drive.

8. Start the program ESRI\ Arcview GIS Version 3.X\Arcview GIS Version 3.X (X could be I or 2). When prompted, open an existing project and navigate to cAmichaud\michaud.apr. You will use the data you collected to create contoured maps of the hydraulic head in the unconfined aquifer and the water quality parameters that you measured.

When you open the view, you should see a view of the map I created for the lab. There should be four well locations on the map. Are they in the correct places? If not, you will have to move the dots around. To do that, make the wells theme active (click near the word "wells" and a shadow box will appear around it), select Theme/Start Editing, and click on the solid arrow pointer (2 d icon on the second row). Click on the well you want to move, four solid boxes should appear around the well, if you put the cursor on the well, it should change to a four-headed arrow. Click down on the mouse and move the well to the location you want it in.

Once you are satisfied with the well locations, select Theme/Stop Editing and save the edits. Go back to the view and label the wells to see which one is which. Do you need to rename them? Do so if necessary. In any case, write down on your field map which well is where. If labels only show up for one well, then one of the rows in the well table is selected and you need to unselect it.

Now you will add the data you collected to the GIS. With the wells theme active, click on. The table icon (fifth on over on the top row). A table will appear with four rows and two columns. Each row is the record for a well, each column represents a place for the data. For example, all the pH data will go in one column. The columns are called fields. Select Table/Start Editing. Then click on the ID column, click on the icon with an I and an arrow (the middle one in the second row). Note that icons change depending on whether you are working on a view, a layout, or a table. Now re-name the wells as needed, you may use numbers or names. Stop editing.

Return to the table and start editing again. This time choose Edit/Add field, in the pop-up window type in the name box, <2> in the decimal places box and click OK. Don't type the just the stuff in between. Add fields for each of your water quality parameters too, some of them may not need decimal places. Enter the values you got for each well in the correct location. Stop editing and return to the map view.

9. Now the fun begins. Make some maps of the hydraulic head and the water quality parameters. Contour the hydraulic head to show what the water table looks like. You don't have many data points so this won't be extensive. When you are finished, make a copy of your data. That way you won't lose your work.
Examine the water quality parameters. Are there any variations? Remember that the pH of rainwater is about 5.5, how does this compare with the well and surface waters we measured? Does the specific conductance vary? The temperature? Where did the water in the wells come from?

10. Write a brief report according to the lab guidelines. I will select one or more reports to copy and give to the Stanton Bird Club and may ask one of you to make a brief oral presentation Weds Dec 8 at 7 PM. This report will be due in two weeks. The long deadline is so you can get me if you want GIS help.

“Interpreting the History, Geology, and Ecology of Monterey Bay”

tdomf_26a6d — Fri, 26 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Course Description:
This is a 2-unit Service Learning option associated with ESSP 195: "Special Topics: The History, Geology, and Ecology of Monterey Bay". Students will learn about Monterey Bay in the special topics course and will share their knowledge with K-12 grade children at local schools by participating in the Virtual Canyon Project. This project is an ongoing effort to develop an interactive, educational, web-site to help school children learn about Monterey Bay, its deep underwater canyon, and the research process through which scientists learn about the bay and its inhabitants. Students in this service learning class will team up with students in another service learning class ("Tech Tutors") and go to the schools, where they will work with children to create fun and informative web-pages that will become part of the Virtual Canyon web site. In addition to the weekly class meetings, student will be required to do approximately 50 hours of service in the schools and will be required to participate in planning, contribute to group discussions, and write essays reflecting on their service learning experiences. This course is open to all CSUMB students, but is designed for non-science majors, especially those interested in teaching science at the K- 12 level.

Course Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in ESSP 195: "Special Topics: History, Geology and Ecology of Monterey Bay.

Instructor: Dr. Steve Moore, Assistant Professor of Earth Systems Science and Policy (ESSP)
Instructor Office Hours: Tu 12-2 and W 3-5 Bldg 13

Course Time and Place:
The regular meeting time for this class will be Tuesday afternoons, 4:00-4:50 p.m., in Building 18 (Media Learning Complex), Room 118 (Distance Learning Room).
There will also be four mandatory Service Learning Breakfast Seminars from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Fridays: February 14, March 7, April 11, and May 9.
In addition, each student will be required to spend approximately 50 hours during the semester at one or more local schools assisting them with their part of the Virtual Canyon Project. The times and locations for these meetings will be arranged early in the semester based on student and school schedules.

Learning Goals: This course will enable each dedicated student to:
Explain the scientific method fully and accurately.
Help children understand and explain how scientists study and learn about the natural world.
Explain one or more aspects of the history, geology, and/or ecology of Monterey Bay in sufficient detail to fill an informative web page.
Teach local school children about some of the natural and/or historic features of Monterey Bay.
Discuss the social and cultural implications and importance of inspiring children to explore nature through science.
Explain the benefits of a collaborative project where different individuals contribute different skills and knowledge to the benefit of everyone in the group.

Service Opportunities:
Students in this course will assist children and teachers in local K- 12 schools as they design and create their unique contributions to the Virtual Canyon Project. Specifically, the service learning students will serve as "content experts", providing inspiration, guidance, and "quality control" for the science information content in the web pages being developed by the school children. The school children will also be assisted by CSUMB students from the "Tech Tutors" Service Learning course, who will help with the technical aspects of setting up the web pages. Students will meet with their assigned school teachers and children at one (or more) of the local schools for about 4 hours each week of the semester, beginning in the third week.

Service Objectives:
Teaching is one of the most effective ways to learn. Students in this course will have their learning in the parent course (History, Geology, and Ecology of Monterey Bay) reinforced as they learn to explain it clearly to schoolchildren. Students will become particularly versed in whatever specialized topic(s) their school kids are working on, since they will need to learn and teach the answers to all of the children's questions. Through direct experience with teaching children, students will learn how to work with kids and will learn what some of the challenges of K- 12 teaching are, and how to overcome them.

Students will experience, first hand, the joys and frustrations of teaching children about the wonders of the world they live in. Students will reflect on the larger meaning and impact of this type of collaborative, service-oriented education, and of science education in general. Is science education at this young age important? Is this an effective method for doing science education? What is the impact on the children, teachers, schools, community, and service-learning student? Who benefits and why? Is anyone negatively impacted by this educational approach?

Grading:
Your grade in this course will be based on the following:
(# of times; Points each time; Point subtotal)

Dr. Moore's evaluation of your weekly reflection essays (10;4;40)
Dr. Moore's evaluation of your Summary reflection Piece (1;10;10)
School Teacher's Evaluation of your contribution to the children's Virtual Canyon educational experience (2;10:20)
School Children's evaluation of how friendly and helpful you were to them (2;5;10)
Peer evaluation of your contributions to the class (2;5;10)
Self evaluation of your contributions to the class (2;5;10)
TOTAL 100

Grading will be Credit / No Credit. To pass this course you must do ALL of the following:
Score a total of at least 60 points.
Score at least 5 points on your summary reflection essay.
Score at least 2 points on each of at least 9 regular reflection essays.

Attendance is required both in our classroom and at the school Service site. Although attendance is not listed explicitly as a criterion for grading, I will not accept a reflection essay about an experience or group discussion that you did not participate in.

All written assignments are due in the "IN" box beside my office door by 5 p.m. Friday of the week they are assigned. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED UNLESS YOU HAVE RECEIVED PRIOR PERMISSION FROM ME TO TURN THE WORK IN AT A LATER DATE.