Short Demonstrations, Set #2

Session #2, time slot #2 (Monday 3:45), repeated in Session #6 (Thursday 9:00)

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S2A: Quantifying Ground-Water Baseflow and Improving Math Skills through a Stream-Discharge Exercise (James Reichard, Georgia Southern University). Unlike surface water, the movement of ground water is a rather abstract concept for many students. Moreover, because students commonly lack confidence in their mathematical skills, quantifying stream discharge and ground-water baseflow can be challenging. This session describes a two-part exercise where students quantify both tributary and ground-water inputs by measuring stream discharge. They first use somewhat tedious hand calculations to compute discharge; then develop their own spreadsheets to perform the calculations more efficiently and accurately. Finally, they collect field data and use their spreadsheets to determine discharge and to calculate some simple statistics.

S2B: Save Crooked Creek! Remediation of a Service Station Site with a Leaking UST (Paul Ryberg, Clarion University). Student group (3-4 persons) remediation studies are an effective way to apply learned hydrogeology concepts to real world problems. One such project (2-3 weeks) involves a leaking underground storage tank at a gasoline station in western Pennsylvania. The group is given a single page with details about the problem and a small sketch map of the site. They must then research the geology/hydrogeology of the site, produce maps and cross-sections, and complete a detailed report, budget and timetable which summarize their remediation plans. Group members also give a 30 minute summary presentation to the rest of the class.

S2C: Installing Minipiezometers With (and Without) Seepage Meter (Joe Yelderman, Baylor University). First hand experiences with wells, piezometers and water level measurements strengthen students' conceptual understanding of hydrogeology. Minipiezometers can be installed quickly, easily (?) and cheaply, making them practical teaching tools for even freshmen level classes with limited lab time. Once they are installed they can be used to obtain water levels, calculate vertical gradients and teach other hydrogeological concepts. When used in conjunction with seepage meters, one can use Darcy's Law to calculate groundwater flux into (or out of) surface water bodies such as lakes or streams.

S2D: Annual Water Budget of a Campus Retention Pond (Tara Curtin, Hobart and William Smith Colleges). Students use field and laboratory techniques to investigate the characteristics of the drainage basin of a campus retention pond for a service-learning project. This session will describe methods used to motivate upper level geoscience students to not only think analytically and quantitatively but also apply hydrogeologic principles to a significant local problem on campus-- i.e. flooding.evolution of the rift, geologically recent faulting and igneous activity in the Main Ethiopian rift valley with their implication on extension.

S2E: Using Real World Data in Groundwater Inflow Into a Filling Reservoir (Jay Sims, University of Arkansas, Little Rock). No description available.