Traffic flow model
Morgan Fonley, Alma College
This assignment relates to a traffic flow model. Each problem involves graphing in two and three dimensions and interpreting those graphs.

Investigating Real and Ideal gases
Kristi Closser, California State University-Fresno
This activity looks at the difference between real and ideal gas laws, emphasizing the connection of the physical properties to equations and graphs. Students first analyze the real gas equation, which should be ...

Synthesizing Marine Data Sets using MATLAB
Diane Fribance, Coastal Carolina University
Students use MATLAB to analyze an oceanographic data set collected in an estuary on a class boat trip, and put it into context using time-series data downloaded from online sources. Some basic oceanographic ...

NAE Grand Challenges Project
Dan Burleson, University of Houston-University Park
The project requires a group of students to explore one of the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges using MATLAB as a tool. Students explore a grand challenge by researching data and performing ...

Gravity prospecting
James Conder, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Students are given a set of gravity data with the aim of finding high density anomalies in the subsurface. Keywords: Data analysis; inverse modeling

Mysterious motions along the Pacific Northwest Coast
John Taber, IRIS Consortium
Students work in small groups to analyze and interpret Global Positioning System (GPS) and seismic data related to "mysterious ground motions" first along the northern California coastline, and then in ...

Seismic Design Competition
Eric Hultgren, Wheaton North High School (IL)
This project is a modified version of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Student Leadership Council's Seismic Design Competition. This project has teams of students work to research, plan, build and ...

Mt. St. Helens Volcanic Ashfall Eruption
Eileen Herrstrom, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This activity takes place outside of the classroom and requires ~1 hour to complete. Students recreate the map of the Mt. St. Helens ash plume of 1980 and use their maps to answer a series of questions about this ...

Torn Pieces of a Newspaper
Christopher Roemmele, West Chester University of Pennsylvania
A successful unit on plate tectonics begins with engaging learners about the puzzle of the continents. Using "torn pieces of a newspaper" (Wegener's actual words), students recreate the newspaper ...

Induced Seismicity: Are humans causing earthquakes?
John Taber, IRIS Consortium
In this lab, students investigate a hotly debated topic relevant in the political, economic, and scientific arenas. They will examine the processes involved in unconventional oil and gas resource production, ...

What's Shaking in Greenland?
John Taber, IRIS Consortium
Students will work in small groups to compare the rate of icequake occurrence in Greenland to measured air temperature over time. This activity emphasizes the Earth systems concept by connecting seismic and ...

Modeling Asperities with Spaghetti
Nicole LaDue, Northern Illinois University
This activity uses a physical model to facilitate students' understanding of elastic deformation of rocks and the episodic nature of motion on a fault, which leads to earthquakes and aftershocks.

Comparing Human Population Trends
Diane Doser, University of Texas at El Paso
This activity uses demographic information from the United Nations publication "World Population Prospects" to explore the differences in population trends for the United States to Uganda including ...

Greenhouse Effect Lab
Krista Larsen, Carleton College
In this lab, students measure temperature changes inside soda bottles (one with CO2 added, the other with only air inside) as incandescent light is shined on them to model the Greenhouse Effect.

Is Warming Natural or Anthropogenic?
Cindy Shellito, University of Northern Colorado
Students use climate model output to compare past, present and future climate and consider the impacts of human activity on climate.

Modeling River Long Profiles
Andrew Darling, Colorado State University
This project or multi-lab activity is designed to teach students about modeling landscape change caused by rivers over large time and spatial scales (e.g., the incision of Grand Canyon). Basic working knowledge of ...

Finite difference modeling of hillslope diffusion
Dylan Mikesell, Boise State University
This activity introduces students to the finite difference solution of the hill-slope diffusion PDE. The students derive partial derivatives from Taylor Series expansions of the 2D topography function z(x,t). After ...

Monitoring Algal Blooms with Landsat (OLI)
Andrew Fischer, university of tasmania
Algal blooms are caused by an aggregation of either microscopic phytoplankton or macro algae. They can produce toxic or harmful effects on humans and or the ecosystem. The purpose of this activity is to teach ...

Sophomore Bioengineering Final Project
Princess Imoukhuede, Washington University in St. Louis
Description: As a final project, students apply their knowledge of mass conservation to develop computational models of ligand-receptor signaling. Students systemically examine how signals enter cells ...

Tracking Groundwater Pollution
Victor Padron, Normandale Community College
This is a teaching module presenting an introduction to modeling ground water pollution, directed to undergraduate students in applied mathematics. It begins with a brief discussion of Darcy's law concerning ...