Implementation of a Field Laboratory for Undergraduate Courses in Geophysics and Hydrogeology

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The Geosciences Department recognizes the importance of hands-on, field-oriented experiences for undergraduates, especially in the high employment area of environmental consulting. To this end, the project is establishing a field laboratory for use by students in General Geophysics and Hydrogeology, two of the most popular upper-level elective courses in the Geology major. The site, to be located in glacial deposits sitting on top of faulted metamorphic bedrock, includes buried targets for surface geophysical exploration and established observation wells for standard hydrologic testing and groundwater investigation. Surface geophysical measurements are being made with existing equipment, but additional equipment can be used to provide exposure to electrical resistivity, electromagnetic, very low frequency, and seismic reflection techniques common in the environmental industry. Basic equipment used to allow for pumping tests, slug tests, porosity studies, water quality studies, and water flow investigations are also being used in this project. The extensive geophysical and hydrogeologic data collected from the site is being archived on CD-ROM using the method of dynamic digital maps and will be made available to the geologic community. In addition, the site, a unique teaching tool for field geophysics and hydrogeology, is being made available to interested professors and students in the region.