Positioning and Mapping Instruments for Environmental Science Majors

该项目的目标是开发现代定位和绘图技术在环境调查中的应用。每年约有120名本科生将受到影响，包括新环境科学课程的多学科专业以及地质学专业。由于许多学生宣布这些新的专业表达了对生态学或水文学的兴趣，现场实验室练习围绕这些主题进行。需要两个新的仪器系统。电子全站仪系统将允许本科生制作许多环境项目所需的适当比例和细节的地图，并进行非侵入性测量，定位远程位置。还将教授全球定位系统技术和应用，首先是通过以全球定位系统为重点的实验室练习，然后是通过日常使用全球定位系统来支持其他实地实验室项目。这些实验室练习还向学生介绍了互联网上提供的信息，向学生展示了使用计算机处理和显示数据，让学生接触到可能激发高级论文想法的实地项目，并要求学生在使用几何和三角学回答生态问题时应用他们的数学训练。本科生将酌情使用这些工具，以支持作为环境科学学士学位顶点所需的高级研究项目。为使用这些仪器而编写的实验室手册将通过万维网提供，这一项目和学生项目的结果将在专业协会的区域会议上报告。

The objective of this project is to develop applications of modern positioning and mapping technology to environmental investigations. Approximately 120 undergraduates per year will be impacted, including multidisciplinary majors in new environmental sciences programs as well as geology majors. Because many students declaring these new majors express interest in ecology or hydrology, field laboratory exercises are developed around these themes. Two new instrument systems are requested. The Electronic Total Station system will allow undergraduates to make maps of an appropriate scale and detail needed for many environmental projects and to make non-intrusive measurements that locate remote positions. Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques and applications will also be taught, first through laboratory exercises in which GPS is the focus and later through routine use of GPS in support of other field laboratory projects. These laboratory exercises also introduce students to information available over the Internet, demonstrate to students the use of computers to process and display data, expose the students to field projects that might inspire senior thesis ideas, and require students to apply their mathematical training as they use geometry and trigonometry to answer questions of an ecological nature. Undergraduates will use these instruments as appropriate in support of senior research projects required as the capstone for the bachelor's degree in environmental sciences. Laboratory manuals developed for use of these instruments will be available through the WWW and results of this and of students' projects will be reported at regional meetings of professional societies.