Discovering Hydrology: Development of Interdisciplinary Labs for All Academic Level

水文学正在成为众多学科中一个令人兴奋和至关重要的领域。它为学生提供了独特的机会来发现地球科学、其他自然科学、数学和工程是如何通过基本原理联系在一起的。然而，传统的地球科学和土木工程部门缺乏标准的水文仪器教学，这是广泛实施活跃实验室的一个非常现实的障碍。该项目创建了实际操作的水文实验室，使学生能够在地球科学和工程教育的各个层次上发现基本的物理和化学概念。以问题为基础的实地实验室可以为学生提供一个环境，使他们能够将从观察中获得的定量和定性知识整合起来，并与跨学科的同事一起研究环境和地质系统的动态方面。该计划旨在通过四年的学习建立科学知识和解决问题的信心。新设备提供了这些实验室发展所需的关键仪器。每年有超过1600名学生受到这个项目的影响。新设备朝着加强本科生定量和跨学科环境教育的更大目标迈出了重要的一步。研究成果包括(1)在地质和土木工程学会全国会议上描述实验室发展和实施的报告；(2)描述使用廉价模型含水层的入门级实验室的手稿。＊

Hydrologic science is emerging as an exciting and crucial dimension of numerous academic disciplines. It provides unique opportunities for students to discover how geoscience, the other natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering are linked by fundamental principles. However, the lack of availability of standard hydrologic instrumentation for instruction within traditional geoscience and civil engineering departments constitutes a very real barrier to widespread implementation of active laboratories. This project creates hands-on hydrology laboratories that enable students to discover fundamental physical and chemical concepts at all levels of geoscience and engineering education. Problem-based field laboratories can provide a setting for students to integrate quantitative and qualitative knowledge gained from observations and to work together with colleagues across disciplines on dynamic aspects of environmental and geologic systems. The program is designed to build scientific knowledge and confidence in problem solving over the 4 years of study. The new equipment provides the critical instrumentation needed for development of these laboratories. More than 1 ,600 students per year are affected by this project. The new equipment fulfills an important step toward the larger goal of enhancing quantitative and interdisciplinary environmental education for undergraduates. Products from research include (1) presentations describing laboratory development and implementation at geology and civil engineering society national meetings and (2) a manuscript describing an introductory-level laboratory using an inexpensive model aquifer. *