Undergraduate Laboratory and Field Experiences in Environmental Geochemistry and Hydrogeology

需要在自然地球过程的背景下对本科生进行环境全球变化问题方面的培训，这些问题从微观(例如地下水中的污染物)到宏观(例如二氧化碳和全球气候变化)不等。这种培训的核心是实验室经验，特别是那些涉及实地工作的经验。该项目为环境地球科学计划中的两门基础课程：环境地球化学和水文地质学发展和升级实验室提供资金。环境地球化学研究水循环中化学物质的来源、赋存、分布和流动。这是高校开设的一门相对较新的课程，几乎没有教科书或实验室练习。有了这些资金，这一学科的第一系列实验室练习之一正在开发中。水文地质学研究水的来源、赋存、分布和流动。这个实验室正在升级。这个项目的一个独特和令人兴奋的特点是，这两门实验室课程高度整合。通过围绕一个共同主题--当地分水岭的水文、化学和物理动力学--的研究，促进了一体化。这些实验室为学生提供数据收集、分析和解释方面的实践经验。学生在现场和实验室环境中使用对他们在研究生学习或工业中有用的设备和技术。在提供了几个学期的实验后，学生们可以通过将他们的结果与前几年的结果进行比较来研究分水岭中的时间变化。

There is a need to train undergraduates in environmental global-change issues that range from the microscale (e.g., pollutants in groundwater) to the macroscale (e.g., CO2 and global climate change) within the context of natural Earth processes. At the heart of this training is laboratory experiences, particularly those that involve field work. This project provides funds to develop and upgrade laboratories for two fundamental courses in the Environmental Geosciences Program: Environmental Geochemistry and Hydrogeology. Environmental Geochemistry addresses the origin, occurrence, distribution, and flow of chemicals in the water cycle. This is a relatively new course offering at colleges and universities and one for which there are few textbooks or laboratory exercises. With these funds, one of the first series of laboratory exercises in this discipline is being developed. Hydrogeology addresses the origin, occurrence, distribution, and flow of water. This laboratory is being upgraded. A unique and exciting feature of this project is that these two laboratory courses are highly integrated. Integration is facilitated through the study around a common theme -- the hydrologic, chemical, and physical dynamics of a local watershed. These laboratories give the student hands-on experience in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Students use equipment and technologies in field and laboratory settings that will be useful to them in graduate study or in industry. After these labs have been offered for a few semesters, students can study temporal changes in the watershed by comparing their results to those from previous years.